Since there are so many different plants for the chameleon cage, how do you choose the right one? Basically, you’ll want to get the same plants that are growing in their natural habitat.
Below are some of the most popular plants for chameleon cage that you can use.
1. Croton
These tropical plants make great plants for chameleon cage since it’s native to the chameleon’s natural habitat. Crotons grow an average of 10 inches tall and come with bright, vibrant, and multicolored leaves. Their leaves come in shades of green, yellow, and red.
Growing crotons in an enclosure can be quite difficult, as they need plenty of water and sunlight every day. If the chameleon’s enclosure isn’t by a window or an area where it gets direct sunlight, crotons will not survive. Without water for an entire day will cause its leaves to slouch. A quick remedy to this is water the plants and the leaves will be upright again.
To make sure their leaves grow strong and healthy, mist the leaves of the crotons every day. As for the entire plant, it will need watering once a day as well.
With these plants, the chameleons might chew on the leaves. If they do, it’s perfectly fine and won’t harm the chameleons at all. Just make sure they don’t eat too much of it.
2. Dandelion
Dandelions are not native to the chameleon’s habitat, but they make great plants to grow in the cage. These plants are classified as wildflowers, which means they grow in the wild. Dandelions are hardy plants and don’t require any maintenance at all. Once a day, make sure they get some water and sunlight.
Since these plants are usually found in your backyard and in open fields, you can just pick up some and plant them in a container. Before planting them and placing it in the cage, make sure there are no insects and other pests on the dandelion’s leaves and roots. You don’t want to bring any pest into the cage, which could hurt your chameleons.
The great thing about dandelions is the leaves and flowerheads. For some reason, chameleons are known to eat it. I’ve seen it personally myself, witnessing my chameleons eat it. Yes, the leaves and flowerheads of the dandelions are safe to eat.
3. Ficus
Another great popular plant to grow in the chameleon cage. Ficus is popular due to its relatively high humidity and temperatures requirement and prefers regular misting. Ficus is a tropical plant with many varieties to choose from. Some varieties can grow to over 6 feet tall.
There are many different types of ficus plants available to choose from. The following are recommended safe for chameleons, which is the weeping fig and willow-leaved fig. These ficus types have leaves that are safe for the chameleons to eat and won’t cause any harm to them.
On the other hand, I recommend staying away from these ficus varieties: Zulu fig, fiddle-leaved fig, and the creeping fig. These types of ficus are known to cause animal poisoning and may cause harm to the chameleons.
When handling ficus plants, certain people have developed an allergic reaction to the sap. For that reason, when you’re pruning the leaves, make sure to wear eye goggles and gloves to avoid an allergic reaction.
4. Bromeliads
Bromeliads are not only beautiful, but makes great plants to have in the cage. They are easy to care for and extremely easy to grow.
These tropical plants don’t require much care. They can practically grow anywhere in the world because they are adaptable to a range of temperatures. Watering them is usually once per month, just need to keep their soil moist. If you’re using an auto mister, you will never need to water Bromeliads then.
The flower blooms once the plant is near the end of their life cycle, which is about 3-5 years. In addition, these plants don’t require pruning as they grow slowly. Unlike other plants, their root systems develop very slowly.
5. Hibiscus
Hibiscus are plants that are known for their brilliant shades of colors. Their colors can be shades of orange, yellow, purple, red, and more.
There are many varieties of Hibiscus available to buy. However, most of them are really difficult to grow indoors, especially in a chameleon cage.
While most Hibiscus is hard to grow, there’s one variety that is easy to grow. That one is the Hibiscus rosa-sinensi or commonly known as the Chinese Hibiscus. The flowers and leaves from this variety are safe for the chameleon to eat.
The Chinese Hibiscus can tolerate most temperatures, but it requires plenty of sunlight each day. For that reason, it’s best to keep them in the cage closest to where it can get sunlight during the day.
Other Hibiscus varieties will require a lot of maintenance so it’s best you stay away from them. When choosing a plant, you’ll want to choose one that doesn’t require a lot of maintenance. That way, you can use that time to care for your chameleons.
6. Jade Plant
Jade plants are another great plant to part of your chameleon habitat. These are exotic tropical plants that are easy to care for and grow indoors.
These plants are a fleshy succulent and have strong woody stems that chameleons can climb on. Jade plants spread quickly and can outgrow all other plants in the enclosure.
Best to grow in a container so you can move them around easily. Since these tropical plants grow quickly, you will want to prune them often.
When it comes to watering them, the less the better. Since they are succulents, Jade plants don’t need daily water as other plants do. In the winter months, you will probably need to water them once a month. During the cold months, let your plant’s soil dry out first before watering them. For the rest of the year, you’ll only need to water the plant when the soil is dry.
7. Pothos
The pothos is another great plant for the chameleon cage. These are easy to care and don’t require much sunlight. For that reason, they grow extremely well indoors, especially in the enclosure.
Our favorite is the Golden Pothos. Their leaves are big and colorful. Golden Pothos also provide a place for them to hide and sleep under. In addition, the leaves are safe for the chameleons to eat. Besides the Golden Pothos, there are many other different varieties of pothos you can grow. All pothos are safe for the chameleons to be around and even eat.
When planting them, make sure to grow them in a container. This way, you can move them to a different location within the enclosure when cleaning. In addition, the leaves of the pothos plants can get really big. When they become too big for the cage, you can either replace it with another smaller pothos or move it higher up in the enclosure.
8. Rose
One of the world’s most symbolic flowers is also a great plant for your chameleons. They not only look beautiful, but the petals of the rose are also safe for chameleons to eat as well. Since the roses will be grown indoors and in a cage, they will need to be looked after more frequently. Caring for roses indoors is similar to caring for roses outdoors, only with less work. Being indoors, the roses are less prone to pests and diseases. In addition, you won’t have to worry about the roses being damaged from the weather.
Since there are many different varieties of roses to choose from, the one recommended for growing indoors are mini roses. Like the name, these roses don’t grow tall and the flowers don’t get big. This makes them great for growing in a cage. Since they are small-sized roses, they don’t require a large area. Just a small pot of mini roses can fit in the corner of the cage or they can be hanged from the cage.
To make sure these mini roses grow healthy and beautiful in the cage, you’ll need to take good proper care of them. Like any other plant, they need a lot of sunlight to grow. With mini roses, they will not bloom unless they get a lot of sunshine.
Another thing to look at it is the soil. Make sure the soil isn’t dried out by sticking your finger in the soil at about an inch deep. If you pull your finger out and it’s dry, pour some water into it. On the other hand, if your finger is moist, you won’t need to water them. This should be done once a day to keep your mini roses healthy.
9. Rubber Tree
The Rubber Tree is a great plant to grow in the chameleon cage. It’s also called a Rubber Plant as well, and it can grow as high as 5 feet tall.
These plants have rich green leaves and strong branches, which is great for your chameleons to climb on.
The Rubber Trees is a hardy plant, which means they can thrive in almost any condition. They don’t require a lot of sunlight, as too much of it will cause their leaves to whither.
Growing them in a chameleon cage will require some maintenance. All you need to make sure is they get some sunlight each day and keep the soil moist.
To prevent them from growing to their maximum height, you’ll need to prune them once a month. If not, they will outgrow your cage.
10. Yucca
Yucca plants are great for growing in a chameleon’s cage. These plants are low maintenance and do well indoors. Yucca plants have low water requirements and are even somewhat drought tolerant. As they bloom, they produce flowers that are not only beautiful but safe for the chameleons to eat.
There are many different types of yucca plants you can grow, but the one recommended for growing indoors are Century Yucca, Spanish Bayonet Yucca, Yucca Spanish Dagger, and Banana Yucca. These types of yucca produce flowers and safe to grow around chameleons.
Since yuccas are low maintenance plants, you’ll just need to do some basic care for them. One of the things is checking the soil for dryness. Too long of dryness can kill the yucca plants.
One thing to consider is if you’re looking for a plant that produces flowers year long, yucca isn’t one of the plants. Yucca plants only bloom once every year from July to August. After that, they’ll just grow leaves until next year.
Why Plants Are Important in a Chameleon Habitat
In the wild, most species of chameleons spend their entire lives in trees and plants. Trees and plants provide chameleons protection from predators and the weather. In addition, it also gives them a secure place to sleep at night. For that reason, creating an environment like their natural habitat will make your chameleons happy.
Besides using plants for protection, plants help maintain healthy humidity levels in the enclosure as well. In addition, plants help clean the air. By having a healthier habitat, your chameleon’s health will improve, which will result in a happier and longer life.
Live Plants For Chameleon Cage
Live plants are the recommended types of plants to use in a chameleon cage. Since your keeping a chameleon as a pet, you’ll want to keep them happy right? To keep them happy, you’ll need to mimic their natural habitat. Live plants have a lot of advantages such as making the cage more beautiful, absorbing all the harmful chemicals from the air, and the best part of all- it makes the chameleon happy.
Artificial Plants For Chameleons
When it comes to artificial plants, they require no maintenance and look nice. However, it’s not a good idea to use artificial plants in the chameleon’s cage. Artificial plants are made from plastic and that could be bad for your chameleons. The artificial plant contains toxins from the glues and plastics that are used to make them.
Preparing Plants For Chameleon Cage
Most of the plants that sold will not be ready to be used in a chameleon cage. Plants that are sold will often be treated with pesticides, insecticides, and other substances that could be harmful to your chameleons.
To prevent these harmful substances, you’ll need to remove them first from the plants. Simply mix antibacterial soap with water and splash or use a spray bottle to spray the plants. Allow it to sit for a couple of minutes and rinse it with clean water. Repeat the process 3 times to make sure there are no traces of harmful substances left on the plants.
When it comes to the soil, it too may contain harmful substances. It’s best to just throw away the original soil and repot it with clean organic soil.
By doing the above, you’ll have less risk of harming your chameleons.
