Are Muscadine Grape Vines safe??

[JAdams]

Ive got a bunch of muscadine grape vines that i have cut and im wanting to put the vines in my cage for my veiled cham.
I know that you can use regular sandblasted grapevine with chameleons, but what about these??
I have sandblasted them and let them dry out and they look just like regular ones but they dont have as many branches splitting off.

The muscadines that can be picked off are edible to humans.

I have researched this deeply and only seen one document that talks about chams and these vines..
Does anyone know about these??Or has anyone used these in their enclosure?

 

[JAdams]

Well i put them in there anyway...hope they not dangerous...if he dies or gets sick guess ill let everyone know not to use these since there is no one else that has a clue..

 

[DGray]

Gras

Vines from grapes are generally recognized as safe. Leaves are a little problematic if they're eaten regularly, or in large quantity.

 

[JAdams]

Thanks DG.
Leaves will not be a problem, as i have stripped alll leaves and batk off.
so if the inside wood isnt poisonous then ill be ok.

 

[SliK JiM]

Thanks DG.
Leaves will not be a problem, as i have stripped alll leaves and batk off.
so if the inside wood isnt poisonous then ill be ok.

Yeah mate these are safe. Any vitis (Muscadine is "Vitis rotundifolia") is perfectly safe and the leaves are fine. My guy absolutely destroys vitis vinifera leaves and grapes! I've grown 5 since last year (all about 3' tall) to hopefully satiate him during the summer! I bet it wont though!

 

[JAdams]

haha
Thank you, I was hoping they are ok, cause my cham loves them hes been on it since ive put it in there..
and i have a bunch more.. and the best part...THEYRE FREE!! i have them everywhere near my house..
They should be ok for a Chinese water dragon also shouldnt they?

 

[SliK JiM]

Yeah mate! They should be fine for most things! Have a munch yourself if you get hungry! Are you just cutting off branches or actually sticking them in pots and keeping them alive? I've been growing them in the attempt that one will be big enough to put in and leave in there permanently so that it should grow properly and give me some nice natural vines all year round!

 

[JAdams]

Im just cutting the vines and letting them dry out..then stripping off the bark and sanding smooth..
its the really old vines that dont have leaves on them anymore..they mabe 40 or 50 ft long extending from tree to tree..and im cutting the curvy sections out of them.

But can you just cut and plant the ones with muscadines on them? if so ill try that also..

Ill get pics of what im doing soon and post them on here for you to see.

 

[SliK JiM]

If you can take cuttings that'd be brilliant.

You need to cut a bit from the more wooden stem parts of the vine (so find a small size offshoot with a wooden bottom to it), dip that in rooting hormone and plant. They wont be ready for use this year, but by next year you should have some pretty sweet vines.

Honestly, dont worry about stripping off all the bark and sanding it! If you just give it a good soak in boiling water for a while that'll kill of any germs etc and will normally remove the loose bark. Whatever it doesnt bring off, that'll be extra grip for your cham!

 

[Sir Spiral Tail]

my girlfriend works at a vineyard, and brings home cuttings all the time and I use them. I hear from a couple people that they will eat the bark and it seems to be very good for them. Eric from 101 said that his started producing far more eggs when he started using grape vines. leave the bark, use the vines! PROSPER!! hehe...i just woke up, sorry

 

[JAdams]

the only reason im taking the bark off is i like the looks of the exposed wood..
And if he eats the bark of these Muscadine grape vines it would definetly cause impaction and cut his insides..

after it is sanded it looks alot like normal "sandblasted grapevine" tha people pay outragous prices for..and i definetly will plant some cuttings..after i go back in the woods..
also can i use wild honeysuccle vines in my cage? if he eats the leaves/flowers will it hurt him? they are easy to transplant and grow very quick.

 

[JAdams]

Ok the stripped bark Looks Amazing. But after it gets wet and driedover and over again, they start to turn grey. And doesnt look great. lol
But i collected some more vines and im going to peel the rough bark off leaving the underbark. so the water cant penetrate the wood directly.

 

[Sir Spiral Tail]

I leave the bark on mine. My breeder has not had problems with impaction from it, and highly suggested to leave it. In his experience it makes them more fertile. I will probably change them out if they eat all the bark. I don't think they are going to eat enough of it to have concern for impaction, but that's just my opinion. I am taking the advice of my advisor...hehe.

 

[tigermaniac22311]

My cham loves her grape vine. She sleeps on it almost every night. She has never really eaten or nibbled on it. I do pluck most of the leaves off though.

 

[JAdams]

This isnt normal grapes tho, Its muscadines.
And the bark you are refering to will be left on. The pieces that are hard and more Tree bark like are the ones im removing.
Thanks for all the help guys!

 

[Sir Spiral Tail]

Oh, i must not be familiar with them. My apologies

 

[swordfish1030]

I looked through the safe plant list but i am no horticulturist. What other natural vines are safe?