Ficus trees

[Dmart]

I've tried to search this and have found just a little information.

from my understanding ficus benjamina are ok to use in the terrarium.
I have also read that the sap or consumption of the tree can cause eye problems.

i trimmed the trees because i dont want my chameleon to climb on the screen top and become burnt by the light and i observed some white sap ooze out. At the same time my veiled was going through a shed. I noticed that she was rubbing her eye against the the branches and for a couple of days she kept one eye shut. It had to be one of three things. She ate the sap or leaf, she had some shed in her eye, or she got something else in her eye. I took her out and put her in a tub with paper towels lined on the bottom and filled it up with about a centimeter of 85 degree water and observed her dip her eye in the water a few times then roll it around then dip it again. the next day i saw her with full use of her eye again. So seems there is no problem with her.

my second observation is the crickets like to munch on the leaves as well. soon after the crickets go into full retard mode for a while almost looks like the died then slowly come back to life after a while. when i remove them they make a full recovery when i leave them in the cage they repeat their pattern.

My chameleon eats the crickets just fine when i put new ones in so she is not eating the dazed crickets,

can this be the ficus any one have the same experience or thoughts.

this is not a heath issue for my cham but i guess more for the crickets. she has been living in the trees for 3 months. eye problem occurred only after i trimmed the tree

 

[nightanole]

Some go for years with no problems, other keepers had to removed the trees due to eyes. The sap and berries are toxic to insects and small birds, and is a know skin/eye irritant in floridia.

 

[tkilgour]

That species is fine to use. I have never had a problem in all the years keeping and breeding chameleons.

 

[Lovereps]

It may be that some chameleons or even some species of chameleons are sensitive to ficus and some aren't.
For example, in humans about 80% of people are allergic to poison ivy but the remaining 20% could rub it all over their skin without any adverse reaction whatsoever--so it isn't as far-fetched an idea as it may first seem.
If your cham has eye trouble that needed veterinary treatment and you suspect the plant is a factor, change the plant. It's almost certainly cheaper than a second vet visit.

 

[Carlton]

I've tried to search this and have found just a little information.

from my understanding ficus benjamina are ok to use in the terrarium.
I have also read that the sap or consumption of the tree can cause eye problems.

i trimmed the trees because i dont want my chameleon to climb on the screen top and become burnt by the light and i observed some white sap ooze out. At the same time my veiled was going through a shed. I noticed that she was rubbing her eye against the the branches and for a couple of days she kept one eye shut. It had to be one of three things. She ate the sap or leaf, she had some shed in her eye, or she got something else in her eye. I took her out and put her in a tub with paper towels lined on the bottom and filled it up with about a centimeter of 85 degree water and observed her dip her eye in the water a few times then roll it around then dip it again. the next day i saw her with full use of her eye again. So seems there is no problem with her.

my second observation is the crickets like to munch on the leaves as well. soon after the crickets go into full retard mode for a while almost looks like the died then slowly come back to life after a while. when i remove them they make a full recovery when i leave them in the cage they repeat their pattern.

My chameleon eats the crickets just fine when i put new ones in so she is not eating the dazed crickets,

can this be the ficus any one have the same experience or thoughts.

this is not a heath issue for my cham but i guess more for the crickets. she has been living in the trees for 3 months. eye problem occurred only after i trimmed the tree

A couple of ideas to avoid the problems you described...though I've used Ficus trees in all my cham cages for years and can't think of a single issue with them.

I prefer using Ficus alli rather than F. benjamina. It is a sturdier variety and leaves and twigs break a lot less. When you first get a new Ficus, do as much trimming as you think you need (do a trial placement in the cage to decide what needs to be trimmed) before final placement in the cage. Hose or sponge off the cuts until the sap stops flowing. The sap seals the cuts too, so once it sets it shouldn't bother your cham. Shouldn't take very long. Once in a while the cham may break a twig or a leaf loose but the chances that they actually get sap in their eyes isn't great. I usually prune the trees so the cham has clear climbing pathways through the denser parts so they don't break twigs. I always keep some sterile saline contact lens rinse on hand in case one of my chams gets an eye irritation. Helps them flush the eye and it stings less than plain water.

Keep some gutload in the cage for loose crix. They will most likely prefer to eat that than a tough, fiberous Ficus leaf.

 

[tkilgour]

A couple of ideas to avoid the problems you described...though I've used Ficus trees in all my cham cages for years and can't think of a single issue with them.

I prefer using Ficus alli rather than F. benjamina. It is a sturdier variety and leaves and twigs break a lot less. When you first get a new Ficus, do as much trimming as you think you need (do a trial placement in the cage to decide what needs to be trimmed) before final placement in the cage. Hose or sponge off the cuts until the sap stops flowing. The sap seals the cuts too, so once it sets it shouldn't bother your cham. Shouldn't take very long. Once in a while the cham may break a twig or a leaf loose but the chances that they actually get sap in their eyes isn't great. I usually prune the trees so the cham has clear climbing pathways through the denser parts so they don't break twigs. I always keep some sterile saline contact lens rinse on hand in case one of my chams gets an eye irritation. Helps them flush the eye and it stings less than plain water.

Keep some gutload in the cage for loose crix. They will most likely prefer to eat that than a tough, fiberous Ficus leaf.

All of these are very good tips. I also like that variety of ficus for the same reasons. Even if a limb is broken, I have never experienced any type of eye problems.

 

[Dmart]

thanks for the replies. I am leaning toward the eye irritation coming from something getting in her eye and not from the tree. I was more looking for info on info about the crickets to see if any one had this same issue. I will add some gut load in there for them to eat thats a great idea.