Sap on my chameleon

[laurie]

Today Pickle, male veiled, was out free ranging. He was in a 8 ft ficus tree. I picked him up to go back in his cage and he was sticky. It was sap from the tree, anyone know if this is a health issue? Maybe I should not let him out or have the tree removed from the chameleon room? I checked the hibiscus tree and it also has sap on it.

 

[saltwaterguy02]

And here I thought Ficus trees were friendly. Definitely not good if it’s leaking out sap and it gets into Pickles eyes. Last time I let mine free range he turned all WC on me and wouldn’t let me touch him with out loosing a finger!

 

[dodolah]

Ficus does have sap.
He probably accidentally break the branch or step on one that is somewhat wounded. Broken Ficus branch leaks sap.
Hibiscus does not have sap. So, most likely it came from the ficus he was on.

the sap might be a minor irritant to your chameleon. Don't let it get to your cham's eyes.
i would take the tree out and let it sit for a day or two. By then, its wound should healed nicely, and it will not ooze any sap after that.

 

[atsutane]

make sure the ficus isnt a rubber ficus (big dark leaves) if thats the case you want to wash the sap off him and you asap.

on a side note, i have a young female veiled who loves to come out and for me to handle her... she turns all spotted and angry when i put her up

 

[xanthoman]

i have had that happen before, i wouldnt view it as ultra serious unless it gets in his eyes, nostrils, or all over his body, (assuming we are talking about ficus or hibiscus and not rubber plant). you may be able to reduce the sap load by using a garden sprayer full of fairly hot, fairly dish soapy water and rinsing with a hose . i once took one to the car wash and sprayed it with hot soapy water from a distance, and i lost about 15 % of the plant, but it worked fairly well. jmo. ps. thanks for the other, i have been meaning to send you a message, these are my first test posts since configuring my computer to get online via my cell phone instead of public wi-fi, no wi-fi connection issues, now its unlimited free internet 24/7

 

[jojackson]

Ficus sap (milky white sticky stuff when its fresh) is irritant to eyes. Id give the lizard a good wash/misting, plant a good hose and outdoors for a day or two as advised.
Its a drawback to ficus thats unavoidable unfortunately.
You can prune in such a way as that branches/stems that will support your animal are bare and leaves remain on those that wont, but it will radically alter the tree's appearance, limit visual cover for the lizard, and must be maintained reg (lots of sap anyway), probably not worth it.

A nice hibiscus can be pruned/trained to shape (bonsai tecknique) to grow tree/bush like (prune tips to encourage the growth of horizontal branches), a few could be maintained and rotated outdoors/greenhouse if your concerned with ficus sap.

 

[Carlton]

Ficus sap (milky white sticky stuff when its fresh) is irritant to eyes. Id give the lizard a good wash/misting, plant a good hose and outdoors for a day or two as advised.
Its a drawback to ficus thats unavoidable unfortunately.
You can prune in such a way as that branches/stems that will support your animal are bare and leaves remain on those that wont, but it will radically alter the tree's appearance, limit visual cover for the lizard, and must be maintained reg (lots of sap anyway), probably not worth it.

When I get a new Ficus (and I prefer Ficus alli as it is tougher than benjamina) I prune it to open up the structure so the cham can climb through it without breaking lots of leaves or the finer twigs. I hose the plant off to remove sap and let it dry. Once I prune it initially the cham's climbing around rarely breaks a branch badly enough that sap is a problem. But, I also thread natural barked tree branches around the cage and into the Ficus so it isn't the only climbing area. I really want the plant to provide visual cover and drinking surfaces, not be the only place to perch.

 

[DGray]

alternative theory

If you haven't recently pruned or broken the fig tree, I would offer an alternative theory: your tree has some sort of infestation with a sucking insect, and they are dripping the "sap". Scale insects in particular, are hard to see and drip lots of sugary droppings as they feed. Could also be aphids, mealy bugs or others. Look closely at the tree to see if these are the culprits.

An aside: Ficus elastica sap is irritating to the eyes, true, but it only seems to be irritating to the skin of a small percentage of sensitive humans. In many parts of the wold the leaves are eaten as a vegetable.

 

[laurie]

Well the tree has left the cham room. It isn't easy to move an 8 foot tree alone!! I also have a hibiscus tree in the room so pickle will need to hake do with that. He went in the shower today for about 20 minutes. It is 7 degrees outside so he declined going outside. He is out roaming and happy again. Thanks for all the help. I am checking the plant, the bug problem may be the answer.