Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ever since ive had my cham i have not seen him drink... maybe he is when im not around but i honestly have never seen him. carlton told me the proper way to mist and relatively how often, still he does not open his mouth... i mist at least twice a day, using warm distilled water, for probably about ten minutes each session i take him out of his cage and put him on my large plant to mist as he is in a glass enclosure for another week (i know its bad, just got a screen flexarium and transferring him over right away). i sometimes mist for even longer cuz i want him to open his mouth but no luck he just closes his eyes and stays still. i dont want him to die of dehydration, and i hear thats one of the most common causes of death which is why im so worried. sometimes i try and spray in his mouth when i feed him wax worms cause i dont know what else to do... PLEASE HELP!

What species of chameleon is he?

How long do you leave him on the plant? Do you run a dripper at all when he's there?

Please do not spray water in his mouth when he is eating. You might end up with water in his lungs if you spray it.

he is veiled, i leave him on my big plant up to an hour,misting 10 to 20 minutes, ihave no dripper. he just doesnt open his mouth

Is Mr. Gonzo healthy in all other aspects? If so perhaps he is not that thirsty a sign that your husbandry is sufficient. Take into consideration that veileds are designed for desert type conditions. He could be obtaining some of his water needs through your gutload i.e. lots of greens through gutloading will provide added fluids. Waxworms are pretty juicy(they are also real fatty!) I know when i feed silkworms hydration requirements are lessened due to the high hydration content in the worm. Is your veiled eating some of his plant? This is another source of hydration. The tank you have him in probably holds allot of humidity compared to an open air environment. I believe chams get some of their hydration requirements through their skin and respirations.Higher humidity levels means less hydration requirements. It is thought that veileds may have evolved to have the impressive casques not just to make them regal looking but so that it helps direct the water towards the mouth when it rains on it. Perhaps there IS water going into his mouth as they will sometimes only barely crack it open for the water to go in. However, at some point you should see him lift his head up to swallow.Is his casque plump and meaty looking? A sign of a well hydrated, well fed veiled. Are his eyes not sunken in but popped out,alert and darting about? If so, this is another sign of a hydrated cham. Is his appetite good? A dehydrated cham will start to crash,lethargy will set in,he will not eat and eventually sit with his eyes closed for prolonged periods of time.Good luck with Mr. Gonzo.

I think you need to clarify your post BigDog. Veileds are NOT found in desert habitats. That is a misconception from the early days of veiled husbandry. They are found in heavily vegetated coastal river valley that get blanketed with quite a bit of fog rather than rain. Fog and dew condense on the shrub zones providing moderate humidity and drinking water. If you try to keep a veiled in low humidity as well as high heat (aka: desert) your chams won't do well. You are right about checking for signs of dehydration...if your cham shows no signs it is probably drinking when you aren't around to see it.

Check for skin "tenting", a casque that is hollowed rather than full looking, sunken eyes, problems shedding, rough papery paler skin, and heavy drooling when it is drinking. A dehydrated cham trying to drink will produce a lot of sticky clear saliva as it swallows.