It can be hard to asses how much your chameleon drinks. You won’t always see it drink, as it is generally more active and relaxed when you are not around.
Dehydration is a serious problem with chameleons. It occurs when a chameleon does not drink enough water, usually because it does not have access to a natural way of drinking water. You could offer water, but if the chameleon does not dare to go near it or does not know how to drink from it, it won’t drink and get dehydrated. The symptoms of dehydration in veiled chameleons are:
- Sunken eyes
- “Dented” crest /casque on its head. The sides of the crest are in this case not puffy but indented.
- The white part of fresh chameleon poop is very yellow
If you see any of these symptoms in your chameleon, you know you need to change the way you provide water for your chameleon. To make sure your chameleon does not get dehydrated, you should do one or more of the following things:
- Spray water with a plant mister 2 times per day
- Buy and install a dripper
- Buy and install a fogger / misting machine
- Provide water with a pipette into your chameleons mouth
- Increase air humidity in the terrarium by providing more water and by removing ventilation slits
To read more elaborate advice on providing drinking water, check out: Drinking water for chameleons
