Reptile & Amphibian Forums

a couple of questions ...

1. how essential are they for a cham? i know they are better than plastic/silk ones, but can a cham be happy without them

2. how do you keep bugs from infesting it? i have had 4 different potted plants, i washed them thoroughly and repotted them, however with all 4, bugs soon took over, and i had to get rid of them

let me know

Jason
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Jason
f2.pg.briefcase.yahoo.com/dank7oo
1.0 maroantsetra panther chameleon
0.2 dwarf panther chameleons
jsinger_jimt@hotmail.com

the are recommended over silks. can a chameleon be happy with silks? i suppose he could live with it. when i set up my first cage i used a silk but took it out after a couple days and bought a veragated ficus, which i pruned a bit much and put it into shock. i saved it and now use it outside for our chameleon. in the cage i have a two ficus benjamin. i've never had a problem with bugs though. one thing i do is put small polished rocks in the pot around the base of the plants. i don't know itf this helps at all but it looks good and it's easier to "clean up" after him.

dennis
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compasscreek backcountry adventures

Potted plants aren't "essential" for chameleons, but they help with humidity and oxygen. The biggest problem I would think is that some chameleons, mostly veileds, but also at least panthers and Jacksons that I've had will occasionally take a bite out of a leaf or accidentally eat one when going for a worm or cricket. If was a plastic or silk leaf it would definately be a problem. I use only ficus plants and more and more lately I've been switching to hibiscus, mostly because they're thicker (better hiding), I think look better and they hold water on the leaves longer than a ficus. Plus, the flowers look sweet and veileds will also eat the flowers and crickets love them too. If you've got smaller chams, use plastic plants for a few reasons.... Their easier to wash, because baby droppings stick to leaves alot. They don't need dirt to grow that can be swallowed and stuck in a small chameleons throat and also, they are probably more sanitary (if kept clean) than a plant with dirt and the things that are in dirt. Droppings that fall into potting soil can be hard to see for cleaning and can get bacteria and mold groing in your cage. The small insects that are in potting soil aren't usually a problem unless they're getting lots of them built up and invading your house. Take all the soil you can and let it dry out in the sun prior to potting it and it will clean it pretty good. You could also bake or heat the soil in the oven, or MAYBE even stick the whole plant in the microwave for a short time and I would think that the small nuclear blast would kill all living things in the soil (even though I've never done that, but it might work!!!) LOL
-Tyler Stewart

Jason re: the bugs...what SORT of bugs? The biggest problem with indoor plants is usually fungus gnats that will not hurt your cham but they are annoying little guys. I know we did a thread about these awhile back. If you keep the soil too moist you are bound to have them. Eggs are in the soil and can remain dormant until proper conditions arise - excess water.

As for sterlizing soil you need to bake it in an oven at 160 for 1/2 hour. Nuking will not work b/c it retains moisture - not worth the effort- and DO NOT put the whole plant in the microwave as someone suggested unless you want a mess and dead plants!

lele

>>a couple of questions ...
>>
>>1. how essential are they for a cham? i know they are better than plastic/silk ones, but can a cham be happy without them
>>
>>2. how do you keep bugs from infesting it? i have had 4 different potted plants, i washed them thoroughly and repotted them, however with all 4, bugs soon took over, and i had to get rid of them
>>
>>let me know
>>
>>Jason
>>-----
>>Jason
>>f2.pg.briefcase.yahoo.com/dank7oo
>>1.0 maroantsetra panther chameleon
>>0.2 dwarf panther chameleons
>>jsinger_jimt@hotmail.com