Live plant q’s

[Jc555]

Hi im going to be upgrading my veiled chameleon soon to a 2 ft x 2ft x 4 ft screen enclosure as he is getting pretty big. But ive used fake plants for his whole life and i want to use live in this upgrade (for the most part). And just have a few q’s.

1. I want to get a ficus tree (small) link is here http://www.lllreptile.com/products/5081-small-ficus-tree-live-6-pot
It gets 18’-24’ but in a 4 foot tall enclosure is this to worry about? (basking/UVB needs) or should i just allow branches to go higher closer to basking/UVB.

2. I know the whole cleaning process of making a plant safe and clean for chameleons, yet if you read the link it says it is pesticide and fertilizer free so do i need to do a good cleaning still of it? As well should i put some stones over the soil it is in so the cham dosent accidentally eat any (little pebbles)? As well of i should clean it what would be the best way and is there anything super specific i should know about ficus trees.

Thanks.

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Hi im going to be upgrading my veiled chameleon soon to a 2 ft x 2ft x 4 ft screen enclosure as he is getting pretty big. But ive used fake plants for his whole life and i want to use live in this upgrade (for the most part). And just have a few q’s.

1. I want to get a ficus tree (small) link is here http://www.lllreptile.com/products/5081-small-ficus-tree-live-6-pot
It gets 18’-24’ but in a 4 foot tall enclosure is this to worry about? (basking/UVB needs) or should i just allow branches to go higher closer to basking/UVB.

2. I know the whole cleaning process of making a plant safe and clean for chameleons, yet if you read the link it says it is pesticide and fertilizer free so do i need to do a good cleaning still of it? As well should i put some stones over the soil it is in so the cham dosent accidentally eat any (little pebbles)? As well of i should clean it what would be the best way and is there anything super specific i should know about ficus trees.

Thanks.

1- if your upgrading to live plants you are going to need to install some grow lights as well. I use T5 HO bulbs used for hydroponics. You can let it get as close to your light as you want but I’d trim it back and keep it more towards the middle top of the viv and I’d have horizontal branches without leaves only in the top 1/4 of the viv so there is nothing obstructing his UVB.

2- if the tree is from LLL they understand the importance of it being pesticide and fertilizer free so it’s probbably good to go. But if you want to play it safe a quick scrub of the leaves can’t hurt. And yes rocks are a must, just make sure they are big enough that your Cham can’t swallow them.

 

[Jc555]

1- if your upgrading to live plants you are going to need to install some grow lights as well. I use T5 HO bulbs used for hydroponics. You can let it get as close to your light as you want but I’d trim it back and keep it more towards the middle top of the viv and I’d have horizontal branches without leaves only in the top 1/4 of the viv so there is nothing obstructing his UVB.

2- if the tree is from LLL they understand the importance of it being pesticide and fertilizer free so it’s probbably good to go. But if you want to play it safe a quick scrub of the leaves can’t hurt. And yes rocks are a must, just make sure they are big enough that your Cham can’t swallow them.

Thanks for the response just one q, i just wanted to discuss your lighting option because currently i have a UVB 5.0 18’ by zoo med as in this link: https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-repti...MI2OGa-sjq3AIVCY1pCh15DADuEAQYAiABEgI_3_D_BwE
Just without the HO because ive never heard of that and not really sure what that means. So my q is should i stick with 5.0 UVB or move up to 10.0 UVB? As well is this special HO bulb rather than a normal without one something necessary? Thanks.

 

[Syreptyon]

I think that tree you're planning on buying is smaller than you think it will be. A ficus in a 6" pot is very small relative to a 4 foot tall chameleon cage and will have flimsy branches your large chameleon will be too heavy to walk on. They don't grow that fast in my experience, so I would consider buying a larger ficus (which can usually be found locally at places like Home Depot or Lowe's). They also have a habit of dropping their leaves when they have a change of scenery, so be prepared for that, too (F. benjamina is called a "weeping fig" for a reason).

As for the UVB, 5.0 is a safe bet unless you have very dense foliage cover at the top

 

[Brodybreaux25]

Thanks for the response just one q, i just wanted to discuss your lighting option because currently i have a UVB 5.0 18’ by zoo med as in this link: https://www.chewy.com/zoo-med-reptisun-50-uvb-fluorescent/dp/126577?utm_source=google-product&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=f&utm_content=Zoo Med&utm_term=&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI2OGa-sjq3AIVCY1pCh15DADuEAQYAiABEgI_3_D_BwE
Just without the HO because ive never heard of that and not really sure what that means. So my q is should i stick with 5.0 UVB or move up to 10.0 UVB? As well is this special HO bulb rather than a normal without one something necessary? Thanks.

Stick with the 5.0, 10.0 is for large densely planted enclosures only. The light I use is actually designed to be used in a hydroponic system, not a viv. It has 3 hydroponic plant grow bulbs in it and 1 uvb bulb. The bulbs are 48” long and barely thicker than a pencil.

 

[NickTide]

Don't think you need to clean it since its for reptiles... Maybe a rinse. I would use larger rocks. Extra light is needed. If the plants aren't to thick, a t5 (Reptisun etc.) might work. If the plants are thick or you want extra growth, add an led bulb as well. Anything above 4000k (5000-6000 is best) 100 watt equivelant should do it in addition to a t5. And a little extra sunshine in the summer does wonders too.

 

[Jc555]

I think that tree you're planning on buying is smaller than you think it will be. A ficus in a 6" pot is very small relative to a 4 foot tall chameleon cage and will have flimsy branches your large chameleon will be too heavy to walk on. They don't grow that fast in my experience, so I would consider buying a larger ficus (which can usually be found locally at places like Home Depot or Lowe's). They also have a habit of dropping their leaves when they have a change of scenery, so be prepared for that, too (F. benjamina is called a "weeping fig" for a reason).

As for the UVB, 5.0 is a safe bet unless you have very dense foliage cover at the top

Thank you for the advice, i think im going to get a 5 ft one, if it gets too overgrown i can just prune it right? thanks