Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I am wondering if I can use some plants in my closet cage. This wouldn't realy introduce any bad parasites, would it? Im using miracle gro and plants from an office w/no visible bugs. It would also be a great way for me to keep humidity up..Anyone? Im about to put them in but I thought I'd ask the experts

>>I am wondering if I can use some plants in my closet cage. This wouldn't realy introduce any bad parasites, would it? Im using miracle gro and plants from an office w/no visible bugs. It would also be a great way for me to keep humidity up..Anyone? Im about to put them in but I thought I'd ask the experts

Not really sure what a closet cage is but potted plants in a vivarium setting can change a lot if you are talking about just a potted plant in a terrarium then you should be fine. Take note not to use a species of plant that is poisonous. Also if this is for any species of snake I suggest silk plants or other artificial plants.

A heavy bodied boid can destroy a live plant as well as any species of lizard. With artificial plants they never die. Don't need water and you can take them out mix up the decor and wash the plants without worry.

The only thing that will make me put a live plant in a cage is when I build my dart frog vivarium in the future. (don't tell the wife)

Hope this helps
My 2 Cents
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"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

Your main problem is going to be keeping the plants alive with low light. Most herp cages even the biggest ones have light that is too dim for most plants to do well. I usually look for species of plants tolerant of low light conditions as well as the hardier cheaper plants like Pothos. If you're just putting the pots in without actually planting the plant in a soil substrate that works better in some ways because you can always more easily remove the plant if it starts doing poorly. As for snakes destroying plants, that usually depends more on the design of the cage. If your plants are placed in a good location and you've laid out the rest of the cage properly you can get away with a minimum of damage from roving snakes. Lizards are a different story though. Many of them will dig, regardless of species and will destroy the root systems of the plants. I've even placed screen wire around the top of a plant pot before to prevent digging into the pot itself which has happened. Finally, I would stop using the Miracle Gro fertilizer when you get the plants in the cage. Instead find a good completely organic fertilizer.
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Matt Campbell
25 years herp keeping experience
Full-time zookeeper
Personal collection - 21 snakes (9 genera), 20 lizards (4 genera), 6 chelonians (2 genera)

When I use live plants I spray them down real well to get rid of any possible pesticide residue and watch them for a week or so for bugs and the like before I put them in a cage. You might also want to consider getting a few of the low lite types like Matt said and cycling them through so they don't get too beaten up by the animals. Really makes a cage more attractive! Good luck.