Do I have the right plants for enclosure

Coreyvic8

Member
hello I am restarting my enclousure so I can raise a panther chameleon. They’re rather expensive so I want to make sure I’m doing this right from the start.
I’ve done my research and found that the aboricola and the Pothos are safe however I also see some websites refer to the schefflera being toxic. I wanted to get some clarification on the toxicity of the aboricola also if you guys can help me identify that this is actually the aboricola (dwarf schefflera) while we are at it I have this other one as well, dracaena which I’ve had the same issue some say it’s safe non toxic and some say it is toxic. If so I would love to use all three types for the enclousure but don’t want my little guy at risk.

Please guys help me out with this one. I have a a pretty big screen cage I forgot the dimension so I’ll just post a pic of that as well. I will also use large bendable vines from petco with this other stick thing I like

Let me know what you guys think. And huge thanks in advice for all advice
 

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Part of the issue with plant toxicity is that there is no one parameter for what makes them "toxic". So here is my advice for chameleon owners from all over the world...

Toxic is a terrible word to use for most plants. Most are listed as toxic due to oxalates found within the plants. Most of the available plants found in nurseries will be listed as toxic somewhere due to these crystals and this can cause some major debates. The truth is, most of these plants will likely not cause any issues for our chameleons, even if they are plant eaters. Pothos is generally used in enclosures due to it's versatility, but it is often listed as toxic. Yes it contains oxalate crystals, but is far from toxic. Mildly irritant would be a better description in my opinion.

I would be most concerned with plants that will have sap or other irritants that would be less desirable for our chams. The ones pictured above are all great choices.

Also, think of it this way. There are a bunch of plants that are considered safe that are not going to be appropriate for a chameleon enclosure. There are some plants that contain thorns that I would not want to use that are considered "safe".

Hope this helps. Sounds like I may have another blog topic to do :D. I seem to be a bit opinionated on this subject :LOL:...
 
Part of the issue with plant toxicity is that there is no one parameter for what makes them "toxic". So here is my advice for chameleon owners from all over the world...

Toxic is a terrible word to use for most plants. Most are listed as toxic due to oxalates found within the plants. Most of the available plants found in nurseries will be listed as toxic somewhere due to these crystals and this can cause some major debates. The truth is, most of these plants will likely not cause any issues for our chameleons, even if they are plant eaters. Pothos is generally used in enclosures due to it's versatility, but it is often listed as toxic. Yes it contains oxalate crystals, but is far from toxic. Mildly irritant would be a better description in my opinion.

I would be most concerned with plants that will have sap or other irritants that would be less desirable for our chams. The ones pictured above are all great choices.

Also, think of it this way. There are a bunch of plants that are considered safe that are not going to be appropriate for a chameleon enclosure. There are some plants that contain thorns that I would not want to use that are considered "safe".

Hope this helps. Sounds like I may have another blog topic to do :D. I seem to be a bit opinionated on this subject :LOL:...

Thanks a lot, I’ve been waiting it out just to make sure I get the right stuff. And do it the right way.
 
hello I am restarting my enclousure so I can raise a panther chameleon. They’re rather expensive so I want to make sure I’m doing this right from the start.
I’ve done my research and found that the aboricola and the Pothos are safe however I also see some websites refer to the schefflera being toxic. I wanted to get some clarification on the toxicity of the aboricola also if you guys can help me identify that this is actually the aboricola (dwarf schefflera) while we are at it I have this other one as well, dracaena which I’ve had the same issue some say it’s safe non toxic and some say it is toxic. If so I would love to use all three types for the enclousure but don’t want my little guy at risk.

Please guys help me out with this one. I have a a pretty big screen cage I forgot the dimension so I’ll just post a pic of that as well. I will also use large bendable vines from petco with this other stick thing I like

Let me know what you guys think. And huge thanks in advice for all advice
Love the branch, kind of tree is it?
 
Love the branch, kind of tree is it?

I think manzanita

Sorry I’m not positive I buy my plants and the branch at the same place. Downtown flower district. There’s always a language barrier so I don’t get a lot of info from them but manzinita sounds about right I looked it up and it’s a reddish shade but the place I go has them in many different shades.

Again thank you all for your help
 
I think some people take manzanita branches and sand them down. I have some manzanita that look just like that! They're far and away my favorite branches to use. They work especially great for small species with all the branching manzanita does
 
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