Sap on Ficus leaves ok?

[jcarlsen]

Hey guys, so I got my first panther this week, and while I'm not ready to work him up to this yet, I've got a nice spot by my computer with a ficus tree and a window that opens up to let direct sunlight shine in on it in the mornings.

I'm hoping to let the little dude out and have him get some natural UV through the window screen and chill on the ficus. I gave my ficus a heavy shower during the winter because there were these little black bugs inside the new leaves. After the shower and some heavy trimming, the problem seems to be gone. The only thing that I'm curious about is that the leaves get a bit of sap that seems to be sweating out of them, and dripping to the floor (had to lay down some paper towels for this). Is that normal or is it a sign that I'm doing something wrong with it? I water it once a day till all the soil is damp.

Pics attached, let me know what you guys think. I definitely want to make sure this is safe for the little dude before I let him on it. FYI, I'm also planning on getting some rocks to put in the pot to cover the soil.

 

[Jay Sick]

the sap from these trees can cause eye infections in chameleons although the plant list says they are safe and why i have no idea they are not. Even if safe to ingest but still cause eye issues that makes them not safe. I personally would do sheferella or peace lillys. But Ficus Benjamini is a no no as far as im concerned.

 

[jcarlsen]

the sap from these trees can cause eye infections in chameleons although the plant list says they are safe and why i have no idea they are not. Even if safe to ingest but still cause eye issues that makes them not safe. I personally would do sheferella or peace lillys. But Ficus Benjamini is a no no as far as im concerned.

Yikes, well I don't want anything that'll give him a potential infection. Plus, the sap on the floor and window sill is getting on my nerves, TBH. Might be getting rid of that plant someday. I see pics of the sheferella and peace lilies, but is there anything I could get that's close to as big as the ficus I have, minus the sap?

 

[Lathis]

Peace lilies and scheflerra are both toxic if eaten in the right quantity, too, so I don't know that I would consider them any "safer" than a ficus under normal conditions. These conditions don't sound normal for a ficus, tho...

OP: if your ficus is constantly dropping sap, it may have an infestation that it is trying to fight. Have you checked for scale insects, spider mites, etc? I haven't had a ficus in a long time, but it shouldn't be constantly dropping sap. Check under the leaves for white puffs, for tiny filaments or webs, discolorations, etc. You might try giving the while plant either a good scrubbing with ivory liquid dish soap (the white squeezy bottle kind) in warm water or take it away from you cham for a bit and start treating it with an insecticidal soap. (Edit: turns out the "sap" could also be the dropping from a scale insect infestation, so that is something you definitely want to check. Thank you, Google!)

I do agree to take it out of the free range until the sap issue calms down. The sap is irritating to mucus membranes, eyes, etc. Plus if it's bug poop, that's just gross.

That would be my thought.