Just Curious...Does everyone see their cham drink?

[MollyGreen]

Molly is always afraid and i've basically put a wall of folliage in front of the cage so she cant see me and unfortunetly i cant see her...much. When i first got her i saw her drink and she would drink in front of me(she was in a 20 gal tank). I have an IV bag that i use for my drip system and i've seen her on on of the branches really close to it. But i've never seen her drink. Its been 4 months and she looks healthy. I was just wondering if it was bad to assume that she is drinking. Everyone i've seen on here seems to have witnessed their cham drink. The only clue i have in the fecal in the bowel that catches the water. (its actual pretty convienient)

Also, when i mist her cage she gets sooo pissed. I feel bad misting because it stresses her out every time.

 

[MollyGreen]

The cage is 6 ft (H) X 4ft X 3ft. the water is in the upper left corner. She seems healthy and there is always a decent amount of urate. Basically, my main question is ..


How do i get her to drink in front of me so i can stop worrying about it!?

 

[RhettusMaximus]

female chams

I've found that my female cham is alot more finecky that my male cham. In general chams aren't too fond of being handled, if you can watch her from a safe distance it is best... my female whenever i come near her cage always tenses up and she HATES being misted. I've only seen her drink once so i'm assuming she gets plenty of moisture from the silkies, roaches, and crickets i feed her. I wouldn't be too worried about it. The veiled cham is one of the most aggressive species of chams out there, so she may even try to bite at you if you try to handle her. Keep doing what you're doing. You say you use an IV bag, you have a humidifier, and you mist, so i'd say you're pretty set on humidity for your little gal...Don't worry!

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Yup.
Her poop is a great way to determine hydration.
Although (same way here) it's hard to tell how moist it is when they have made a water collection vessel their toilet.
Stretch some netting over the collection container using a rubberband to secure it. This will keep crickets from drowning and allow you to collect the fecal and urate matter and asses how much moisture is really in it.
Moist brown fecal and mostly white urates will tell you that your girl is getting plenty to drink.

-Brad

 

[PardalisGirl]

Urates and Eyes.....

Fecals and the eyes are both good indicators of hydration. Dehydrated chams usually have sunken eyes. The urates (white part) should be chalky white with maybe a little yellowish stuff between it and the poop part. Orange in the urates indicates a renal problem or dehydration. My female Veileds drink out in the open so I see them drink. They will eat insects from my fingers even though they are wild caught. My male hates me. If I approach his cage he immediately retreats behind the foliage. I have never seen him drink. But all other signs, including fecals point to good health so I don't worry. He's a big hornworm/silkworm eater too and I know he gets some of his moisture from that.

You just have to be patient with your shy girl. Eventually she will become more bold. They learn the concept of the cage door quite quickly. She will figure out that if the door is closed she is safe from reaching hands and will start basking in the open, etc.

 

[Dylan Dutz]

I just got my cham yesterday and I've already seen him take several drinks off the leaves.

 

[Scooter]

My veiled is a "secret drinker" -- I have had him 6 months and only just two days ago ever saw him drink !!!!

Do you mist with warm water ? Butter hates nice warm water less. But then again, Butter hates just about everything, just like a healthy cham is supposed to.

 

[Ashley]

I have had my veiled for like 2 months and he doesn't really drink in front of anybody, at least not often. When it drips he might shot his tongue out to catch it but never actually drink it off the leaves and forget the hand held mister...he hates it. We do it anyway.

Have you tried putting her in a nice warm shower for about 15-20 minutes? I take a plant and puttin in the shower with the cham on it. The veiled doesn't get the point but the panthers love it.

She might like it too.

 

[JMBNRC]

I used to wonder the same thing...

But not I see my chameleon drink all the time. When I mist him he stands directly in the mist and opens his mouth over and over to drink the water. He also drinks off the leaves. I didn't used to see him do this and it freaked me out because I thought he wasn't drinking. I guess he was though, just not with me staring at him!!​

 

[Duke]

I seldom see my Veileds drink. I see my Jackson drink quite often. Sometimes when I mist him he will open his mouth and catch the water directly. The Veileds RUN for cover when they are misted.

Duke

 

[dodolah]

have had my cham for 4 months now, and only seen him drink once.
but i gave him warm shower about twice a week to make sure that he's drinking enough.