Live plants for chameleons

[cup cake]

Hello everyone was wondering which live plant is best for a chameleon. I usually use Ficus plant but there not that great for bigger size chameleons I just bought a umbrella plant seems better to hold water and looks more sturdier. What do u guys recommend from your experience thanks.

 

[leedragon]

I belive there is a list somewhere here, serach for "safe plants" and somethign will pop up

 

[VeiledChams]

http://flchams.com/chameleon-safe-plant-list/

My favorite plants to use are either a pothos or Schefflera arboricola... Scheffleras are best for large chameleons, and are very easy to keep.

 

[brownie64]

Yes my favorite as well. The Schefflera is sturdier, but the pothos is virtually impossible to kill. Suffice it to say a real plus for me. I have both in my enclosure.

 

[Benjlan]

I'm using a tropical hibiscus in my veiled enclosure. Problem is that he eats all the leaves. Pretty when it blooms too!

 

[jannb]

I really like the Pothos it seems to hold the water for a long time and also does quite well inside. The Ficus and Schefflera also do great indoors. The Hibiscus is a favorite of the veileds but needs allot of light so your need to use hibiscus outside or have a couple to rotate from inside to outside for sun.

 

[brownie64]

I'm using a tropical hibiscus in my veiled enclosure. Problem is that he eats all the leaves. Pretty when it blooms too!

At the risk of steeling this thread sorry (I know a lot of that has been going on lately I won't mention any 13 year olds) What kind of lighting are you using to get it to bloom? I have never had luck getting flowers to bloom indoors.

 

[cup cake]

Live plants

At the risk of steeling this thread sorry (I know a lot of that has been going on lately I won't mention any 13 year olds) What kind of lighting are you using to get it to bloom? I have never had luck getting flowers to bloom indoors.

Thanks forum they also have a bulb for live plants either u can find it on reptile shops. Also usually I purchase my plants in reptile shows. Next reptile show it's until January so I read on a website u can buy them on a homedepot or similar nursery but to change soil to organic soil and to wash them min twice. What u guys say?

 

[Benjlan]

At the risk of steeling this thread sorry (I know a lot of that has been going on lately I won't mention any 13 year olds) What kind of lighting are you using to get it to bloom? I have never had luck getting flowers to bloom indoors.

I have an 18 inch zoomed 5.0, a beamswork 24 inch led 64x.05 watts, and a 5.0 twist bulb, and a 60 watt incandescent bulb. I also have the setup in a east window. I fertilize with miracle grow at half strength. The middle number on the fertilizer being a high number for blooming plants. My cham eats all the leaves but leaves the flowers alone. I'm sure the plant is getting a little cham fertilizer as well! Hope this helps.

Ben

 

[Benjlan]

You can go to home depot or whatever you want, it doesn't matter just use dawn and water and wash the leaves. Put rocks on top and let her rip.

 

[brownie64]

I have an 18 inch zoomed 5.0, a beamswork 24 inch led 64x.05 watts, and a 5.0 twist bulb, and a 60 watt incandescent bulb. I also have the setup in a east window. I fertilize with miracle grow at half strength. The middle number on the fertilizer being a high number for blooming plants. My cham eats all the leaves but leaves the flowers alone. I'm sure the plant is getting a little cham fertilizer as well! Hope this helps.

Ben

From the looks of your lighting I would say the light coming from that east window is probably the secret ingredient. But I have Jackson's and their temps are on the low side. I'm afraid too much sun through a window would overheat them. But hay thanks for the info though.

 

[infinityedge]

My cham eats all the leaves but leaves the flowers alone.

Our Veiled loves the flowers. The hibiscus plants we put in there were in full bloom and he went and ate all the flowers. Now he eats the buds just before they flower.

 

[Benjlan]

I find an east window is a cool sun , but the west is a real hot sun. Also my hibiscus fills the cage and then some. So there is plenty of cover from heat,. I have a heat loving veiled though.

 

[paulkaranik]

I use hibiscus for my Jackson looks awesome he drinks off the leaves every morning. Blooms will start and then fall off with my 10 uvb

 

[Carlton]

At the risk of steeling this thread sorry (I know a lot of that has been going on lately I won't mention any 13 year olds) What kind of lighting are you using to get it to bloom? I have never had luck getting flowers to bloom indoors.

I also had a big Hibiscus that bloomed once or twice a year. It was not directly under cham lights, but was near a window. Surprised the heck out of me!

 

[Carlton]

Hello everyone was wondering which live plant is best for a chameleon. I usually use Ficus plant but there not that great for bigger size chameleons I just bought a umbrella plant seems better to hold water and looks more sturdier. What do u guys recommend from your experience thanks.

There are different types of Ficus available. Ficus alli (lance-leaved Ficus) is often sold as a larger ornamental indoor tree. The leaves resemble Eucalyptus leaves (for those of you who live in CA), and the branches will hold the weight of a full grown melleri. Call around to different nurseries to find them. They are well worth it as they are no where near as fussy as F. benjamina. They do the leaf drop thing when their conditions change and they have the same sticky sap but the leaves and branches are much tougher. I have seen smaller ones at some big box home improvement stores. If you get a big one it can serve as a nice large free range. One of mine grew to over 8' tall with a 5' canopy spread indoors.