Philodendron

alara

alara

Member
I've seen a lot of people use philodendron plants in their cham's enclosures. But i'm wondering what species of philodendron is ok to use in a veiled enclosure. I usually go by the chameleon academy list and a few other sites/lists that have been recommended on here. I know the heartleaf and split leaf philodendrons are commonly used. But is there other ones that anyone has used to seem to work?
 
I recently found a philodendron birkin plant that I haven't been able to find too much info on. It's apart of the Araceae family which I have seen being used in some enclosures so I would assume it should be ok. I mostly just want to use it for shading towards the bottom of the cage which my cham rarely goes. So it'll just be to fill up space lol
 
Here's a picture of it

Screenshot_20211007-080407.jpg
 
I have a birkin, but it is in my panther’s enclosure. If you’re looking for color and interest, wandering Jew is astounding once it gets settled, prayer plant, nerve plant, polka dot plant and begonia maculata are all great choices and pretty commonly found. If you have or are willing to get a strong enough plant light, hibiscus is wonderful and your chameleon will find it very tasty.
 
MissSkittles said:
I have a birkin, but it is in my panther’s enclosure. If you’re looking for color and interest, wandering Jew is astounding once it gets settled, prayer plant, nerve plant, polka dot plant and begonia maculata are all great choices and pretty commonly found. If you have or are willing to get a strong enough plant light, hibiscus is wonderful and your chameleon will find it very tasty.
Click to expand...
I really want to add a hibiscus but I would need to upgrade my plant light. How strong does it need to be?
 
The safe plant lists aren't totally inclusive, and the unsafe lists aren't extremely detailed... the ASPCA has a good resource for plant toxicity and does its best to describe the level. Keep in mind that a "toxic" plant could be something that just causes a mild tummy ache if eaten in excess... or it could be something that simply brushing up against causes blindness! So my point is it is important to read the notes on WHY it is considered toxic.

Philodendron tend to fall into the same category as most other "cham safe" plants. They, along with Pothos / Epipremnum, Schefflera, and others, have "insoluble calcium oxalate crystals" which can cause some irritation in the mouth and stomach if eaten in excess. For what its worth, some fruits and veggies that humans consider extremely healthy, have similar oxalates. So, taking into consideration that in certain situations, they might cause GI discomfort, I would consider Philodendron and the others mentioned as SAFE.

Now, if you plan on eating Philodendron Salad every night, it could lead to issues with mineral absorption over time... but a nibble here and there won't hurt. Hell, Clarice, my female veiled, has annihilated every plant in her enclosure and no complains from her. She's now 3 years old. Her cage looks like crap and she has no one to blame but herself. I promise I feed her. She lies.
 
snitz427 said:
The safe plant lists aren't totally inclusive, and the unsafe lists aren't extremely detailed... the ASPCA has a good resource for plant toxicity and does its best to describe the level. Keep in mind that a "toxic" plant could be something that just causes a mild tummy ache if eaten in excess... or it could be something that simply brushing up against causes blindness! So my point is it is important to read the notes on WHY it is considered toxic.

Philodendron tend to fall into the same category as most other "cham safe" plants. They, along with Pothos / Epipremnum, Schefflera, and others, have "insoluble calcium oxalate crystals" which can cause some irritation in the mouth and stomach if eaten in excess. For what its worth, some fruits and veggies that humans consider extremely healthy, have similar oxalates. So, taking into consideration that in certain situations, they might cause GI discomfort, I would consider Philodendron and the others mentioned as SAFE.

Now, if you plan on eating Philodendron Salad every night, it could lead to issues with mineral absorption over time... but a nibble here and there won't hurt. Hell, Clarice, my female veiled, has annihilated every plant in her enclosure and no complains from her. She's now 3 years old. Her cage looks like crap and she has no one to blame but herself. I promise I feed her. She lies.
Click to expand...
Good to know! What plants do you use for your cham?
 
alara said:
Nice! So far I have a calathea orbifolia, peacock plant, pothos, money tree, and an umbrella plant. I'm looking into getting a couple more with more color or flowers
Click to expand...
That's a pretty good start! I had a Nepenthes for a while. I mounted (hung) it in the upper half of the enclosure so it would get misted several times throughout the day & night. The plant did great, but the chameleon seemed to ignore it; I don't recall seeing him climb or hide in it once, so I eventually (after about half a year) took it out.

It still does great hanging over Missus' plant table, and NOW the cham uses it to get to the highest point above the table... 🤷‍♂️

I have a tall snake plant (another dracaena) in one back corner that doesn't get any/much light. He ignored that for six months too, but has since discovered and come to appreciate(? 🤷‍♂️) its climbing attributes. (I.e. he climbs on it).

He loves his 3 mass canes (more dracaenas).

For color (keeping in mind that color is more likely for us than them), I have a Tradescantia pallida (purple leaves/pink flowers). Several of the other plants (philodendron, nepenthes, schefflera) have also bloomed, though all their flowers have been diminutive. Flowers of any plant are ephemeral, and some (like bromeliads) only bloom once. I guess my point is, for permanent color, look to foliage (the plants in this link are not necessarily chameleon-safe—just examples of colorful houseplants). Just choose from the known lists or cross-reference with them. ;)
 
snitz427 said:
The safe plant lists aren't totally inclusive, and the unsafe lists aren't extremely detailed... the ASPCA has a good resource for plant toxicity and does its best to describe the level. Keep in mind that a "toxic" plant could be something that just causes a mild tummy ache if eaten in excess... or it could be something that simply brushing up against causes blindness! So my point is it is important to read the notes on WHY it is considered toxic.

Philodendron tend to fall into the same category as most other "cham safe" plants. They, along with Pothos / Epipremnum, Schefflera, and others, have "insoluble calcium oxalate crystals" which can cause some irritation in the mouth and stomach if eaten in excess. For what its worth, some fruits and veggies that humans consider extremely healthy, have similar oxalates. So, taking into consideration that in certain situations, they might cause GI discomfort, I would consider Philodendron and the others mentioned as SAFE.

Now, if you plan on eating Philodendron Salad every night, it could lead to issues with mineral absorption over time... but a nibble here and there won't hurt. Hell, Clarice, my female veiled, has annihilated every plant in her enclosure and no complains from her. She's now 3 years old. Her cage looks like crap and she has no one to blame but herself. I promise I feed her. She lies.
Click to expand...
This part about your Cham destroying her plants and you said you feed herm she lies just made me laugh so hard! Thanks for that!
 
Klyde O'Scope said:
That's a pretty good start! I had a Nepenthes for a while. I mounted (hung) it in the upper half of the enclosure so it would get misted several times throughout the day & night. The plant did great, but the chameleon seemed to ignore it; I don't recall seeing him climb or hide in it once, so I eventually (after about half a year) took it out.

It still does great hanging over Missus' plant table, and NOW the cham uses it to get to the highest point above the table... 🤷‍♂️

I have a tall snake plant (another dracaena) in one back corner that doesn't get any/much light. He ignored that for six months too, but has since discovered and come to appreciate(? 🤷‍♂️) its climbing attributes. (I.e. he climbs on it).

He loves his 3 mass canes (more dracaenas).

For color (keeping in mind that color is more likely for us than them), I have a Tradescantia pallida (purple leaves/pink flowers). Several of the other plants (philodendron, nepenthes, schefflera) have also bloomed, though all their flowers have been diminutive. Flowers of any plant are ephemeral, and some (like bromeliads) only bloom once. I guess my point is, for permanent color, look to foliage (the plants in this link are not necessarily chameleon-safe—just examples of colorful houseplants). Just choose from the known lists or cross-reference with them. ;)
Click to expand...
Oh wow! I have wanted to get a Tredescantia pallida and a bromeliad, but wasn't sure if I could put them with my veiled. Nerve plants too if I could find one (so far, no luck). I did have a croton in there but it started to die pretty quickly. I have heard that crotons are hard to keep alive though?
 
alara said:
Oh wow! I have wanted to get a Tredescantia pallida and a bromeliad, but wasn't sure if I could put them with my veiled. Nerve plants too if I could find one (so far, no luck). I did have a croton in there but it started to die pretty quickly. I have heard that crotons are hard to keep alive though?
Click to expand...
Aren't they something you sprinkle on salad? :confused:

Missus had a croton. It just died. She confirmed they're... difficult. Look at them funny and they'll croak. She also had doubts about a croton's suitability for a chameleon. Unless they're huge, she thinks a chameleon climbing on a croton could do it in. 🤷‍♂️

The Tredescantia pallida is great. They grow really fast, and make a great live vine—a few months and it will support a cham's weight (sooner if tied up w/twist ties or zip-ties). Another nice thing... if it dies off at the pot, you can cut it back and re-root it—the rest of the plant will survive!

We've got another Tredescantia pallida in the tortoise's enclosure. He climbs on it, hides under it, nibbles on it...
 
Klyde O'Scope said:
Aren't they something you sprinkle on salad? :confused:

Missus had a croton. It just died. She confirmed they're... difficult. Look at them funny and they'll croak. She also had doubts about a croton's suitability for a chameleon. Unless they're huge, she thinks a chameleon climbing on a croton could do it in. 🤷‍♂️

The Tredescantia pallida is great. They grow really fast, and make a great live vine—a few months and it will support a cham's weight (sooner if tied up w/twist ties or zip-ties). Another nice thing... if it dies off at the pot, you can cut it back and re-root it—the rest of the plant will survive!

We've got another Tredescantia pallida in the tortoise's enclosure. He climbs on it, hides under it, nibbles on it...
Click to expand...
I think my croton lasted maybe a week before the leaves started to fall off. I tried putting it outside but wasn't able to revive it. Then again, I live in Texas, so maybe the heat was too much for it? Beautiful plant though. Mine just didn't stand a chance lol

I'm going to my local garden center tomorrow, so I'll probably get a Tredescantia pallida for sure. And anything else I can find. I know I saw a lot of variations of Calathea last time I went. I might grab another one of those too.
 
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