Cham won’t drink

[Kelley Meyer]

My cham won’t drink. She’s 3-4 mos, I got her 2 weeks ago, and haven’t seen her drink, not once. Her urates are yellow-orange, so I’ve been giving her water from a syringe once a day. When I do this, they’re white. Is this once-a-day routine sustainable or will it stress her out too much? She’s too young for the shower method.

 

[jamest0o0]

They're all yellow and orange, not just part of it?

 

[Kelley Meyer]

Horn worms are a little too big for her, too :/

 

[Kelley Meyer]

They're all yellow and orange, not just part of it?

Without my help, the urate part is yellow-orange. When I give her the syringe, they’re white like they’re supposed to be

 

[MissSkittles]

How often and for how long are you misting? Do you have a dripper? Can you post a pic of your enclosure please?

 

[jamest0o0]

Yeah but when you say orange or yellow, is there any white at all? Or is the urate 100% yellow/orange?

 

[nightanole]

Ive seen some of my chams drink like 3-4 times in their lives. Either they are closet drinkers, or they just dont. But they all had good urates so i dont really care if they are drinkers

 

[kinyonga]

If the chameleon's urates are all yellow/orange then it definitely needs some water.

I agree with what @MissSkittles says...
"How often and for how long are you misting? Do you have a dripper? Can you post a pic of your enclosure please?"
Also a photo of the chameleon.

You should also answer the questions in the how to ask for help thread near the top of the health forum.

 

[Kelley Meyer]

How often and for how long are you misting? Do you have a dripper? Can you post a pic of your enclosure please?

I mist 3 times a day, a couple mins each time. The humidity gauge stays between 40-60%. And, yes, I have a dripper which is accessible at all times. It drips onto plants as in the wild and she won’t touch it. I use distilled water in the Little Dripper. I have a good-sized cage and it’s one of the screened ones.

 

[Kelley Meyer]

Yeah but when you say orange or yellow, is there any white at all? Or is the urate 100% yellow/orange?

Oh, gotcha. The urate itself is completely yellow-orange without giving her the syringe.

 

[Lindasjackson]

https://www.chameleonforums.com/threads/how-to-ask-for-help.66/
Please fill this form out and past it here so someone can go over it with you and give you the help you need for your Cham and get it drinking. We really do want to help!

 

[DonKeesh]

Do you fog at night? I know people have their opinions about it, but it definitely works for me and I never see my Cham drink.

 

[Flick boy]

Hi @Kelley Meyer the best place to start is at the beginning this has been added by @Lindasjackson if you can fill this out ( and if this takes time ) post pictures of your enclosure first this will best help members to provide the best help . As chameleons can be shy drinkers urates sometimes are the best way to see if they are hydrated. But plz fill out the husbandry form ASAP so as we can get a better understanding of everything

 

[ERKleRose]

She’s too young for the shower method.

Welcome on here! The shower method is actually not recommended anymore. Are you careful with her airways that are at the front of her mouth when you syringe water to her?

 

[jamest0o0]

I would get a fecal done and maybe a vet exam. It could be parasites

 

[MissSkittles]

Try as @DonKeesh suggests. Adding a cool mist humidifier at night to boost humidity to 80-100% will help hydrate your cham. Just make sure that your temps are cool.

 

[Kelley Meyer]

Thank you everyone for your answers! I’ll be buying a mist humidifier for nighttime and making a vet appointment.

 

[Kelley Meyer]

Thank you everyone for your answers! I’ll be buying a mist humidifier for nighttime and making a vet appointment.

A humidifier and fogger are the same things, right?

 

[DonKeesh]

A humidifier and fogger are the same things, right?

https://www.amazon.com/PETSPIONEER-...uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

I recommend this one so you can direct the fog where you want it. The Cham needs to sleep directly in the stream of fog.

 

[DonKeesh]

https://chameleonacademy.com/chameleon-cage-set-up-naturalistic-hydration/

How to coordinate and setup the schedule.