Real Plants

[Mochi]

Hey guys!

I was scrolling trough the Cages thread and some of you have real plants in there.
Is this possible? What if they eat them? Could that be toxic?
I would love to put in real plants but i´m really afraid my skink will chew on them...


XX

[Whnthsungoesdwn]

I’m sure there are some that are non toxic. I personally wouldn’t put plants in there because I know my bluey will just plow them down. Not worth the fight lol

[splashy07]

If he doesn't chew on them he will definitely dislodge them. Digging is a natural behavior and they really don't care if their cage looks pretty or not. Mine can move extremely heavy hides and bowls. Simple and functional is best.

[Hamish]

I have some fake plants they don’t look terrible.
An airplant might be ok because it doesn’t matter if it is dislodged...

[Mochi]

Ah, i see thank you! Yes, he would probably dislodge them...His cage looks sometime a bit empty in comparison to the snake cages which have like 10 real plants in there

[kayla990]

Yep, some plants are fine to put with Blueys - but definitely need to be careful what you choose. If you'd like, I can provide a list of ones that are safe (but will see if you still want to do live ones first!). On our very first day, ours was trying to eat one; so need to make sure they are safe! However, since that day he doesn't really try biting the plants (even herbs we put in for him to try!).

Pretty much any plants that are on the floor will be destroyed (air plants too found out when one was pulled down from the background - the one in my profile pic.. it managed to recover though!). If you're able to mount the plant securely to the background, it can do well. We also have a chunky piece of driftwood with a bromeliad attached that is doing fine for the moment. So it's possible by using smaller objects, but be aware they'll still roam straight through/on top of them for fun so don't get anything too expensive if you try!

[Mochi]

Yep, some plants are fine to put with Blueys - but definitely need to be careful what you choose. If you'd like, I can provide a list of ones that are safe (but will see if you still want to do live ones first!). On our very first day, ours was trying to eat one; so need to make sure they are safe! However, since that day he doesn't really try biting the plants (even herbs we put in for him to try!).

Pretty much any plants that are on the floor will be destroyed (air plants too found out when one was pulled down from the background - the one in my profile pic.. it managed to recover though!). If you're able to mount the plant securely to the background, it can do well. We also have a chunky piece of driftwood with a bromeliad attached that is doing fine for the moment. So it's possible by using smaller objects, but be aware they'll still roam straight through/on top of them for fun so don't get anything too expensive if you try!

Hey Kayla!

A list would be wonderful! I would really like to get at least one or two real plants in there....
If you like i could send a picture of my current set up, maybe you or some people have great ideas

Thank you!

[Quinalah]

Yep, some plants are fine to put with Blueys - but definitely need to be careful what you choose. If you'd like, I can provide a list of ones that are safe (but will see if you still want to do live ones first!). On our very first day, ours was trying to eat one; so need to make sure they are safe! However, since that day he doesn't really try biting the plants (even herbs we put in for him to try!).

Pretty much any plants that are on the floor will be destroyed (air plants too found out when one was pulled down from the background - the one in my profile pic.. it managed to recover though!). If you're able to mount the plant securely to the background, it can do well. We also have a chunky piece of driftwood with a bromeliad attached that is doing fine for the moment. So it's possible by using smaller objects, but be aware they'll still roam straight through/on top of them for fun so don't get anything too expensive if you try!

Hi! Just saying that I would love the list as well! (Whether pm or a post here, doesn't matter to me.) I have an orchid I was wondering if I could mount in the enclosure, since the two like similar conditions.

[kayla990]

Let's see.. I've based the plants on an Indonesian species of Bluey - as it's what we have so the plants here are most suited for a higher humidity vivarium. The ones I listed were from going into our local DiY store/plant shops and basically taking a picture of everything they had, and researching it later online (ASPCA is a great resource). So just a heads up that there will be many more in the safe/toxic list that I've not included! If you're planning on a Northern Bluey, I can have a peek around if anyone has had success with different plants.

Plants considered safe:
- Bromeliads (avoid types such as Aechmea as they have a large flower or pollen ratio. Need to be mounted on something such as a hard background or driftwood for drainage).
- Peperomia spp. (Peperomia Carperata is doing good, Peperomia Obtusifolia is a pretty green plant that grows well and is also be considered safe - but I suspect it may be stomped on by Bluey's!)
- Majority of 'Spider plant' spp. (Chlorophytum Lemon for example)
- Pilea Glauca (though generally safe, can be irritable if consumed too often).
- Pilea Peperomiodides
- Aeschynanthus Japhrolepis (gets huge..! may not be too suitable for a viv unless you're able to keep on top of preening, similar to aeschynanthus marmoratus)
- Hoya Carnosa Tricolor
- Calathea Rosea
- microsorum diversifolium (while I didn't find any info on toxicity for this one, I'm not sure if the underleaf could be irritating)
- Hibiscus (Bluey's are known to eat the flowers in the wild, so a good natural one!)
- Herbs - they can grow successfully.. we had a watercress in the tank that got huge, but overall they may not last long. Can potentially buy a food safe herb in a supermarket that is already potted up (such as basil, watercress) and replace them once they get destroyed one way or another!
- Airplants - I've lost the species names that we have, but so far not had issues when mounted high in the tank. But can be delicate..

Common plants considered toxic:

- tradescantia quadricolor (wandering jew)
- Ficus pumila (Ivy; most types)
- Aglaonema (chinese evergreen)
- Scindapsus Pictus Argyreus (or any Pothos spp)
- Sansevieria Laurentii (Mother in law tongue)
- Cordyline spp. (mixed information on this, better to just avoid)
- Passionflower (while generally considered safe, there are some types that are toxic such as Passiflora caerulea or Passiflora foetida. Make sure to thoroughly research if you choose this route).
- Majority of succulent species (sadly.. as love them!)
- Cacti; as you can imagine - avoid them because of the spines

If you like i could send a picture of my current set up, maybe you or some people have great ideas

That'd be great to see - love seeing setups

[Mochi]

Thank you so much for the list! I didn‘t think of herbs but thats so clever! I have to try this! Also i took a screenshot of your list so next time i‘m plant shopping i will look around if i find some of the listed plants

I‘m trying to post the picture here, hope it works!



Ah, btw yes he uses the selfmade staircase it‘s the cutest thing!

[kayla990]

No worries! And awesome! Haha I can imagine it's super cute watching him on the stairs Is he an Indo or a Northern? I'll post up some methods I've had success with mounting onto the background - which I think would work for you too. May take a while to find the pictures I took during the process, but will try get hold of them soon ^__^

[kayla990]

Alrighty: so method 1 - using airplants. Can likely use a PVC pipe, bamboo, corkbark, driftwood or half a plant pot instead of the type of bark I used.

airplant_mountingB.jpg

Method 2: mosquito meshing. A method I thought up that I hadn't seen anywhere. It may look complex, but it's quite easy once you've got the hang of it. Need to make sure there is no loose threads of fishing wire, so make sure to pull it through tightly everytime.

bromeliad1B.jpg

bromeliad2.jpg

and just some fun tips xD

bromeliad3.jpg

Let me know if these are big enough to see clearly. Or if you want any verification

[Mochi]

Sorry that i´m just answering now! It´s a busy week

The photo story with the tipps and tricks is so nice! Thank you!
I will try to mount some on the back soon

Maybe i´m going to post some pic´s in here so you can see the outcome.