Eating Plant

[Mistyck]

If my chameleon is eating his plant along with drinking out of his bowl and eating his crickets, is this a good thing?

 

[lilj0e]

some chameleons do like to eat vegitation. just make sure u dont have a toxic plant. if he is eating the vegitation u might want to consider a hibiscus

 

[Mistyck]

I have this Ficus benjamina plant in with him now. He seems to enjoy it.

 

[westcoastchameleons]

I have heard reports of ficus' being a toxic plant towards some chams if they eat the leaves. So you should consider getting a non-toxic plant!

 

[Mistyck]

He's had it since he was brought home. *note: that is not a picture of my plant, but one similar* I got the information of the plant to get from the breeder herself. I will call and ask her tomorrow to make sure again. Thanks guys.

 

[Will Hayward]

You chameleon shouldn't have to be drinking out of a bowl.

There is plenty of info on this site describing how chameleons should be getting water intake.

 

[Mistyck]

he enjoys drinking out of his bowl, he has a mister, and gets misted several times a day. if he wants to drink out of his bowl, I am not going to stop him. thank you.

 

[Brad]

I have heard reports of ficus' being a toxic plant towards some chams if they eat the leaves. So you should consider getting a non-toxic plant!

I don't believe benjamina is toxic, however it does contain a possible irritant. The white substance that comes from breaking a branch can cause problems if it gets into a chameleon's eye. Many people use this plant species without problems, but there is a risk. Logically this risk would increase for frequent plant eaters.

 

[Heika]

Ficus isn't considered toxic. I believe the concern with it is in the milky sap that it leaks when the branches are broken or cut. Some feel that it can cause skin and eye irritation.

On the water bowl... the reason that Will expressed concern is because standing water also has a tendancy to grow lots of bacteria. It isn't a bad thing that your cham will drink from it, but you should clean it every day to keep bacteria growth down. A chameleon with a bacterial infection isn't a fun experience. It takes months of force feeding, antibiotics, and luck to get them well again.

Heika

 

[lowendfrequency]

Ficus contains calcium oxalate crystals which when ingested (or gotten into the eyes) can cause irritation and organ damage. However, this is a defense meant to protect against insects and presumabley doesn't affect chameleons too severely because of the size difference. Still, if I was the one with a plant eating cham, I'd prefer to err on the side of caution and replace the ficus with something a bit safer and more desireable like Hibiscus.

 

[Heika]

Hi Kyle...

Where are you finding that ficus benjamini have oxalates in them?

Thanks,

Heika