mealybugs

[fliver]

we just found some mealybugs on our umbrella plant that we took out of our chameleons cage a couple weeks ago
does anyone know if they are harmful to chameleons?
we are obviously going to be getting rid of them regardless since they eat the plant
and we will also be checking the other plants in frank's cage

 

[Zoey]

thats odd. Did you wash the plants before putting them in the cages?

 

[fliver]

yes we did wash them with soap
i haven't seen anything like that on it until we took it out
so my mom could try to make it grow better at her house
they look like teeny tiny little pieces of fuzz
it says you should put rubbing alcohol on them with a cotton swab
so we'll probably do that and then wash them again

 

[Brad Ramsey]

That is a good treatment.
They have appeared on one of my orchids and rubbing alcohol is how I got rid of them.

-Brad

 

[fliver]

we ended up getting rid of all 3 plants that were in the cage
since we found mealybugs and then some small black bugs eating away at the plants
i'm wondering if they were in the soil then eventually came out and started getting on the plants
we cleaned frank's entire cage out
and found a 4 foot rubber tree plant
and put in 2 big jade plants
he seems to love his new setup!
he can hide really well in his rubber tree plant
hopefully we can find a hibiscus plant soon to put in too

 

[Will Hayward]

Wikipedia states:

"Mealybugs are common pests to jades and can cause deformation to new growth. An infestation can be eliminated by killing each bug with a small cottonswab that has been dipped in rubbing alcohol. It is important to repeat this process every day until all of the mealybugs have been killed, as new bugs may still be hatching even after the live bugs on the plant have been killed.

Aphids are also common pests, though they tend to infest only the flower stalks. Red spider mites can also cause problems."

(- Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jade_plant )​

If the jade plants were from the same place as the previous plants with mealybugs, it is possible and even likely that they too have them. I suggest re potting the plant with fresh soil, removing the perlight/vermiculite from the roots, and planting the plant into a larger pot. The majority of plants in nurseries are root bound. round bound plants look nice as they put more energy into growing leaves and stems, rather than roots. However this period usually lasts a short time before the plant begins to suffer. re potting in a larger pot will prevent this.

Ficus elastica, or the rubber tree can release a sap if leaves and branches are broken. The sap can very be irritating to eyes or mouth. It may have it's high points in structure and leaf density, but there is this danger to consider as well. Just a warning to you.

Hibiscus plants require high light and plenty of maintenance. They are difficult enough to care for outside of the cage, let alone a lizard trampling it. I suggest trying to keep one outside the cage for a couple months to find out what it likes and dislikes. They seem to have a limited time for many keepers inside the cage after a few months of abuse- though there are members here onthe forum that have kept them with chameleons long term without issue- though some may have previous experience with them as stated.

 

[fliver]

yes, i read the wikipedia about mealybugs after i found out what they were.
the jade plants that are in there now are new,
and have already been re-potted with fresh soil and cleaned with soapy water.
i'm also well aware about the ficus elastica and its sap,
we don't live by very many plant shops that are open this time of year
this was the biggest plant we could find to take up space in his cage.
the only others we could find were small pothos, orchids, and spider plants.
i also want to figure out which plants work best myself,
the ficus elastica seems to be very sturdy so far
and we've been keeping our eyes peeled for any sap.
we intend to build a room eventually for chameleons and i would love to have as many different plants as i can find.
this summer we will probably find a bigger ficus tree and use the rubber tree as a "privacy" tree outside of the cage.
i know a few people who keep hibiscus plants, and they said i should go ahead and try it out.
i believe its worth a try.