Why the bowl stays untouched
A chameleon in the wild drinks rain and dew. Water, to a chameleon, means droplets that sparkle and move on leaves — a still bowl reflects nothing he recognises as a drink, and many chameleons will dehydrate beside a full one. Movement and shine are the triggers: he shoots his tongue at individual beads of water, one at a time, often for several minutes in a session. Once you stop expecting bowl-drinking and start supplying leaf droplets, the problem usually solves itself.
Set up a dripper
The workhorse solution is a dripper: a reservoir with a valve that releases one slow drip at a time onto a broad leaf below, positioned so the water trickles down through several leaves before draining away. Run it for a few hours each day, ideally in the morning when he is warming up and most inclined to drink. Aim the drip where he actually perches, not in a corner he avoids, and make sure the enclosure drains properly so the constant dripping does not turn the floor into a swamp. A large, safe live plant with broad leaves gives the water far more surface to cling to than plastic foliage does.
Mist for drinking, not just humidity
Misting serves two purposes here: it raises humidity, and for several minutes afterwards every leaf is covered in exactly the droplets he wants. Mist the foliage thoroughly two or three times a day, long enough that water beads and runs rather than merely dampening the surface, and watch for the throat-pumping motion that shows he is drinking. A fine, gentle spray aimed at the leaves rather than blasted at the chameleon himself works best — most chameleons dislike being sprayed directly and will retreat instead of drinking. An automatic misting system on a timer suits owners who are out during the day, since the midday session is the one hand-misting households most often skip, and it also keeps the droplets arriving on the same predictable rhythm chameleons learn to anticipate.
Reading his hydration
His droppings report his water intake honestly. The urate portion should be white or cream; persistent orange or chalky, dry urates mean he is still not drinking enough, as do sunken eyes, lethargy and a casque that loses its plumpness. Older or unwell chameleons can be offered a gentle shower session on a plant under a soft spray, but a chameleon who stays dehydrated despite drippers and misting, or who stops eating, needs a reptile vet — dehydration is often a symptom of something else, not just a plumbing problem. Keep his vet's details, weights and health notes together in KinsLe's Pet Passport so they are at hand for that visit and ready for boarding or travel handoffs too.