# Live Plants



## Hokurai (Feb 18, 2011)

I want to put live plants in my enclosure and I'm not sure exactly how to do it or what kinds of plants that are safe to put in. I know I can hang a pothos from the top but I'd also like some sort of bush to put in which I guess I can leave in the pot and bury under the substrate.


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## Guest (Feb 18, 2011)

Good luck !!! 

I admire your devotion ... 

I have had wonderful luck with plastic ..


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## james.w (Feb 18, 2011)

They won't last more than a week with a Tegu. They will dig them up and move them around.


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## Toby_H (Feb 18, 2011)

I share your desire and have put a lot of thought into the idea... 

The above response is correct. Tegus don't have much to do in their enclosure and digging up and dragging around a plant is something to do. 

So either give up before you begin, repair the damaged plants daily... or be more wise with your planning than your Tegu is persistant with his destruction..............


My suggestion is to use a fruit/vegetable baring plant. These plants will be safe and will not only make your enclosure [rettier, but will supply food for you and/or your Tegu. So why not use fruit/vegetable baring plants? (if you are going to use plants...)


You will need to find/build a 'pot' that suits the plants needs (space, drainage, etc) as well as one that will keep the Tegu away from the roots/stalk of the plant. Also choosing a plant with a strong stalk will help it stand up to abuse. 

My thought is to make a pot with a cage built into it. One that keeps the Tegu away from the dirst, roots and stalk, but allows him to eat fruit/vegetable and leaves. 

Also you will want to allow this plant to mature outside the enclosure to allow it to gain the strength to handle having anything/everything that extends outside the cage stripped off. 


I do openly admit at this point the above is a concept I've yet to put into practice. Partly because I feel it will be more work than it's worth...


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## james.w (Feb 18, 2011)

I would love to see that. ^^^^ That is an amazing idea.


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## eddyjack (Feb 19, 2011)

It's called "Topsy Tervy". It is a hanging planter that you actually hang upside down. The tomatoe plants or what ever you decide are out of reach and completely safe from the guys until it matures enough to with stand the torment. Home Depot's all over carry them, I just saw them today.
Great idea in giving live food bearing plants that cannot be destroyed. You could plant whatever you like in them as well as long as it is not harmful to your animal.


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## Guest (Feb 19, 2011)

Just grow a bunch of plants [in a green house ] and put some in when needed .. 

Jan often sprouts wheat grass in [cookie sheets ] after it grows about 3 inches tall she takes it out to the chickens in the middle of winter so they can have some greens ..


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## Hokurai (Feb 21, 2011)

Well, I was asking what would be safe for a tegu because peaches, for example, are safe to eat but the pit of it and the tree itself contains some cyanide or what becomes cyanide as it's digested. Same with apples and cherries, I think.
Edit: Hm... I found a list of plants considered safe for reptiles and it seems that kudzu would do nicely for some of what I want. A nice backdrop of live plants. I could take some hardware cloth if I can find some and put the pot high up, maybe even outside of the cage completely. It's supposed to be a very fast growing vine so as long as I start growing it in the enclosure before I get him so it establishes. It seems like a very had plant to kill on purpose, even.  http://www.anapsid.org/resources/edible.html


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## Guest (Feb 21, 2011)

If you can eat it it will be ok for your Tegu ...

While what you say is true about poison in the seeds It is at a very low level and something would have to eat many many very bitter seeds to be affected ..


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## Hokurai (Feb 21, 2011)

But we don't eat the plants themselves. The toxicity of the plants will likely be higher than in the seeds. Tomato plants seem to also be toxic. I compiled a list of about 15 plants from various sources that say they are safe for various reptile enclosures and also look strong enough to take some abuse.


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## myotis (Feb 21, 2011)

I use different variation of dragon trees I believe they are called and Bamboo is strong and last for awhile as well as corn plants (dracaena) but anything with large fan leaves will pretty much become speckled with holes from their claws and die off. I use rockwool cubes for the roots and place that in the cypress. Tomatoes rarely stand straight by themselves so you'd need a hanging thing, my tegu tore up a tomato plant in minutes. Most all plants will wither under the heat lamp as well. Just my two cents. Hope it helps


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## Guest (Feb 21, 2011)

I raise tomatoes and was always of the opinion that the leaves were poisonous... 

Another reason for plastic ...


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## Hokurai (Feb 21, 2011)

Okay, I made a fairly good list of plants that might be good.

Pothos
Kudzu (fast growing vine)
Spider Plant (sap may be skin irritant)
Split-leaf philodendron
Corn Plant
Ponytail Palms
Hibiscus
Dragon Tree
Croton
japanese aralia
Jade Plant
Natal Plum
Umbrella Plant
Warneckii
Zebra plant
Yucca


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## Guest (Feb 21, 2011)

Aloe Vera would be one of my choices....

I wonder how that would work for sheds and impaction ???


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## Toby_H (Feb 21, 2011)

I've grown Aloe in a few Vivariums over the years, although never with something as large as a Tegu... It's not very fast growing but it does great in our 'sub tropical' conditions.


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## Hokurai (Feb 22, 2011)

I added Aloe to my list of plants to potentially try.


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## myotis (Feb 22, 2011)

That's a nice list. Should add a few more and maybe pics and we could make it a sticky on the forums. Here's a site, I know its for uros but it has some good nutritional info on plants <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.deerfernfarms.com/Food_Plants.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://www.deerfernfarms.com/Food_Plants.htm</a><!-- m --> .


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## Hokurai (Feb 22, 2011)

Hm... I kind of wrote off trees when looking at the lists but if you trimmed a tree right, it could probably be turned into more of a small bush with a hard trunk.


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