work in progress, need advice

[jkashyap]

hey everyone this is my second posting about my cage, i was told to get a plant, the only one i could find nearby was the dwarf umbrella tree, it looks really nice and healthy i washed it and then put it in the cage, there is a pic of it now-- i hope u guys can see it, he's not really climbing on the tree, i had a problem with him sleeping on the cage, he SLEEPS on the tree but doesnt really climb around on it, should i trim some of the leaves off???

View attachment 339

advice would help,

thanks everyone

 

[Eric Adrignola]

actually, what you got there seems to be an umbrella tree(Schefflera actinophylla ) - NOT a dwarf umbrella tree (Schefflera arboricola).

actinophylla is kinda toxic, and should not be used with veileds, which are likely to eat the leaves. I will admit to using it with deremensis, but beforeI knew of it's "issues". I would avoid using it, just in case.

 

[jkashyap]

when i bought it the tag said it was a dwarf umbrella, and i have a jackson like the one u have in your avatar, actually he has a bent horn exactly like that one -- do u think i should trim some leaves to get him to climb on it more?

 

[Heika]

Hi.. you are using a poisonous plant in your cham's cage. If you trim the plant, it is likely to bleed poisonous sap. Probably not a good idea.

Heika

 

[ChameleonsTree]

They aren't going to be constantly climbing...they climb to get warm or cool.
They climb to find a good hiding spot. They are opprotunistic hunters which mean mowst of the time they wait till the food comes within their reach.

 

[Eric Adrignola]

Don't do that - the sap/juices of the plant are very toxic, and can make your chameleon sick. And the one in my pic is a deremensis, not a jacksonii!

If he were to ingest some of the leaves, he could get sick. DWARF umbrella leaves are small, usually an inch or so wide. The leaves in the picture are clearly bigger, and are almost definatly actinophylla. Check google to be sure.

 

[westcoastchameleons]

Hey, why don't you replace your plant?

 

[jkashyap]

i looked around for quite a while yesturday for a plant and couldnt find anything on the list that was provided by the website, the leaves are much too big for him to ingest, this plant must have been mislabeled, (suiting for my wonderful luck).... i will probably have to buy something off the net, thanks...

 

[Fate X]

home depot had schefflera arboricola golden capella for $10.00 the ones around here were very healthy too.

 

[Will Hayward]

i looked around for quite a while yesturday for a plant and couldnt find anything on the list that was provided by the website, the leaves are much too big for him to ingest, this plant must have been mislabeled, (suiting for my wonderful luck).... i will probably have to buy something off the net, thanks...

You should not have trouble finding either Pothos, Ficus, or Hibiscus. Supermarkets, to Garden Centres, to Hardware stores sell them at varying sizes.

You should be able to RETURN the plant for a REFUND since it was Mislabled. Make sure the customer service reprisentative is clear and understands that it was wrongly labled- something which is apparently quite dangerous.

Also, as for the leaves being too big to ingest, Theyll eat any size leaf, as they bite into the side of the leave and their serrated teeth easily cut and tear chunks.

 

[Brad]

I could not get a good overall view of your cage from the photo so this is just a guess from the behavior you have described. One reason your chameleon may be continuing to climb the sides is that your plant may not be tall enough. Chameleons will try to get to a high point.


Eric: great eye in noticing the actinophylla.

 

[jkashyap]

alright, well i got 2 of the schefflera arboricola golden capella plants and have them in my setup now... hopefully this will be safer thanks for the advice

 

[Eric Adrignola]

I tend to notice them. One of them was my favorite plant for a while.