Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am planning to get some real plants for the enclosure for my new Veiled but plan to use some artificial plants too; as well as artificial vines. Do y'all use real plants, fake plants, or a combination of the two?
-----
Dans les champs de l'observation le hasard ne favorise que l' esprits prepares. Louis Pasteur

real real real I just like the look of the real plants not to mention all the other things real plants add.

Real plants are mandatory for a Veiled, as they eat alot of vegetation as a part of their diet. If you use fake plants, they will try to eat them and will have to try to digest the fibers from the fake plants. I recommend a Pothos plant, they are very hardy plants that are easy to care for, provide alot of cover, and look good. Plus real plants hold water 1000 times better than fake plants for providing water for your cham. (The fake ones tend to soak up the water and not beading it. Other popular live plants are ficus, and hibiscus.
-----
0.1 Veiled Chameleon (Lola)
0.1 Leopard Gecko (Cleo)
1.0 Great Dane (Hercules)

"Real plants are mandatory for a Veiled, as they eat alot of vegetation as a part of their diet."

For the most part that statement is incorrect. Plants are NOT mandatory for veileds and they only rely on them when insects are scarce. Where did you read this?

-roo

I bet they didn't read it anywhere, it's from experience. My veileds were anything but undernurished from crickets and such, yet they would nibble on a plant every now and then.

>>I bet they didn't read it anywhere, it's from experience. My veileds were anything but undernurished from crickets and such, yet they would nibble on a plant every now and then.

I've done a ton of reading since this is my first cham and I have seen several references to the veileds eating plants.
-----
Dans les champs de l'observation le hasard ne favorise que l' esprits prepares. Louis Pasteur

Ok so they aren't mandatory, but almost every veiled cham resource I have read, and from the vast majority of opinions on here have led me to believe that you really should use live plants in veiled enclosures. My cham was eating regularly but I saw her nibling on the couple of fake plants I had in the cage, so I removed them imediately due to the fear that the fibers may become impacted. I have also read in many different places that adult Veileds will consume a varied diet including plant matter. So while they are not "mandatory" I would strongly recommend using live plants. I just don't see the benefits other than lower maintenence by using fake plants. (BTW it is incredibly hard to kill a Pothos plant...)
-----
0.1 Veiled Chameleon (Lola)
0.1 Leopard Gecko (Cleo)
1.0 Great Dane (Hercules)

>>I am planning to get some real plants for the enclosure for my new Veiled but plan to use some artificial plants too; as well as artificial vines. Do y'all use real plants, fake plants, or a combination of the two?
>>-----
>>Dans les champs de l'observation le hasard ne favorise que l' esprits prepares. Louis Pasteur

I went to a plant nursery with my son this weekend and returned with a ton of beautiful real plants (including a seven foot tall ficus, glad he went with me to haul it into the car).

I had already ordered a couple fake plants so there will be lots of greenery in the cage.
-----
Dans les champs de l'observation le hasard ne favorise que l' esprits prepares. Louis Pasteur

Both. Sometimes I want to put foliage in a specific spot to create a hide, and no pot will fit. Fakes are great for places that don't get enough light too. The majority of my plants are live. The chams benefit from the better air quality and the humidity live plants naturally circulate.

any suggestions for live plants other than pothos or ficus? I was thinking about trying some purple coleus, as well as an english ivy!

thanks for your time!
cheers!
jon