Non-Toxic Vs. Edible Plants?

[Withthebrees]

Hey guys i am soon to be upgrading my little man into his big boy cage and, given that he is a veiled i plan on having some live, growing goodies in there for him to munch on whenever he likes (and hopefully thats not so often that he just kills the edible ones, especially since i still plan on giving him the occasional treat with fruit and other veggies not so easily grown in the habitat) along with some of the more decorative plants, and plants for climbing. So my concern lies in the difference between some of the non-toxic, vs. actually edible plants. For example nasturtium is listed as non-toxic with a note that it is edible, and hibiscus as being very good for them. Chamomile is also listed as non-toxic, but no mention as to whether or not its edible. Does this mean he shouldnt eat it, or that if he does it just doesnt have any nutritional value, or perhaps that he wont even try? Also id love to just hear i if anyone has any good experience with growing live plants in the enclosure with a veiled. Can he (or will he) eat too much plant matter? And if i have edible plants in there does that make him less likely to eat other plants which are perhaps not as good for him? For example if i have kale and hibiscus and such growing in there for him to munch on, would it still be too risky to put a coleus in there?

 

[kinyonga]

You don't just have to worry about the chameleon munching on something in its cage that is not good for it...the insect s might much on it too and the chameleon will ingest it without knowing.

 

[Goose502]

Remember that all these lists of non-toxic or edible plants have been designed for people, cats, and dogs. Very little is known about what is safe for our veileds to eat.

 

[Withthebrees]

Remember that all these lists of non-toxic or edible plants have been designed for people, cats, and dogs. Very little is known about what is safe for our veileds to eat.

I was referring to the chameleon safe plant list.

 

[Goose502]

Exactly, the “chameleon safe” plant list is a list of safe plants for mammals. I’m not sure anyone has ever studied a chameleons digestion and ascertained what is safe to eat. Most of the plants we use in our enclosures are all listed as irritants or dangerous. I wonder if any commonly available indoor plants are actually dangerous for them to ingest at all. If anyone has any info, please post a link.

 

[Withthebrees]

Exactly, the “chameleon safe” plant list is a list of safe plants for mammals. I’m not sure anyone has ever studied a chameleons digestion and ascertained what is safe to eat. Most of the plants we use in our enclosures are all listed as irritants or dangerous. I wonder if any commonly available indoor plants are actually dangerous for them to ingest at all. If anyone has any info, please post a link.

Oh okay thank you for clarifying. So basically what youre telling me is theres really no way of being sure. I am hoping that having edible plants in there will reduce the risk of him ingesting the others anyways, both for his sake and theirs (and mine, i really dont want to have to replace all of them constantly), so heres to hoping on that one. I know he loves kale so i plan to put a kale plant in there, and hibiscus.

 

[Goose502]

Both hibiscus and kale are excellent choices. If you want to really go crazy, try and look up plants native to the area of Yemen where you can find them. But also remember, there are thriving wild populations in Florida, Hawaii, and area’s near San Diego. They do fine there with the vast variety of foliage too.