Reptile & Amphibian Forums

How can i tell that my young veiled is drinking, I spray down my fake plants in her cage about 2-3 times a day and leave a couple ice cubes on the top to drip. I hope she is drinking but I have not actually seen her. Will they go right next to the leave and drink or do they use their long tounges to get the water? Thanks

First,if you were using real plants it would be much easier to be sure your cham is drinking,besides they contribute in many ways,consider upgrading...
now regarding your problem,most of us were worried at some point if our cham was drinking or not,don't worry,spray heavily with warm water 2-3 times a day and provide a dripper.As long as their is no health issue they usually drink without you noticing.The thicker the foliage the better,more surface

I am definately going to go with live plants once I build her a all screen cage in the next several weeks. From this forum i have read that pothos and ficus are some of the most popular. I think I am going to sit down tonight and start to design the set up. Is there any feasible way to set up a temporary drip system in a 10 gallon aquarium. Right now I am using ice cubs on the screen. Think that is adequate for now? Thanks

Chams seem to prefer warm water over cold ice-cube drips.

Also, duration of dripping is as important as volume. You'd need a fair number of ice cubes to make it enough.

An easy to make dripper:
take a plastic container that holds a cup of water or so;
get a short length of air hose tubing (as used in fish aquariums) and a valve for same;
using a small nail, push a hole through the side near the bottom - slightly smaller that the valve end, so that it will be a very tight fit;
Stick valve in hole;
stick tube on outter end of valve;
Fill container with water; and,
open valve just enough for a slow drip (several drops a minute).

You'll need something to catch the water that isnt used (which of course will be most of it).
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SandraChameleon@gmail.com
BC Canada

I'm not certain how young your young cham is, but the sooner you move her from a 10-gallon tank, the better.
Since you don't actually see her drinking, you probably should monitor her urates and eyes closely. Nice bulgy eyes and snow white urates are signs your cham is properly hydrated.

Misting is good for maintaining humidity levels, but chams need way more than misting to stimulate their drinking response.
I suspect she will avoid ice cold water dripping from the top of the tank. Remember, in the wild the water they lap from leaves is warm not ice cold. You can devise a suitable dripper from just a dixie-type cup with a pin-hole at the bottom, filled with warm distilled water, until you can provide a more suitable dripper system. Since she's in a tank, make certain you have a bowl or something at the bottom to collect water and don't let the water sit.

If you must rely on misting for drinking, keep misting with very warm distilled water until you actually SEE her drinking. I often think "misting" is misleading. My chams respond to "raining', rather than just "misting".

You will be happy to know that I have ordered an all screened enclosure which should be arriving here this weekend. Once I get her permanent cage set up I will be putting live plants (they hold the water on the leaves much better than the plastic ones) and an autamated misting and a drip system as well with a catch bowl. She is about 2 1/2 months old and her waste is half black and half white so I am guessing that she is drinking some. I can't wait to get my new set up going. Thanks for the advice

Some early signs of dehydration to watch for include sunken eyes, wrinkled papery looking skin, difficulty shedding, and a casque that looks collapsed rather than full. Watch her skin. If you take a pinch of skin between your fingers and release it, it should flatten out right away. If the fold stays "tented" it is a sign of dehydration.

Sounds great!
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SandraChameleon@gmail.com
BC Canada