Question about live plant size vs plastic mix

[ralphwiens]

Hi all, I have my first panther chameleon arriving soon and am setting up my habitat. I have an exo terra 18x18x24 that i'm planning on using for a few months then will move onto a larger screened cage. So initially myquestions around around setting up the exo terra. My question is what size live plant(s) are recommended. I've seen pictures of a couple of small plants at the bottom of the cage with the majority above the plants being plastic. I've also seen one large plant taking up the majority of the space with minimal plastic plants. Which is the preferred method for health?

2nd question is: I have have a lot of elms around my home, can I cut and use these branches for my cage, if so what do I need to do to them, or do i need to buy branches on line.

Thanks
Ralph

 

[DrtyRdr]

Regarding the plants, when at all possible real are recommended over fake. If you look around at some of the posts here you'll find a wide variety of shapes and heights being used. One of the best live plant threads I've read is here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/reasons-why-real-chams-need-real-plants-115143/, and the live plant database here: https://www.chameleonforums.com/plants/

Some of the varieties would be Pothos, Epiphytes, Baby Tears, Ficus...etc, mix and match to fill in the lower/mid/upper portions of your enclosure.

Regarding the branches from outside, yes, you can do this. It is suggested to either soak the branches in warm, soapy water and/or bake them in the over at 350 to kill off any potential parasites.

 

[SaintJimmy]

Definitely safe plants are:

Ficus benjamina
Pothos (or golden pothos)
Baby tears
Schefflera (umbrella plant)

And you should be able to find them easily at a nursery.

I would recommend having at least 1 live plant and then fake vines around other branches you have attached.

 

[nick barta]

Congratulations on getting a chameleon.

I would get a Pathos for SURE and get it higher in the cage by hanging it or put an inverted pot or inverted small garbage can under it. Pathos can be bought at any garden store, and often at the large hardware stores, and even some grocery stores.

If you get a ficus or umbrella plant, get one that is taller so when you switch to the larger cage, it will fill it better.

I never bake or wash branches from the outside, but if you want to, go for it.

Enjoy the hobby, it is an amazing creature for sure!

Nick

 

[juice28]

i read a post and i was like "why didnt i think of that" he used fishing line tied to to his pothos and hung it from the ceiling so it just kinda hangs in mid air and doesnt put any strain on the frame of the cage or need anything under it to support it

 

[ralphwiens]

i read a post and i was like "why didnt i think of that" he used fishing line tied to to his pothos and hung it from the ceiling so it just kinda hangs in mid air and doesnt put any strain on the frame of the cage or need anything under it to support it

thanks, good idea