Reptile & Amphibian Forums

PROBLEM! My male veiled was fine on Thursday and eating well. When I came home from work Friday afternoon he was walking aimlessly around the bottom of his screened cage and had turned a dark brownish color with just a hint of green overlay. He refused to eat but does drink. I have tried to put him back on his perching vine under the heat lamp (he is chilly) but he keeps on going to the bottom of the cage. I have put towels on the bottom of cage to keep him from hurting himself when he falls in the rapid attempt to reach the bottom. Now he is trying to dig through the towels. He looks fine. This guy gets calcium covered crickets every few days, his cage gets misted at least three times a day. His crickets are fed Flukers crix food and the water gel. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HIS ACTIONS! I am in love with this little guy and want the best for him, I don't think he is ill. I am stumped! Any suggestions....please!!!

A male digging at the bottom all of a sudden is a sign that your cham is sick or upset with his environment. I would recheck that all temps, humidity ect are in the correct range and have him checked by a vet just to make sure he is not sick or has parasites. The dark coloration is usually a sign of stress. Could he be stressed by something he sees in his environment? Can he see other chams or pets from where he is? Has anything changed recently in his environment? How old is he? Also make sure you don't over supplement with the cricket dust. If you gutload your crickets well you don't need as much dust. In my opinion a better cricket gutload can be found at www.cricketfood.com