fake mixed with real plants

[landon.doering]

I am getting my panther chameleon in around a week, but I am having problems finding enough plants to fill the cage. Is it fine to fill a mixture of real and fake plants in the cage temporarily?

 

[landon.doering]

it is late winter where i live do it may be another month until i get the real plants

 

[elizaann2]

Hello and welcome! That is so exciting that you are getting your first chameleon soon! Do you mind sharing your set up with me? Plastic plants are not ideal as they can cause impaction issues if accidentally eaten. Where have you looked for plants?

 

[landon.doering]

Hello and welcome! That is so exciting that you are getting your first chameleon soon! Do you mind sharing your set up with me? Plastic plants are not ideal as they can cause impaction issues if accidentally eaten. Where have you looked for plants?

thank you, i do not yet have my chameleon cage set up but i am doing research on plants. I have a local home depot and lowes and plant nursery. home depot has monstera and the local plant nursery has pothos, zz plant, and some fern.

 

[landon.doering]

Hello and welcome! That is so exciting that you are getting your first chameleon soon! Do you mind sharing your set up with me? Plastic plants are not ideal as they can cause impaction issues if accidentally eaten. Where have you looked for plants?

so i am also looking for some taller plants for the bottom

 

[Tkrd69]

Panthers aren't known to eat plants but some are sharp and poorly made. @MissSkittles and @Gingero also @Beman would have a lot of ideas for you.

 

[GrannyK]

thank you, i do not yet have my chameleon cage set up but i am doing research on plants. I have a local home depot and lowes and plant nursery. home depot has monstera and the local plant nursery has pothos, zz plant, and some fern.

I would pick those up local and order an umbrella plant or ficus Benjamina from them online for your floor plant. Maybe they will ship to store or something to avoid shipping. I would avoid fake plants as well if possible.

 

[kinyonga]

Welcome to the forum and the world of chameleons!

Although panther chameleons are not known to munch on the plants, they are known to munch on bark sometimes…so please be sure the branches you use are not toxic.

 

[MissSkittles]

Buying plants on line is not a great option imo. You can pay a decent amount and usually get sent this itty bitty plant that will take months to grow. Buy what you have available at your local stores for now. There’s no harm nor shame if the only plants you have for now is something like pothos. When the weather turns nice, look for plants like schefflera, money tree, weeping fig and others. Most of the plants which we use are also used as house plants, like tradescantia, calathea, philodendron (as safe as pothos but not on the lists) and so many more. Bromeliads are also safe for panthers but I don’t think are on many lists. This is a great resource to use when setting up plants. https://chameleonacademy.com/plants/ You might also find some plants at your supermarket and in the nice weather, farmer’s market.
If you have no other choice but to use artificial plants temporarily, at least get the softer ones, like this https://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terra-Te...pplies&sprefix=reptile+plants,aps,147&sr=1-15 Once you’re able to replace it with live plants, you can a,ways hang the fake on the outside of the enclosure for added privacy or use it in a free range area.

 

[landon.doering]

Thanks that is what I’m going to do

 

[elizaann2]

thank you, i do not yet have my chameleon cage set up but i am doing research on plants. I have a local home depot and lowes and plant nursery. home depot has monstera and the local plant nursery has pothos, zz plant, and some fern.

Those are all excellent plants to start with