False vs. Real Plants

[Apollo17]

I have wanted a chameleon for a long time and i finally saved enough to go all out for one. so i bought a 4-5 month old, male Veiled Chameleon. I bought him a 18''x18"x36'' enclosure, a "little dripper" system, ubv and heating lamps(basking/night), and false vines and false plants. I was told at the pet store it was a bad idea to get real because they could tear through the leaves and fall Which i dont really want to happen. But i read that its better to get fake online.
What would be more appropriate, fake or false plants?

 

[Swayne8998]

I have wanted a chameleon for a long time and i finally saved enough to go all out for one. so i bought a 4-5 month old, male Veiled Chameleon. I bought him a 18''x18"x36'' enclosure, a "little dripper" system, ubv and heating lamps(basking/night), and false vines and false plants. I was told at the pet store it was a bad idea to get real because they could tear through the leaves and fall Which i dont really want to happen. But i read that its better to get fake online.
What would be more appropriate, fake or false plants?

False really is unnecessary. Don't let the pet store convince you... they don't know what they're doing.

Live is a WAY better option than fake. They can climb on them, they produce more humidity, etc. Go live.

In a few months, you will also need to upgrade your cage to a 2'x2'x4' tall enclosure.

 

[Raphael1047]

I personally like live plants. They increase humidity and look better, but you may need to switch the live plants out once in awhile to get some natural light.

 

[Apollo17]

I figured as much. I searched a list of plants suitable for the little guy. But im not sure which would be sturdy enough. And im guesging i'll probably need to buy double of whatever i get so i can swap them out for lighting. Unless i can buy a bulb for the plants sunlight, unless the ubv bulb covers all that?

 

[Raphael1047]

I use a uvb 10.0 with my plants but they start dying after a month or two. Nothing Is better then the real sun. Also welcome to the forum!

 

[Kmw]

In all fairness. Fake works too.. i mean not for humidity but they're far from useless. I have both, and my chams climb on, and hide in my fake plants as well.. i dont see why they couldn't? But the real plants look nicer, and help keep it humid. BUT the fake plants dont die, and some people just cant keep a plant alive no matter the conditions!

 

[PantherEnvy]

I like both, just make sure the fake plants can handle the consistent moisture that our enclosures/chams require. There are even fake plants for exterior use...

 

[ISA my Veiled]

This is how I see it, and it works great for ME and how I do my enclosure. I currently have a Reptibreeze 24x24x48 enclosure for my female Veiled that is 5 months old. I have a mix of fake decor as well as a ficus as the foundation of my entire cage. I really like the fake stuff, it is very stable and adds a variety to the enclosure. Although my girl does not go on the ficus normally she occasionally eats the leaves as well as almost every night sleeps within it on a branch. MY ficus really holds the humidity well and I havent had a problem with it for the couple of months I have had it. On the other hand fake plants don't die lol I also have branches from outside that I peeled the bark off of to make it bare and sanitized it by boiling the branches sounds silly but it works.

Not saying the pet person is wrong but in all honesty, it make have been more of a sales pitch to sell you things you do not need rather than him/her knowing what they were really talking about. Chameleons are extremely good climbers and do not often fall so it is nothing to worry about, Hope this helps!

 

[Swayne8998]

This is how I see it, and it works great for ME and how I do my enclosure. I currently have a Reptibreeze 24x24x48 enclosure for my female Veiled that is 5 months old. I have a mix of fake decor as well as a ficus as the foundation of my entire cage. I really like the fake stuff, it is very stable and adds a variety to the enclosure. Although my girl does not go on the ficus normally she occasionally eats the leaves as well as almost every night sleeps within it on a branch. MY ficus really holds the humidity well and I havent had a problem with it for the couple of months I have had it. On the other hand fake plants don't die lol I also have branches from outside that I peeled the bark off of to make it bare and sanitized it by boiling the branches sounds silly but it works.

Not saying the pet person is wrong but in all honesty, it make have been more of a sales pitch to sell you things you do not need rather than him/her knowing what they were really talking about. Chameleons are extremely good climbers and do not often fall so it is nothing to worry about, Hope this helps!

I agree. I have 4 fake plants, 1 (dying) umbrella plant, and 1 pothos. Yoshi loves the umbrella plant (it sucks that it's dying). Sometimes he climbs on the top of the fake plants. Just make sure they are secure and can't be eaten by the cham.

Since you live in a cold/dry place, a glass cage or a glass/screen hybrid would work well for you. EDIT: << Lol sorry I meant to say that on a different thread...

 

[Zubi]

I have two fake plants in my boys enclosure and he doesnt even look at them. I have never seen him go in them, and for a 2*2*4 enclosure you almost have to have a real plant to take up space

 

[Apollo17]

Thank you, Im starting to see how much fun I have been missing out on. I wish I would have bought one a lot earlier. Thank you all for the information. My little buddy seems to be doing alright with it. so I'm happy. He's eating well, I'm just not sure if he's drinking yet.

 

[Apollo17]

This is how I see it, and it works great for ME and how I do my enclosure. I currently have a Reptibreeze 24x24x48 enclosure for my female Veiled that is 5 months old. I have a mix of fake decor as well as a ficus as the foundation of my entire cage. I really like the fake stuff, it is very stable and adds a variety to the enclosure. Although my girl does not go on the ficus normally she occasionally eats the leaves as well as almost every night sleeps within it on a branch. MY ficus really holds the humidity well and I havent had a problem with it for the couple of months I have had it. On the other hand fake plants don't die lol I also have branches from outside that I peeled the bark off of to make it bare and sanitized it by boiling the branches sounds silly but it works.

Not saying the pet person is wrong but in all honesty, it make have been more of a sales pitch to sell you things you do not need rather than him/her knowing what they were really talking about. Chameleons are extremely good climbers and do not often fall so it is nothing to worry about, Hope this helps!

I have heard that its a good idea to boil or bake branches, and I probably should get a live plant for the humidity. I was told also that afterwards if you soak the branch it in water he will drink from it.

 

[imcurt]

All I use is live plants at this time,When I kept Veilds I used both along with vegie starts due to the Veilds eating the plants.Veilds will and do eat plants So be extra selective when choosing your plants.And have extras so you can swap out the chewed up ones and thet them fill out again. It mine would eat plants when they were thirsty and not hungry so it seemed.

 

[ISA my Veiled]

I have heard that its a good idea to boil or bake branches, and I probably should get a live plant for the humidity. I was told also that afterwards if you soak the branch it in water he will drink from it.

Yeah it sterilizes them and kills whatever is possibly living in the branches. I have them in my enclosure obviously and they look wonderful, I love the lightness of the branches I think they are beautiful. And my female veiled really likes to bask on them also

 

[Lathelia]

You have a night bulb? Please take it out. Chameleons don't need night bulb, they sholud have complete darkness to have good night sleep

 

[Apollo17]

You have a night bulb? Please take it out. Chameleons don't need night bulb, they sholud have complete darkness to have good night sleep

Iv been using it these past couple days. It has been rainy outside and it's probably only 65 in the daytime. How cold at night is he allowed to get if I don't use the red night light?

 

[Lathelia]

It can drop down to around 68F at night. Here is Sandra's blog about temperature:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/662-temperature.html

 

[Apollo17]

It can drop down to around 68F at night. Here is Sandra's blog about temperature:
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/sandrachameleon/662-temperature.html

Thanks for the link very informative.
If temperatures do sink too low overnight, should I resort to using an infrared heating bulb?

 

[K9Luvn]

I like to use a mixture of fake and real plants for both my panthers and veiled. I also use store bought vines, assorted size dowel rods and assorted sterilized sticks from my yard. I like to mix things up to give them an assortment things to climb on and I change them as they grow. I do however have my set up different for my panthers then I do for my veiled since my veiled will sometimes chew on the leaves.

My panthers have the fake and live mixed throughout so it gives them more things to climb on. I also drape secured fake plants on the back and sides to help hold humidity in yet also allow for airflow. I just think it looks better then a plastic shower curtain or such. I watch to make sure no one is nibbling on any of the fake plants.

For my veiled I have fake plants (long draping type) draped and secured on the back screen only again to help with humidity, yet it still allows for airflow. With veiled since they like to chew on plants make sure you only have safe plants in the enclosure. You can also clip some green vegetable plants in the enclosure for veils to eat. If you put live plants, with I would highly suggest.... make sure that you replant with organic soil and also top with river rocks.

Below is a Safe Plant Link
http://http://www.flchams.com/safe_plant_list.asp

I always suggest if you already have a plant and are trying to identify it. You might want to google the name of the pant so that you can see photos to be sure of what they are. Sometimes plants can go by a couple of different names and also the plant label tags can sometimes accidentally be placed in the wrong plant at the stores.