Going on vacation without cham, how to get him water constantly?!

Oh and by the way animals are not like babies period!If my chameleon dies of dehydration i won't have criminal charges brought against me for child abuse.

Philip; I could care less about the Sr. thing. It's the well being of the animal that I care about and no member should be telling this kid that it's ok to leave his cham alone for 6 days. Jann
 
I wouldn't listen to Brock. If you want to keep your chammy healthy either find someone to feed and wat4er it or take it with you. You are responsible for that animal 100%. It is in a cage and can't fend for itself. Don't even think of leaving it alone.

I have got to say this is the answer you need to follow!! Where you live in San Diego, there are lots of herpers who would help you out by sitting your cham. If you can't get someone to take care of it(and YOU CAN) and you can't take the cham along then you need to get the cham to a home where it will be cared for. I have no idea how old you are but when you have an animal you take on the care of the animal. If you are not able to do this please don't make your cham suffer. Sell it , take it to a rescue center, or give it to someone who will care for it. Maybe the cham will survive, you would also maybe survive, are you will to do without proper food and water for a week???:(
 
Being a senior on here means you have been here awhile and listened to all the advice people have given. I can't believe you are actually encouraging him to leave his chameleon alone for 6 days. Being in a cage is totally different than being outside where they can lick dew off leaves and catch some bugs when they get hungry.

I am saddened that you can take responsibility for something but yet think so little of it you would leave it for 6 days. :eek:

Unfortunately it doesnt, some senior members on here dont know diddly-squat! What Brock says makes total sense IMHO, Veilds dont need that much water, they come from a desert-like region.

HOWEVER.....6 days is a bit long, 3-4 days MAX I'd say. sure your animal would probably be fine (maybe a lil dehydrated), but its not worth taking a chance, better safe then sorry.
 
What Brock says makes total sense IMHO, Veilds dont need that much water, they come from a desert-like region.
I would have to agree, I know some people who have gone on vacation and left hornworms and silkworms and come back to a perfectly healthy veiled, provided they had a swamp cooler running that refilled itself when it needed to be, even if it was only for 3-4 days.

However, if a veiled is completely healthy in the first place, temps are good, and it isn't being dried out, what would make it die in 6 days if well hydrated w/it's food?

I really don't want to get involved in what's going on here but maybe my friend is lying and common sense just isn't at work here?

edit: Great point made below; some keepers just aren't up to the job and do a worse job than if they would have just been left alone.
 
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He'll be fine for six days alone.

I left my pair of veileds alone for 6-7 days at a time once or twice a year.

Just make sure you spray them more than usual before you leave, maybe feed them some grapes or something high in water content (any kind of melon would do well), if they will take it, aaaaaaaaaaaand leave either a dish of feeders in there with high moisture content - like horn worms.

The moisture in the bugs will be more than enough to keep him hydrated.


Horrible idea brock im sorry

Alot of awesome and super friendly keepers live in So Cal on here. Ask around, Im sure someone wouldn't mind extra, especially since some have dozens, one more is cake.

Edit-my suggestion has been posted multiple times. Sorry
 
While both factions have their points best you get a knowledgeable cham sitter or find a small pet shop that boards animals.

I've heard enough stories of people's chams getting burned while their 'roommate' took care of them and didn't care enough to properly. The person came home to animals that needed a lot of vet care.

Being in the wild or in a cage are two wholly different environments.
 
Horrible idea brock im sorry

Alot of awesome and super friendly keepers live in So Cal on here. Ask around, Im sure someone wouldn't mind extra, especially since some have dozens, one more is cake.

Edit-my suggestion has been posted multiple times. Sorry

Nic you make it sound so much better, I hope he will listen to you.

I am disappointed by the lack of caring some of our members have displayed on this thread.:(
 
Get in touch with me and i can help you out bud. I live in Rancho San Diego and can make room to house sit your guy for a week. Your more the welcome to check out how i keep my chams if your iffy about it. Send me a PM and we can set something up.

Chris
 
While both factions have their points best you get a knowledgeable cham sitter or find a small pet shop that boards animals.

I've heard enough stories of people's chams getting burned while their 'roommate' took care of them and didn't care enough to properly. The person came home to animals that needed a lot of vet care.

Being in the wild or in a cage are two wholly different environments.

I agree totally but thinking about the horror stories you hear about 'roommates' taking inadequate care, think about the ones you don't hear because someone is too embarrassed to say what happened when they came home to something horrible after leaving their cham all alone.

If you were going north on your trip I would tell you to drop him off while you are gone, like someone else stated taking in one more would not be that much work. I would not leave a dog alone for a weekend let alone a single one of my 29 chameleons. Not that it hasn't worked for other people but I would not chance it with my own.

If your not leaving until thanksgiving you still have enough time to find a babysitter. If it's going to be at your home I suggest a Mist King system with the mist king timer and a timer for your light system. Then your sitter will only have to worry about feeding.
 
While both factions have their points best you get a knowledgeable cham sitter or find a small pet shop that boards animals.

Thank you!

As you all can see in my last post I said. "I think we all agree that the best thing to do is get someone to watch him and use these methods for a last ditch effort".

No one is telling this person to just go ahead with Brocks plan. We have all said the best thing to do is get an auto mister or find someone to care for it. Personally I wouldnt go through with it but it is not a bad plan to prepare your chameleon for a fast/drought if there is NO other way of having someone take care of it. The reason I wouldnt go through with it is because of the hydration/humidity requirements is much higher in the species I am keeping. If I had an auto mist set up I would leave my house for days much more...as long as there were no neonates or juvis in my house at this time.

The food issue can be thrown out the door if the cham is a well established sub adult to adult IMHO. I dont see a chameleon not eating for a week the same as a human not. They are much different. In fact I will encourage EVERYONE to join in and make your chams go through a fast here and there. It is perfectly healthy for them and I feel it is detrimental for a long lifespan. You can see just as many grossly obese Veileds and other chams on here as you do sick ones and eventually those will be chalked up as one of the sick ones too.

As was mentioned 1000 times already. Just find someone to take care of it which you already have a person willing:)
 
Thank you!

As you all can see in my last post I said. "I think we all agree that the best thing to do is get someone to watch him and use these methods for a last ditch effort".

No one is telling this person to just go ahead with Brocks plan. We have all said the best thing to do is get an auto mister or find someone to care for it. Personally I wouldnt go through with it but it is not a bad plan to prepare your chameleon for a fast/drought if there is NO other way of having someone take care of it. The reason I wouldnt go through with it is because of the hydration/humidity requirements is much higher in the species I am keeping. If I had an auto mist set up I would leave my house for days much more...as long as there were no neonates or juvis in my house at this time.

The food issue can be thrown out the door if the cham is a well established sub adult to adult IMHO. I dont see a chameleon not eating for a week the same as a human not. They are much different. In fact I will encourage EVERYONE to join in and make your chams go through a fast here and there. It is perfectly healthy for them and I feel it is detrimental for a long lifespan. You can see just as many grossly obese Veileds and other chams on here as you do sick ones and eventually those will be chalked up as one of the sick ones too.

As was mentioned 1000 times already. Just find someone to take care of it which you already have a person willing:)


I love a happy ending, thanks Gluuvan!!!:D
 
This is all pretty silly. A chameleon is delicate and needs to be cared for. But, it is an animal. A well established veiled can go days without water or food. I think people are blowing this way out of proportion. As to the level of observation needed on a veiled chameleon, wow. If the animal is healthy, the cage is clean, the temp will be maintained and he was left with a dripper and a cup full of food he would be fine.

I live in OC... If ya wanted to meet half way I would be willing to care for him. I have 12 chameleons at the moment... I can handle one more. I won't charge for my services... such as cage rental, feeders, water, or electrical.
 
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Wow this thread has gotten a ton of hits lol, much more than I expected. I'm flying up north and the airline only allows dogs and cats, not chameleons :(. I'll look into finding someone on here to take care of my cham, when it gets closer to thanksgiving.


For the record, I have an electronic timer for my lights and numerous temp and humidity gauges and a sensor which turns my basking light on and off when it reaches a certain temp. I've invested a ton of time and money into him, and just was seeking advice on what you guys would do. Please dont look at me as a bad owner :\ , I just wanted some ideas of what to do, and I got many replys (thanks :) )! I'll have to look for someone to take care of him on the forums here.

Thanks for all your input and advice, I didn't mean to cause commotion between people.
 
Wow this thread has gotten a ton of hits lol, much more than I expected. I'm flying up north and the airline only allows dogs and cats, not chameleons :(. I'll look into finding someone on here to take care of my cham, when it gets closer to thanksgiving.


For the record, I have an electronic timer for my lights and numerous temp and humidity gauges and a sensor which turns my basking light on and off when it reaches a certain temp. I've invested a ton of time and money into him, and just was seeking advice on what you guys would do. Please dont look at me as a bad owner :\ , I just wanted some ideas of what to do, and I got many replys (thanks :) )! I'll have to look for someone to take care of him on the forums here.

Thanks for all your input and advice, I didn't mean to cause commotion between people.

If you lived in the middle of utah and couldn't find someone to look after him and have a way to keep his temps good and have the lighting go on and off and the only thing you couldn't provide was water and food the ENTIRE time... but at least could rig something up for half the time, I wouldn't hold it against you.

If you make the effort to find someone (and I know you will find someone, a lot of local keepers to you) and can't, just be sure to prep the cham like Brock suggested. (just don't do this if he is young.... I would ONLY suggest what Brock said if he is established and with no health issues and over 14 months old.)
 
Thank you!

As you all can see in my last post I said. "I think we all agree that the best thing to do is get someone to watch him and use these methods for a last ditch effort".

No one is telling this person to just go ahead with Brocks plan. We have all said the best thing to do is get an auto mister or find someone to care for it. Personally I wouldnt go through with it but it is not a bad plan to prepare your chameleon for a fast/drought if there is NO other way of having someone take care of it. The reason I wouldnt go through with it is because of the hydration/humidity requirements is much higher in the species I am keeping. If I had an auto mist set up I would leave my house for days much more...as long as there were no neonates or juvis in my house at this time.

The food issue can be thrown out the door if the cham is a well established sub adult to adult IMHO. I dont see a chameleon not eating for a week the same as a human not. They are much different. In fact I will encourage EVERYONE to join in and make your chams go through a fast here and there. It is perfectly healthy for them and I feel it is detrimental for a long lifespan. You can see just as many grossly obese Veileds and other chams on here as you do sick ones and eventually those will be chalked up as one of the sick ones too.

As was mentioned 1000 times already. Just find someone to take care of it which you already have a person willing:)

I agree 100%!

I think some of you need to take a step back and remember these are reptiles and not some needy mammal. All to often these animals are killed with kindness.
 
Wow this thread has gotten a ton of hits lol, much more than I expected. I'm flying up north and the airline only allows dogs and cats, not chameleons :(. I'll look into finding someone on here to take care of my cham, when it gets closer to thanksgiving.


For the record, I have an electronic timer for my lights and numerous temp and humidity gauges and a sensor which turns my basking light on and off when it reaches a certain temp. I've invested a ton of time and money into him, and just was seeking advice on what you guys would do. Please dont look at me as a bad owner :\ , I just wanted some ideas of what to do, and I got many replys (thanks :) )! I'll have to look for someone to take care of him on the forums here.

Thanks for all your input and advice, I didn't mean to cause commotion between people.

Don't worry about the commotion, we do it a lot. There are several strong minded people on this forum, not me of course. And this forum is about all of us being able to have and state our opinions. In the end the person who asked for advise has to look at all of it so they can decide what, if any, of the advise they want to use. None of us seem to leave thses discussions with any lasting scars.
 
Get in touch with me and i can help you out bud. I live in Rancho San Diego and can make room to house sit your guy for a week. Your more the welcome to check out how i keep my chams if your iffy about it. Send me a PM and we can set something up.

Chris

Did you see Chris's (Gluuvan) post above. He's willing to help you out!
 
I am half way between Palm Springs and San Diego...if you cant find anyone I am happy to look after him for you.

pm me if you need any help :)
 
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