Watering?

[AmberHawk]

My Hoehnelli HATES water. I've tried to just spray his mouth lately, but he hisses and runs from it, even if it is warm.

It may have been because I was rehydrating him a long time ago, with the steam method, and he fell off the plant he was on into hot water... :x

I'm not sure if he was traumatized by it, or if it's because it gets in his eyes every time I sprayed him before...

I'm sorry, I sound like a terrible owner at this point..

But I don't want my cham to hate me/fear me. What should I do to help him get over his fears, or like me more?

 

[ferretinmyshoes]

You should not ever use hot water. You can put him on a plant in the shower and let warm (not hot) water bounce off the wall onto the plant. Do not put him or the plant in the direct spray of the shower. My chams drink very readily whenever I do that.

Have you tried using a dripper instead of spraying him? Mine hate being sprayed with water but if you poke a few holes in the bottom of a cup and let the water drip onto a plant in his cage like rain that may be a less stressful way to provide water.

 

[Elizadolots]

I would set up a dripper then spray everything in the cage, including the top, until it's dripping wet, like it's raining. That will hopefully stimulate your chameleon to start drinking.

 

[AmberHawk]

We tried a dripper at first, but he didn't drink from it. Most of the water was wasted. He readily drinks off the leaves when he's sure I'm gone. If I don't have a cricket in my fingers, he runs when I open his terrarium.

I wasn't spraying the plant directly, I was pointing it down towards the bottom of the shower (hand-held head), and letting the steam rise. I tried using warm (not hot) water, letting it bounce onto the plant, but he ran from that too. :/ So my choice was to let the steam collect on him, or watch him dehydrate...

 

[AmberHawk]

Since we stopped spraying him, he runs directly to the leaves we spray and drinks readily. He suns himself more now; I think spraying him directly was stressing him out.