Chameleon refuses to drink water even though he's dehydrated. help!!!

[Emmamendichameleon]

please help! I'm a new chameleon owner, i've only had my cham ( i don't think he's fully adult yet) for a week and he has proper caging, plants with water sprayed on them, heating, lighting, and everything. His cage gets sprayed with water 8 times a day (30 second misting every 3 hours) and I've fed him a few worms and crickets. But he won't drink water. His eyes are starting to look a little sunken in and his skin is looking very dry and i don't know what to do to help him. I've dripped water in front of him for a couple of minutes. no results. And sadly, I've even tried using a pipette to force him to drink water because it's the only way i can get him to drink at least a little but he fusses and hisses at me and tries running away. I hate having to see him be stressed by this but it also hurts to see him refuse water. i don't know why he's doing this, but I'm assuming its stress. i don't take him out of his cage very often and he's located in a quiet separated room. Should i get a dripper? should i try showering? help!!!

 

[Ruthless]

Your cage is very bare this could be stressing him with no place to feel hidden/safe. Stress can lead to a lot of issues you need more foliage so he has more options they will drink off the plant leaves also get some type of live plant in there to help with humidity and a place to drink from I would go with a umbrella plant they have big leaves that water droplets can form on.

 

[Lennoncham]

If you have only had him a week you shouldn’t be handeling him yet. They need time to settle into their new home. How long are you misting for? This may sound weird but it sounds like you are providing to much water. Can you please fill out the how to ask for help form so we can see if ther might be something else going on?

Here is some recommended information to include when asking for help in the health clinic forum. By providing this information you will receive more accurate and beneficial responses. It might not be necessary to answer all these questions, but the more you provide the better. Please remember that even the most knowledgeable person can only guess at what your problem may be. Only an experienced reptile veterinarian who can directly examine your animal can give a true diagnosis of your chameleon's health.


Chameleon Info:

• Your Chameleon - The species, sex, and age of your chameleon. How long has it been in your care?
• Handling - How often do you handle your chameleon?
• Feeding - What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders?
• Supplements - What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?
• Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? How often and how long to you mist? Do you see your chameleon drinking?
• Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites?
• History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Info:

• Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) What are the dimensions?
• Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? What is your daily lighting schedule?
• Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps?
• Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity?
• Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?
• Placement - Where is your cage located? Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor?
• Location - Where are you geographically located?

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about.

--------------

Please Note:

1. The more details you provide the better and more accurate help you will receive.
2. Photos can be very helpful.

 

[Emmamendichameleon]

Your cage is very bare this could be stressing him with no place to feel hidden/safe. Stress can lead to a lot of issues you need more foliage so he has more options they will drink off the plant leaves also get some type of live plant in there to help with humidity and a place to drink from I would go with a umbrella plant they have big leaves that water droplets can form on.

thank you! after i read this, i cleaned and prepped a pathos i just recently bought and put it up in his cage. i moved the vines around to give him so hiding spots

 

[Lennoncham]

30 second misting every 3 hours

Didn’t see this before. This is to much. The newest information is to give a misting session shortly before the lights come on. Then one short misting in the middle of the day and a misting session shortly before or just after the lights go out. You don’t want really high humidity during the day. High humidity mixed with the heat from the basking light can cause respiratory infections. You want higher humidity at night. This is done by the misting session just before/after lights out and a humidifier at night.

 

[kinyonga]

Have you tried dripping water on the very end of his nose very slowly?
Have you tried dripping the water on a plant leaf that's in front of him?

 

[MissSkittles]

Some chams are very private when they drink. In the 3 months that I’ve had my grumpy girl, I’ve seen her lap exactly one drop of water. She gets 3, 3 minute long mist sessions during her awake hours. If I’m around when her mister goes on, I make sure to stay out of her sight. Her Urates are white so she is drinking enough. I had her enclosure loaded with plants...several Pothos to catch the water, but she’s eating her way thru them all.
If you would like your husbandry reviewed, fill out the form that Lennoncham provided and one of the forum members will take a look and make sure you’ve got everything perfect for your little guy.

 

[Angeld1ck]

Keep your basking spot 80 degrees and 6 inches below the top of the cage change misting from twice a day once at night and in the morning, put a vine in the shower and just turn the water on let the humidity in the room fill up only doo this in the early morning or at night, he doesn’t look dehydrated from the pics above

 

[Daesie11]

Keep your basking spot 80 degrees and 6 inches below the top of the cage change misting from twice a day once at night and in the morning, put a vine in the shower and just turn the water on let the humidity in the room fill up only doo this in the early morning or at night, he doesn’t look dehydrated from the pics above

Showering the cham is unnecessary and causes the cham more stress than it is worth. You should only shower your cham in dire need when they are extremely dehydrated.
The misting schedule is going to be completely dependent on OPs environment and enclosure. If they live in a drier climate they are going to need more misting to keep up the humidity. The "once in the morning once at night" deal doesnt work for everyone. I live in Denver, for example, and have to mist several times throughout the day to keep my humidity where it should be.
Also 80F for the basking spot is a little low I believe, and saying 6inches below the screen is another generalization that might not work for OP depending on her enclosure.
We need to be careful when we give blanket statement advice. It's easy to regurgitate what we have heard but all of our advice needs to be tailored to the keeper because a lot of variables can change the husbandry advice we give

 

[Lennoncham]

Showering the cham is unnecessary and causes the cham more stress than it is worth. You should only shower your cham in dire need when they are extremely dehydrated.
The misting schedule is going to be completely dependent on OPs environment and enclosure. If they live in a drier climate they are going to need more misting to keep up the humidity. The "once in the morning once at night" deal doesnt work for everyone. I live in Denver, for example, and have to mist several times throughout the day to keep my humidity where it should be.
Also 80F for the basking spot is a little low I believe, and saying 6inches below the screen is another generalization that might not work for OP depending on her enclosure.
We need to be careful when we give blanket statement advice. It's easy to regurgitate what we have heard but all of our advice needs to be tailored to the keeper because a lot of variables can change the husbandry advice we give

Very true. Forgot to factor this in.

 

[kinyonga]

Did you get your chameleon to drink?

It would be a good idea for you to answer the questions in the how to ask for,help thread near the top of the health forum so we can see if everything in your husbandry is good.

 

[Kaizen]

please help! I'm a new chameleon owner, i've only had my cham ( i don't think he's fully adult yet) for a week and he has proper caging, plants with water sprayed on them, heating, lighting, and everything. His cage gets sprayed with water 8 times a day (30 second misting every 3 hours) and I've fed him a few worms and crickets. But he won't drink water. His eyes are starting to look a little sunken in and his skin is looking very dry and i don't know what to do to help him. I've dripped water in front of him for a couple of minutes. no results. And sadly, I've even tried using a pipette to force him to drink water because it's the only way i can get him to drink at least a little but he fusses and hisses at me and tries running away. I hate having to see him be stressed by this but it also hurts to see him refuse water. i don't know why he's doing this, but I'm assuming its stress. i don't take him out of his cage very often and he's located in a quiet separated room. Should i get a dripper? should i try showering? help!!!

Honestly, fill out the form when you have time, it’s super helpful for both you and us. In the mean time, stop handling him, and mist as per @Lennoncham ’s instructions. I have three veileds and unless I sit and watch al day, I never see them drink. Chams are often private, especially during initial acclimatization.