Ficus with Yemens

[Bernie]

The live plant section of this forum suggests care should be taken with using ficus plants with chameleons that eat a lot of vegetation due to a slight toxic sap content.

I was thinking of putting a ficus in with my Yemen who likes a good munch from time to time.

Can anyone with experience of yemens + ficus plants please advise whether I should bother or not? Is it likely to pose a problem or is it just a small possibility of irritation?

Thanks.

 

[VeiledChams]

The live plant section of this forum suggests care should be taken with using ficus plants with chameleons that eat a lot of vegetation due to a slight toxic sap content.

I was thinking of putting a ficus in with my Yemen who likes a good munch from time to time.

Can anyone with experience of yemens + ficus plants please advise whether I should bother or not? Is it likely to pose a problem or is it just a small possibility of irritation?

Thanks.

I suggest you get a schefflera instead. Not only are they muuuch easier to take care of, you get more foliage around the cage and less problems as with the ficus.

 

[JonRich]

make sure you get the right one

Make sure you get the right Schefflera


check this thread out. The Schefflera Aboricola seems to be the safe one

https://www.chameleonforums.com/schefflera-emeraled-green-safe-13056/

 

[Meow Kitty]

i put my vielded on a huge ficus in my living room everyday he loves it i havnt noticed him sick and i see him munching on the leafs all the time ive even noticed sap on his skin when he sheds not alot but he doesnt seem to mind it...

 

[Miss Lily]

Schefflera Arboricolor is the safe one as already posted. The one that is toxic is Schefflera Actinophylla. I gave up using ficus with Amy once she got to about 6 months. I can't seem to keep them nice and leafy, they just seem so hard to keep alive compared to the more hardy and easy to care for Schefflera. If your cham likes to eat leaves then you could try offering some such as collard greens or Wild Rocket (in packs at the supermarket) like I use. I currently have two small ficus plants in my baby Jackson's cage, but these will be switched to Schefflera once he gets bigger. Ficus branches are nice and thin and 'twiggy' for baby chams.

 

[ChameleonsInMyHouse]

ficus benjamina and schefflera aboricola are commonly used as you know. as you stated, the white sticky sap has a toxicity, but eating a leaf or two daily wont pose a problem. the sticky sap poses a threat to eyes mainly. i still wouldnt worry too much about it.

if your chameleon is however, a heavy plant eater. repotting a hibiscus plant with a lot of vermiculite added to the soil mix (if you use a misting system) hibiscus can drown really easy, thats why the remedy is vermiculite. Hibiscus is 100]% untoxic, and your cham can eat as much as it wants without you worrying about it. there is no sap, and hibiscus leafs can be used in gutload! and out of all the plants i've used, my veiled went crazy for this one!... ALWAYS!

dreacenia (forgive my spelling) work well too but do not give off much foliage. chams dont pay attention to eating these leaves, and the plant overall is relatively very hardy. theres one in my veiled cage now planted with a ficus benjamina