plants?!

[THECHAMMAN]

im stressed out. i have a philodundren and i just recently found out its toxic and i was wondering if a miniature palmtree with no spikes would be okay for my veiled. plzz help im EXTREMELY stressed and i need to get some more money saved so i can get more stuff

 

[Brad Ramsey]

Can you post a picture of your plant?
I would recommend schefflera and pothos as replacements.

-Brad

 

[Chamero]

Hey I think this is a first, where the human is the one becoming stressed. What colors are you currently displaying? How is your housing? j/k But really though, I think a palm would be fine, but still may not provide the cover your cham is looking for. Look into the main plants everyone talks about in addition to the palm. Oh and keep your stress levels down... Dont worry...Be happy!

 

[THECHAMMAN]

im still have to figure out how to get the pics on to my comp. i have pics of him on it and he loves it but i will get the latin name for it in a sec

 

[THECHAMMAN]

its like the Actinorhytis calapparia but it has a diff base

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I have a date palm as the primary (large) plant in my senegal enclosure.
Remember though that veileds often like to supplement their diet with vegetation. You need to provide plants he can eat.

-Brad

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

Most Palms might be safe for the Chameleons based on the fact they are not toxic to other animals. Their are some verities that may be toxic for sure. I cannot find a lot of info on your palm but here is some info. It would be safer to stick to the list of known plants that have been proven to be safe for Chameleons. Aslo take into consideration Brad's sugestion to provide plants he can eat.

I believe sago palms and Dracaena (also called Dragon Tree - foliage) Dracaena Palm (foliage) should be avoided

Some Palms that may be safe include : but their are many more...

Bamboo Palm
Belmore Sentry Palm
Bottle Palm (also called Elephant Foot Tree, Ponytail Palm)
Canary Date Palm
Chinese Fan Palm
Christmas Palm (also called Manila Palm)
Dwarf Date Palm
Dwarf Royal Palm
Dwarf Palm
Elephant Foot Tree (also called Bottle Palm, Ponytail Palm)
Fan Tufted Palm
Figleaf Palm
Forster Sentry Palm
Fortunes Palm
Good Luck Palm

... etc etc etc

 

[SoCaliSon]

Ryan...

You really know your plants dude!

Thanks for posting that! +1 to you for sure!! I knew there were safe Palms... I just never knew which ones... Once again... Safe plants that look awesome that most of us didn't even know were safe because they are not part of the "Big 4". I am tired of buying and using the same 4 plants... I finally started using a China Doll in one of my enclosures and it is working great!

~Joe

 

[Mael]

What about Lucky Bamboo (Dracaena sanderiana)? I have some I left my Veiled crawl on occasionally.

@Ryan - You should definitely add those plant varieties to the plant DB here on the site.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

If I remember correctly lucky bamboo is not safe.
It's also not bamboo.

-Brad

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

I agree Brad

Dracaena sanderiana is highly toxic. Although widely known as Lucky Bamboo, this plant belongs to the Water Lily family.

I would love to see the list grow although I would hesitate to add anything to the DB as I am not sure of the toxic affect to Chameleons. Unless it is a tried and tested plant for a chameleon.

It is always possible that Plants that may not be toxic to other animals (which is what I base my response on) may be toxic or dangerous to Chameleons. It is always best to use caution when introducing a unfamiliar plant to you Cham.
I am in no way a professional just a hobbyist and pretty good with google.

I have a tendency to lean everything I can when I am interested in it. (I went through a small plant phase). My Chameleon has led me to become even more interested in the subject.

This forum is a goldmine for knowledge and I am addicted to not only Chams but visiting this site about 100 times a day.

 

[Ryan Jarosek]

Ryan...

You really know your plants dude!

Thanks for posting that! +1 to you for sure!! I knew there were safe Palms... I just never knew which ones... Once again... Safe plants that look awesome that most of us didn't even know were safe because they are not part of the "Big 4". I am tired of buying and using the same 4 plants... I finally started using a China Doll in one of my enclosures and it is working great!

~Joe

Joe, Wanting to use other plants is what has sparked my interest. I would walk around the gardening center and think to my self could that plant be safe. Then I would research the heck out of it. A bulldog who likes to eat anything and everything helped as well.

 

[Brad Ramsey]

I'm not sure how excited I am about incorporating palms into a veiled enclosure.
I think if the habitat was really big it could be great to create a jungle with many plants, including palms ... but, in a standard sized environment I feel better sticking with the tried and true short list of safe and edible plants.
I am having great success with hibiscus and bougainvilla now that I have added the grow lights.*

-Brad

*In addition to the 5.0 tubes

 

[Tygerr]

Correct Brad. Lucky Bamboo is not bamboo at all, it is Dracaena as mentioned above.

I kept some in my male Veiled's cage, under the impression that it was bamboo, and supposedly safe. When I read that it might be harmful, I removed it, but that wasn't before my cham had been munching on it for almost a month, with no ill-effect whatsoever.

I'd always prefer to err on the safe-side, so that's why I removed the plant from his enclosure. But I don't believe those 'safe/toxic' plant lists on the 'net are always accurate. Most of them seem to based on other lists that had mammals (cats, dogs and hamsters) in mind.
I don't think there's been enough study on reptiles, particularly chameleons to really ascertain what plants are good for them and what aren't.

Like I know that you use Bougainvillea in your cages Brad - so do I. And yet there are lot of sites (including Melissa Kaplan's) that warn against it. Yet I've witnessed my cham eating leaves off of it, and even rubbing up against the thorns when shedding.

Still, I don't think we should be experimenting on our pets. I stick pretty much to the safe plant lists that some of the university sites publish.

 

[SoCaliSon]

Tygerr,

Could you point me toward one of these Published University lists. I would love to see what they include. i agree with you, I deffinately don't think that we should be experiementing with our Chams... Especially if their health is at immediate apparent risk. But if you ask me keeping a Cham in captivity is in itself an experiment... and the only way we learn what works and what doesn't is through experimentation in one form or another(Also called trial and error). As long as the proper records are taken, the proper research done, to ensure that something is learned and retained in the long run... Then I believe it was for the betterment of chams kept in captivity, and the community as a whole. I think it is beneficial to continue to try to expand our knowledge and understanding as far as what is safe... and what is not, and even more importatnly IMO, WHY it is not safe.

I want to make it clear that I am by no means backing someone like the novice keeper throwing god knows what in their cage just to see what happens. I am just saying we should never accept what we know right now as "The best way"... or "The only way"... we should constantly be trying to expand what we know.

I am on the same boat as you though. I also go the safe way. I never try anything in with my Babies that I am not posotive is safe. But it is to my and my Chams benefit...that we work at increasing our knoweldge of what is safe and what is not and why.

~Joe

 

[THECHAMMAN]

i will get some devils ivy for him to eat but i was just wondering if the palm tree on my balcony would be good. for a second there i was turning dark black.

 

[THECHAMMAN]

my enclosure is even bigger now i got a 4'x4'5'

 

[casperpetersen]

one of those acacia from yemmen or Millet.... those are some of the plants they have ben found in in yemmen

 

[tburgcris]

plants

I have many safe plants for my chams but my veiled loves baby tears more then any other plants. In fact she loves it so much that I have three of them I switch around and still they can't grow fast enough to keep up with her appetite. It is by far her fav. Baby tears looks like tiny bean sprouts with tiny leaves.

 

[Tygerr]

I am on the same boat as you though. I also go the safe way. I never try anything in with my Babies that I am not posotive is safe. But it is to my and my Chams benefit...that we work at increasing our knoweldge of what is safe and what is not and why.

I hear you Joe, but I'll leave the experimental husbandry up to those with far bigger cham collections, far more practical experience than me, and better access to experienced veterinary help...

Here are the sites I was referring to about plant:
- Cornell University: Poisonous Plants Informational Database
(also the section Specific to Iguanas)
- University of California, Davis: Know your plants... Safe or poisonous?
- University of Illinois' Plants Toxic to Animals