# Avocado tree for a creative Viv?



## gryfer29 (Feb 12, 2019)

Hi guys, quick question. Are avocado tree safe for reptiles? Specifically crested geckos.


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## Kinstrome (Oct 6, 2017)

Avocadoes contain persin, a fungicidal toxin that is poisonous to a lot of big mammals and birds.

I couldn't find definitive answer about reptiles, probably because reptiles and food-growing plants don't usually interact. 

There is a post on Reptile Forums about avocadoes being dangerous, but after reading it I don't recall anyone actually providing any evidence that it was dangerous to reptiles. One user says that they found out avocadoes were a big "no" for bearded dragons, but doesn't cite anything.

I'll do more research and edit in what I find, but I would probably not put the tree in a viv. At least, delay it until we know more.

*EDIT*: A website lists different foods toxic to turtles and lizards: http://petcaretips.net/poisonous-plants-turtles-lizards.html I don't completely trust it, as it doesn't look especially academic, but it's something.


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## gryfer29 (Feb 12, 2019)

Kinstrome said:


> Avocadoes contain persin, a fungicidal toxin that is poisonous to a lot of big mammals and birds.
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> ...




Thanks for your time.I definitely do want to be 100% sure when trying anything. I don’t want to lose my 6y/o crestie to a tree


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## Kinstrome (Oct 6, 2017)

I edited the post above with some extra info. I also saw this:

https://books.google.com/books?id=7...=onepage&q=Avocado poisoning reptiles&f=false

This is a serious source of information, but it also doesn't come to a conclusion. It says green iguanas in the wild have been reported to eat them, but it does not recommend feeding them to reptiles given the notable trend of being toxic for other animals.


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## gryfer29 (Feb 12, 2019)

Just to be clear. I don’t want to feed my gecko avocados, I just want to keep a small avocado tree in her viv, it will probably never get large enough to bear fruit


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## Kinstrome (Oct 6, 2017)

I know, but functionally a gecko eating an avocado and a gecko being fed an avocado are the same thing. I know you didn't get a gecko to 6 years by feeding it random plants 🙂

I'd like to tell you to go ahead with it, but I don't know enough to judge.

I was curious, do crested geckos even nibble on plants? Could you just pick off the fruit as it comes? (I don't know if the rest of the plant is toxic.)

*EDIT*: This may help: https://homeguides.sfgate.com/make-avocado-tree-bear-fruit-44718.html

If your tree isn't super old, it may take awhile before it even gets big enough to bear fruit. I didn't find anything related to whether or not it can grow big enough to bear fruit in a viv. I don't know if it's ever been tried before. I would bet it wouldn't. 

Maybe you could try it for a few years and, at the first sign of fruit, prune the shit out of it.


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## DPfarr (Nov 24, 2017)

Any particular reason you’re interested specifically in an avocado? Perhaps there is a more suited tree you’d consider?


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

Crested geckos are frugivorous -- they lap up overripe fruit and nectar with their tongue -- and insectivorous. They wouldn't get through an avocado skin (I realize this tree will not set fruit in a viv; I'm just ruling out the possibility), and they don't eat foliage at all. 

I keep lots of geckos, and would have no problem exposing a crestie to an avocado tree. I don't suspect it will do at all well in a typical crestie viv (the amount of lighting necessary to even grow such a tree at all well would really stress out a crestie), but that's a different matter.


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## Kinstrome (Oct 6, 2017)

Socratic Monologue said:


> Crested geckos are frugivorous -- they lap up overripe fruit and nectar with their tongue -- and insectivorous. They wouldn't get through an avocado skin (I realize this tree will not set fruit in a viv; I'm just ruling out the possibility), and they don't eat foliage at all.


I did not know this.



Socratic Monologue said:


> I keep lots of geckos, and would have no problem exposing a crestie to an avocado tree. I don't suspect it will do at all well in a typical crestie viv (the amount of lighting necessary to even grow such a tree at all well would really stress out a crestie), but that's a different matter.


This is a good point, and was something I was wondering. Even trees sold as indoor-compatible bonsai trees need a pretty good bit of light.

I suppose, theoretically, depending on the shape of the plant in question, you could solve the problem of too much light for the gecko and too little light for the tree by having the tree already pretty darn close to the ceiling of the viv, creating a canopy for the gecko. But that's mostly fantasy. There may not be enough light for the tree this way, there may still be too much light for the gecko in spots, and you'd have to have the tree like this from the start, which sounds unlikely to me.

On the other hand, a tree with not-quite-adequate light may have its growth retarded enough that it never reaches the robustness necessary to produce fruit. But that doesn't really cancel out the importance of having a healthy gecko.

It is a nice-looking tree, though.

What are the dimensions or planned dimensions of the vivarium? That may help make sense of things.


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## jgragg (Nov 23, 2009)

I think you could find a much better candidate for a woody terrarium plant, than an avocado seedling. Unless your main criterion is "free".

Indeed, you probably don't even need "woody". Just "robust" to handle these heavy hoppers.

All that aside - the answer to your question is almost certainly "yes, they present no special hazards".

Good luck


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## gryfer29 (Feb 12, 2019)

Socratic Monologue said:


> Crested geckos are frugivorous -- they lap up overripe fruit and nectar with their tongue -- and insectivorous. They wouldn't get through an avocado skin (I realize this tree will not set fruit in a viv; I'm just ruling out the possibility), and they don't eat foliage at all.
> 
> I keep lots of geckos, and would have no problem exposing a crestie to an avocado tree. I don't suspect it will do at all well in a typical crestie viv (the amount of lighting necessary to even grow such a tree at all well would really stress out a crestie), but that's a different matter.




Lighting can stress out a crestie? I didn’t know. My tank is 36 tall and has some large cork tubes for her to hide in. I bought an Hd freshwater prime. Is that too much


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## gryfer29 (Feb 12, 2019)

Kinstrome said:


> I did not know this.
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The dimensions of the viv are 18 by 18 by 36. With this new information that cresties are light sensitive, I may consider returning my Hd freshwater prime for a weaker light


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## gryfer29 (Feb 12, 2019)

jgragg said:


> I think you could find a much better candidate for a woody terrarium plant, than an avocado seedling. Unless your main criterion is "free".
> 
> 
> 
> ...




Would you have any recommendations?


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## DPfarr (Nov 24, 2017)

_Canella winterana_ is a cool species I think.


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## Socratic Monologue (Apr 7, 2018)

gryfer29 said:


> Lighting can stress out a crestie? I didn’t know. My tank is 36 tall and has some large cork tubes for her to hide in. I bought an Hd freshwater prime. Is that too much



Well, in the wild cresties live in the understory in thick bushy growth (the forest in New Caledonia has a thinner canopy than a tropical rainforest, so there's more understory growth than in, say, Peru). They hide all day in tree holes and the like (cork tubes replicate that in captivity). They're accustomed to pretty dim light, and good amount of cover.

Cresties are adaptable enough that they don't show stress too readily (unlike, say, leachianus, who stress very easily by uncomfortable conditions such as too much light). But, yes, dim is better than bright for them.

The prime is great because you can dim it to whatever light level you want. Just keep in mind that the plants are for your benefit (the geckos just want a dark hole), and for the geckos to climb on at night (though a thick fake vine would do well for them).


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## mcknzAlex (Jun 13, 2019)

I feel like it is not a good idea to place an avocado tree, of all the plants why did you choose it?


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## gryfer29 (Feb 12, 2019)

Here’s a pick of my hard scape











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## gryfer29 (Feb 12, 2019)

mcknzAlex said:


> I feel like it is not a good idea to place an avocado tree, of all the plants why did you choose it?



Originally I just wanted to try to grow an avocado from a seed. I saw pics of small avocado trees online and I thought they looked really cool and would match my gecko cages perfectly. The seed has made progress in growth, it’s been about two months










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## Captain Awesome (Jan 13, 2018)

Avocado trees grow real well from seed until about 2 foot tall. This is the point where they switch from stored energy in the seed to energy from photosynthesis. I know a lot of people who have grown avocado from seed. They all died around 2 feet tall. They need a rediculous amount of light. The plant itself is very unlikely to cause any trouble for the gecko so no harm in trying but I would not plan the entire Vivarium around this plant or at least have a backup plant in mind.


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## gryfer29 (Feb 12, 2019)

Captain Awesome said:


> Avocado trees grow real well from seed until about 2 foot tall. This is the point where they switch from stored energy in the seed to energy from photosynthesis. I know a lot of people who have grown avocado from seed. They all died around 2 feet tall. They need a rediculous amount of light. The plant itself is very unlikely to cause any trouble for the gecko so no harm in trying but I would not plan the entire Vivarium around this plant or at least have a backup plant in mind.




Got it, thank


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## Philio (Apr 16, 2019)

Captain Awesome said:


> Avocado trees grow real well from seed until about 2 foot tall. This is the point where they switch from stored energy in the seed to energy from photosynthesis. I know a lot of people who have grown avocado from seed. They all died around 2 feet tall. They need a rediculous amount of light. The plant itself is very unlikely to cause any trouble for the gecko so no harm in trying but I would not plan the entire Vivarium around this plant or at least have a backup plant in mind.


Yeah, I have one friend who has successfully grown an avocado tree, but he already had a giant grow light for his other plants, so when he could plant it he knew he could take care of it. Raising avocado trees from the seed requires quite a bit of patience and a considerable amount of preparedness. That said, if you can provide a really good light, go ahead.


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## Zee (Nov 15, 2021)

gryfer29 said:


> Hi guys, quick question. Are avocado tree safe for reptiles? Specifically crested geckos.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Hi, I had an Avocado tree in my jungle Room and not twenty mins ago I saw one of my Chameleons eating the leaves, I've removed the plant now but the chameleon seems fine, I will continue to monitor the chameleon for signs of sickness.


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