drinking while eating cricket??

[sammnadine]

so my chameleon has a hard time drinking, although I've gathered ways to get her to drink by my hand I was wondering if anyone has any other methods she can pick up on her own? besides misting, drippers, rodent bottles and oral syringes! (all of those methods, I use)

however, that's not why I made this post. I have been putting a few drops of water into my chameleons mouth between her chewing a cricket as her mouth is open but I've found that she seems to cough a bit and open her mouth wide when I do this. is it hurting her? I've stopped for now and done some research but I have yet to find any information on it. so if anyone has any experience with this I would really appreciate it!!

 

[Carlton]

Well, first off, let's try to figure out whether she has "a difficult time drinking". Why do you think this? Do you never see her drink on her own? She may be drinking when you aren't watching. Many keepers say the same thing, but as long as their cham produces nice white urates and doesn't show other signs of dehydration, the cham is getting enough.

Giving her water while she's eating can be a problem, as she could aspirate some of it and end up with respiratory problems. The coughing and gaping are signs that she's trying to prevent this and not being totally successful. I would not keep doing this. Instead, let her finish the insect and drip some water on her snout and she may swallow that a lot more safely. If she'll lick and swallow water from a hand held syringe that's not a bad thing as long as you give her time to swallow. If you don't want to stand there and give her water by hand, the best way to ensure that she's drinking enough on her own is to provide lots of water droplets in her cage. Not all chams decide they like drippers. If your cage has a lot of live foliage in it (most newbie cages need more), you can mist it heavily and leave her alone to drink. Why don't you describe her cage for us or send us a pic?