live terrarium plants

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cudamaster13;3646322; said:
i was just going to add soil to the bottom of my tank then put the cypress bedding on top of the soil but how do i remove pesticide on the plant itself? oh i also wanted to know is since i have a huge water bowl is it okay if i add a couple amazon frogbit or one water hyacinth to it?


Hycathin needs lots of light or it becomes a rotted mess while frogbit IMO looks just as pretty (the large plants) way hardier and do not require as intense lighting .
Small iguanas can actually bask on them without the plant sinking which will be good for your basilisk.

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As for Chamaedorea I find it hard to keep alive, let alone under the constant stress of basking ligths and being climbed upon. Also doesant like to moist or to dry. It would be feaseble but the terrarium would have to be HUGE and it would have to stay in a distant but well iluminated corner (but not with a intense ligth!). As for more good plant choice Sheffheedera (hope Im spelling correctly) its one of the hardiest tall plants and Ficus pumilia is a hardy creeper. Fatsia is also hardy. But it would be good if you told us how big is the terrarium, how big its the basilisk,etc. If the lizard its a baby you should let him grow in a more higenic seting that can be cleaned easily and then later with lots of planing you can do your big and nice planted enclosure. Otherwise its just a waist of money. Also the rising of the dirt and leafs only works to a certain degree. What I here generaly do is take grafs of well stablished plants, let them grow and then transfer them to the terrariums, zero expenditure of money and 100% safe plants. Dont be on worry to finish your terrarium, you have plenty of time to do that, if your basilisk is young concentrate fully on its needs, use some plastic plants or some poted spineless ephifids after they have been put on quarentine (wait for the summer if need be) and your good to go. Oh and a very important peace of information to anyone that has basilisks, if you like your lizard helmet and crests (and Im shure you do) ALLWAYS cover the ligth sorces with metalic wires to prevent your lizard from burning himself!
 
coura;3649903; said:
I cant leave you guys alone by one day or two cant I?:grinno: Peace lilies and Dieffenbachia are DEADLY for lizards(and very toxic for humans by that matter)! Even if basilisks are not prone to eat vegetation its simply NOT WORTH IT. Bad things some way or another allways find a way to happen with thouse plants. Also I find Dieffenbachia very hard to keep in a terrarium, the leafs get burned and dry very easily, and the plant is prone to rot. It wont last long with a lizard with sharp claws!

"I cant leave you guys alone by one day or two cant I?"
lol

"Peace lilies and Dieffenbachia are DEADLY for lizards"

I did not know that. By deadly you mean if they eat them or even bask on them?
 
Louie;3649908; said:
Hycathin needs lots of light or it becomes a rotted mess while frogbit IMO looks just as pretty (the large plants) way hardier and do not require as intense lighting .
Small iguanas can actually bask on them without the plant sinking which will be good for your basilisk.
I would recomend avoiding for now aquatic plants because you will need to change the water pretty much every day and aquatic plants can harbor organisms and decay matter that can harm your basilisk. Wait untill he is larger and even then rinse any aquatic plants.
 
Louie;3649912; said:
"I cant leave you guys alone by one day or two cant I?"
lol

"Peace lilies and Dieffenbachia are DEADLY for lizards"

I did not know that. By deadly you mean if they eat them or even bask on them?
Deadly if they eat them and very irritating to eyes, mouth, etc if sap comes into contact wich is inevitable with big strong lizards;)
 
Pothos is pretty resilient and forgiving. I have it in most of my crested gecko cages, use little containers rather than planting into the substrate.
I dunno how it will deal with maybe getting trampled on by a much larger animal tho, Maybe suspend it somehow?
 
coura;3649903; said:
I cant leave you guys alone by one day or two cant I?:grinno: Peace lilies and Dieffenbachia are DEADLY for lizards(and very toxic for humans by that matter)! Even if basilisks are not prone to eat vegetation its simply NOT WORTH IT. Bad things some way or another allways find a way to happen with thouse plants. Also I find Dieffenbachia very hard to keep in a terrarium, the leafs get burned and dry very easily, and the plant is prone to rot. It wont last long with a lizard with sharp claws!

Hyperbole. These plants are mildly toxic, but so are most plants. Unless you have an herbivorous lizard they will be perfectly safe.

Dieffenbachia causes inflammation to mucus membranes at worst. The LD50 for the juice of the plant is 160 mL/kg, meaning an adult basilisk would have to eat a large amount of foliage before a serious medical condition developed. This might be an issue with an herbivorous lizard, but not with a basilisk. The plant is also pretty tough; it's not as though there will be Dieffenbachia juice flying all over the cage, even with a big active lizard.

The case with Spathiphyllum is similar, but it is even less dangerous. The plant can cause mucus membrane inflammation and vomiting if ingested. By the way, this is true for all Araceae, including pothos, Philodendron, and Monstera, and for many other houseplants, including Ficus and Dracaena/Sanseveria (now considered the same genus by some botanists).
 
It is fine to use fake plants, but be sure that they have no sharp edges and no wires. Also be sure to rinse them well before adding to the cage. If your water bowl is too big to easily lift out, you can use a siphon or small submersible pump to get the bulk of the water out.
 
Noto;3650312; said:
It is fine to use fake plants, but be sure that they have no sharp edges and no wires. Also be sure to rinse them well before adding to the cage. If your water bowl is too big to easily lift out, you can use a siphon or small submersible pump to get the bulk of the water out.

is it possibal to use a small tetra fin filter designed for shallow water that houses red bellied toadsfor the water dish?
 
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