Schefflera plant and gold dust croton
- Thread starter KylieCham
- Start date
Molly1443
Established Member
I’d say its arboricola. He definetly needs a bit of love though!
And all the cretons are toxic and cause burns in mouth when chewed.
Ps. I dont think that the actinophilla is toxic, since it’s the same familly as arboricola. Anyway, if your cham is like mine, he finds the leaves of arboricola a bit tough to chew on. But it does a great job for filling it’s place with plants
Boston Pitty
Established Member
When I was buying my schefflera I was standing in walmart looking all over the tag to see what breed it was. finnally I lifted the plant up and it had the label on the bottom stating arbicola. That one in the photo looks just like mine so it's the safe one
Definitely safe - and the croton should be fine as well...
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
Agreed with others, I have used both the schefflera and crotons. I don't want to mislead anyone by saying this, but it seems many plants that have toxic effects on say dogs and cat have little to no effect on chameleons. It would make sense that they have a higher tolerance for plants and insects since they come across them on a daily basis in the wild. I'd still stick to safe plants and all, but just something to ease your mind a little.
KylieCham
Member
I have gone ahead and planted them in zenji’s(my Chams) enclosure(the schefflera is hidden in the back left). I know substrate isn’t recommended but I’ve never seen him go down there and I believe the pros outway the cons on this one. Now I just have to introduce a springtails colony! Anyway here’s a pic of his setup
KylieCham
Member
I’m aware people don’t recommend glass but I live in Utah, a desert.
Syreptyon
Chameleon Enthusiast
I’d say its arboricola. He definetly needs a bit of love though!
And all the cretons are toxic and cause burns in mouth when chewed.
Ps. I dont think that the actinophilla is toxic, since it’s the same familly as arboricola. Anyway, if your cham is like mine, he finds the leaves of arboricola a bit tough to chew on. But it does a great job for filling it’s place with plants
Woah woah woah, you gotta be careful with those assumptions, especially when advising other members!! Just because they share a family does NOT mean that they are safe. In fact, schefflera actinophylla is toxic. If you are usuing schefflera, it MUST be arboricola. There is no place for assumptions in chameleon keeping.
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
@Syreptyon I've used schefflera actinophylla for awhile in my enclosures with no issues. They're with my Panthers though which don't really eat leaves, though occasionally they chew. Is there any evidence of them being toxic to chameleons?
It looks like they are toxic for the same reason as pothos(oxalate crystals), yet veileds seem to be able to strip pothos plants clean without problems.
It looks like they are toxic for the same reason as pothos(oxalate crystals), yet veileds seem to be able to strip pothos plants clean without problems.
Syreptyon
Chameleon Enthusiast
There are several sources pointing out its toxicity, but I can't remember them all off the top of my head. I remember talking to Mike from FLChams when I was first getting into chameleons about a decade ago and made sure to always remember the difference between the species. Here's one from the e-zine: http://www.chameleonnews.com/04AugSnow.html. Not a scientific analysis, but I think a reliable source
I agree that it is definitely a bigger concern for veileds, since they like their veggies!
I agree that it is definitely a bigger concern for veileds, since they like their veggies!
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
@Syreptyon yeah I wasnt disagreeing with you, just wondering if anyone has noticed problems from them. I know a few people that use them for Panthers and Parsons, but not sure about veiled. I wonder if maybe they're oxalates are a little more intense than pothos, if that's possible? All the toxicity I came across was related to cats/dogs/mammals
renzo0684
Avid Member
I would definitely change to screen.... get rid of the substrate... i lived in Colorado (same climate as Utah) i always had screen....
jamest0o0
Chameleon Enthusiast
@renzo0684 many people use glass without problem as long as a few things are accounted for. Also he seems to be using real soil(from what I can see), theres no reason to get rid of it.
Scottsquatch
Chameleon Enthusiast
Just listen to Dr. Chris Anderson on one of the chameleon breeders podcasts. He does a whole episode on glass terrariums and the man is a chameleon expert.
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