Chameleon eating plants

[MissSkittles]

I’m finding a strange coincidence of my plants. Some of my chameleons plants stay lush and grow wonderfully. Others plants are always just clinging to life. I know Stella chows down on hers, but Kali has no excuse. I put beautiful healthy plants in her enclosure and very quickly they are sad brown dying things. It happened when she was in her single size enclosure and no matter how I replaced her plants, those died too. Now she’s in a double sized enclosure with all new plants…and those have been dying too. It’s not placement in the room as my Angel Jack was where Kali is now and his plants over grew often and I had to cut them back. It’s strange.

 

[elizaann2]

I’m finding a strange coincidence of my plants. Some of my chameleons plants stay lush and grow wonderfully. Others plants are always just clinging to life. I know Stella chows down on hers, but Kali has no excuse. I put beautiful healthy plants in her enclosure and very quickly they are sad brown dying things. It happened when she was in her single size enclosure and no matter how I replaced her plants, those died too. Now she’s in a double sized enclosure with all new plants…and those have been dying too. It’s not placement in the room as my Angel Jack was where Kali is now and his plants over grew often and I had to cut them back. It’s strange.

Weird....do you have a plant light? (I'm assuming you do)

 

[MissSkittles]

Weird....do you have a plant light? (I'm assuming you do)

Yes. I’ve been using the Sansi 70w lights for all of my enclosures. Same RO water even from same reservoir as Kali and Jack were side by side and on the same Mist King. I put a pothos in Jack’s enclosure and oh my goodness! It grew crazy wild all over and I had to keep cutting it back so he had space. I put a pothos in Kali’s enclosure and it barely clings to life. Maybe my sweet Jack had magic poo.

 

[elizaann2]

Yes. I’ve been using the Sansi 70w lights for all of my enclosures. Same RO water even from same reservoir as Kali and Jack were side by side and on the same Mist King. I put a pothos in Jack’s enclosure and oh my goodness! It grew crazy wild all over and I had to keep cutting it back so he had space. I put a pothos in Kali’s enclosure and it barely clings to life. Maybe my sweet Jack had magic poo.

He must have… darn…

 

[MissSkittles]

The only difference is that Jack never ate his isopods, while Kali is always hunting them and I only ever find a small handful of survivors in her enclosure. Maybe that’s the secret.

 

[Steve A]

The only difference is that Jack never ate his isopods, while Kali is always hunting them and I only ever find a small handful of survivors in her enclosure. Maybe that’s the secret.

Plants are crazy. Some do better in higher/lower humidity, and of course temps, more/less light etc. But they can even get more complicated than that.

Working on a wholesale tree farm, we have to pay attention to things like hardiness, which is mostly region based. How much clay, or sand, etc is in the soil. Some plants need more "dense" soil. Some need it to be "loose". Thankfully I don't need to learn much about all of that for my position lol but there are a million factors. Some need more water, less water, just the right amount.

This is exactly why (well my 2nd reason other than chameleons love them lol) for just sticking with pothos.

Most of them are absolutely thriving on their own. A few along the outside sections of the enclosure need me to mist them 1-2 times a week and that's about it. Because the mister doesn't hit them.

And to keep it simple for myself, I just mist them when I notice the top layer of the soil is becoming dry. I noticed I slacked off on this, they start going down. But as long as I keep that top soil on the moist side, they seem to do really well.

 

[elizaann2]

The only difference is that Jack never ate his isopods, while Kali is always hunting them and I only ever find a small handful of survivors in her enclosure. Maybe that’s the secret.

Oh interesting. I don’t have any isopods in my plants. Tell me more….

 

[Beppo]

I have one that I am barely keeping alive. I think I also don’t know how to care for them very well

 

[Steve A]

@Beppo 's message is clear

 

[elizaann2]

@Beppo 's message is clear
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Nooooo!!! Don’t report me. My chameleons are all healthy and well…it’s just the hibiscus that I struggle with

 

[Beppo]

Nooooo!!! Don’t report me. My chameleons are all healthy and well…it’s just the hibiscus that I struggle with

I honestly started to say something about hibiscus and then realised it was moot point

 

[elizaann2]

oooh that makes sense.