i dont have problems with my ficus as long as i water it 1x a week

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1.1 ambilobe panther

I really wanted to vote for the hibiscus because there is so many benifits that you get from it, if you own a veiled. But it is really hard to maintain it where I live and it will probably die when winter arrives. So I voted for the ficus because it is low maintanance and is very hardy all year round.

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"A-Kuna-Mattata" - Timon and Pumba

Fractal had pothos first. He started to eat it.and it wasn't "bushy" enough after a while. We changed to the scheflera. He was not happy with that. He got a huge bushy ficas and he LOVES it! The ficus is growing more too.
I would use pothos for babies if I had them. Then graduate them just like I did Fractal. But what I really want now is hibiscus! I'll bet Fractal does too!

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............................."Shh buggies, shh".......................

I wish you all could come to my plant sale tomorrow!
I have about 25 3 to 4 foot hibiscus that I'm selling for $15 ea, along
with a ton of other great stuff.
Yes, yet another business of mine.
This time of year I am very busy planting for people (why you haven't
seen me around much lately).
I have accounts with all the wholesalers here and am able to get some really great plants!
By the way, my favorite for the cham enclosure is scheffelara (sp? errr!)
I have trouble keeping hibiscus in there (the lights all wrong.....they are full sun plants).
I'll post pics of my outside gardens soon. I do my best to create tropical
environments in Colorado and it works for about 1/2 the year.
Anyone have rose bushes in their enclosure?
Also a problem where lighting is concerned but if you get that right it is a safe and very sturdy option.

-Brad

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http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
Dedicated to promoting superior care for Veiled Chameleons

Brad,
If I were to get the basking light shining down right on my hibiscus plant, would it do better in the cage? I really want to try and keep it semi-alive during the winter. I wish I could make it to the sale. So far I haven't been able to find any hibiscus trees. Just plants. One plant I bought at a nursery cost me $15!!

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"A-Kuna-Mattata" - Timon and Pumba

For Hibiscus...the more light the better!

-Brad

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http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
Dedicated to promoting superior care for Veiled Chameleons

I've tried pothos and the umbrella plant. He likes the big ficus and we are both happy now. We would like to try hibiscus... but this vote goes for FICUS, so far.

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............................."Shh buggies, shh".......................

I think Hibiscus work best if you have more than one plant and can trade them out every couple of weeks or so.
They need to go outside or into a really sunny spot in the house if they are going to thrive.
This is a plant that I recommend for clients who have really hot full sun spots where everything else burns up.
Hibiscus like it hot and very sunny....so they can only take being in a cham enclosure in the house for a short period.
Same with rose bushes and bouganvilla.

-Brad

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http://raisingkittytheveiledchameleon.blogspot.com/
Dedicated to promoting superior care for Veiled Chameleons

Kind of situation-specific.
My indoor panther cages are stuffed with both hanging pothos and schefflera plants, but for all the reasons mentioned (holding water, sturdy branches) the schefflera is by fare the important. It is, alas, also much loved by scale and thus the source of endless battles with ants, per the other thread on ants.
The outdoor enclosure has a smaller scheflerra and a big ficus that splays across the top, providing good dappled canopy for 3/4 of the cage and nice "drippage" over one end of the highest perch. My Jacksons also much preferred the ficus, which makes sense given his natural home, and my baby cham appreciates those fine branches to grip. The variegated ones are very pretty, too.
If I had to pick one, its the schefflera I wouldn't be without.
Brad...I'm also a huge rose addict (about 140 +/- modern and antique shrubs blooming their heads off in my yard right now), but I'd never thought to include one in my cham cage. You'd be thinking about organically grown thornless plants, I assume? Hard to do here....

Drew,
Is your Jasmine the winter-hardy shrub or the tropical variety that turns up every winter in nurseries and hardware stores?
Also, btw, that is QUITE a view your chameleons have!!