# Reptile Plants



## mrhoyo (Feb 20, 2011)

I know this is a frog board but it's such a great source of information I thought I'd ask anyway.
I keep mainly skinks and pythons, tiliqua, eumeces and morelia specifically and I'm wanting to make their enclosures look a bit more natural. I've already enquired about a substrate and custodians so now I need to find some plants that can put up with the animals.
Moat of the enclosures range from 22-32c ambient temperatures so I'd be looking at more tropical plants I believe. Humidity isn't really high, around 50 is what we aim for.
Any suggestions?

Additionally, what does everyone think of epiweb as a background and has anyone used the branches?

Thanks

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## hexentanz (Sep 18, 2008)

Sansevieria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Philodendron - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - esp scandens
Ficus pumila - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - for more humid tanks
Dischidia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tillandsia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bromeliaceae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pilea - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Peperomia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

etc ...... 

I wouldn't use epiweb in a reptile enclosure, many of them have nails which will get caught in it. Cork is most commonly used.


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## mrhoyo (Feb 20, 2011)

Thanks for the list, I'll look out for them.
I doubt I'll be using cork bark for all my vivs, when you consider a 1x1 piece costs me almost £10 it would bankrupt me to do all my 4x2 vivariums.

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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

Mr. Hoyo:

I threw you a thanks because I feel this is actually an important question. See, many people go to herp shows, see the pretty plants, and believe they can all thrive in any tropical herp tank ("Well, my lizard is from Brazil, this plant is from, Brazil, so...")

Uh-uh. Real organisms live in micro-climates, not countries. For many herps--and I assume you mean tropical lizards and snakes--the tanks are warmer than PDF set ups. 

Hex provided a very good list; just some notes on it. Concentrate on these familes and genera:

Ficus sp.
Any lowland Peperomia
Pilea sp.
Episcia (with non-boisterous animals)
Other gesneriads: In my experience, Nematanthus usually tolerate more heat than Columnea
Many Acanthaceae (same rules as Episcia)
Many Hoya and Dischdia
Begonias: A few; the West African yellow flowered species can tolerate more heat than say, tuberous begonias (but not above 30C)
Small epiphytic cacti
Many aroids, especially Alocasia, Philodendron, Spathiphyllum; Anubias and Cryptocoryne thrive in heat, but they need wet feet and super-high humidity 
Sanseveria--excellent for treefrogs and geckos, need good drainage
Bromeliads: Cryptanthus, many Neoregelia, many Tillandsia (these actually prefer good air circulation); Pitcairnia in big. moist tanks
Marantaceae (For animals w/o long claws)
Orchids: Probably the best small orchids for herp tanks are the African angraecoids (Aerangis, Angraecum); they tolerate more heat than (most) pleurothallids as long they have good air circulation.

Here's a suggestion: Is there a good botanical garden near you? Go to the conservatory--many are divided into lowland and higland rooms. Focus on the plants in the lowland room. Yes, this eliminates many mosses, ferns, begonias, ericads and more than a few mini orchids...

Hope this helps.


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## melas (Oct 24, 2007)

How about some pothos. It's edible too.


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## frogparty (Dec 27, 2007)

50 percent humidity is too low for orchids.


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

Addendum:

For tiliquine skinks:

How about an Alocasia, silver pothos, and some Dischidia or Hoya planted high?

For Morelia:

A small Ficus tree, or maybe an Alocasia and some Aluminum Pilea
or
Maybe a small Aglaonema and some creeping ficus with a hanging small hoya

Just some suggestions.

(Oh, and for me, I never get over the Polypedates sitting on the Morelia at the Bronx zoo


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

frogparty said:


> 50 percent humidity is too low for orchids.


I was thinking of net pots or clay pots, definitely not mounted. Some angraecoids are fairly tough plants. Come to think it, he can try a small paph orr mini-phal with the pythons (I have no doubt the skink will try to eat the inflorescence 

Your thoughts?


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## hexentanz (Sep 18, 2008)

mrhoyo said:


> Thanks for the list, I'll look out for them.
> I doubt I'll be using cork bark for all my vivs, when you consider a 1x1 piece costs me almost £10 it would bankrupt me to do all my 4x2 vivariums.
> 
> Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk


From where would you buy cork that is that expensive?


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## winstonamc (Mar 19, 2007)

i just picked up a alocasia cuprea for some crested geckos and am confident that it will be able to support some weight. They're short but with large and heavy leaves so they seem like the perfect choice


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## Groundhog (Dec 17, 2006)

winstonamc said:


> i just picked up a alocasia cuprea for some crested geckos and am confident that it will be able to support some weight. They're short but with large and heavy leaves so they seem like the perfect choice


I second that, Winston. Q: Don't Cresties prefer plants to curl up in, e.g., a small Ficus or Schefflera?


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## winstonamc (Mar 19, 2007)

yea, I'm actually going to try to *wince* bonsai a ficus benjamini, or at least trim and promote aereal roots wt moss wrapping. I also have a mesh pot worked into the foam background that will have one of the firmer-leaved hoya spread across the top and let the scrappier ficus pumilo climb up from below. I think the key wt fast-growing and moderately vulnerable plants in these scenarios is advance time to grow in, but I guess that's a no-brainer


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## mrhoyo (Feb 20, 2011)

hexentanz said:


> From where would you buy cork that is that expensive?


My local reptile shop. This is the cheapest online I can find right now and it's still really expensive when you want to cover multiple 4x2x2s back and sides - https://www.thereptileroom.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=484

Thanks for all the replies, I'll check out the suggestions when I'm on the computer because this browser isn't ideal. Keep them coming, this is a great source of information for here keepers.
I'm considering some small, arboreal, 75% humidity loving monitor lizards in the future (varanus glauerti) so suggestions for them would be welcome too.

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## mantisdragon91 (Jun 2, 2010)

mrhoyo said:


> My local reptile shop. This is the cheapest online I can find right now and it's still really expensive when you want to cover multiple 4x2x2s back and sides - https://www.thereptileroom.co.uk/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=484
> 
> Thanks for all the replies, I'll check out the suggestions when I'm on the computer because this browser isn't ideal. Keep them coming, this is a great source of information for here keepers.
> I'm considering some small, arboreal, 75% humidity loving monitor lizards in the future (varanus glauerti) so suggestions for them would be welcome too.
> ...


Nice choice although Glauerti are more of an arid dweller. For 75% humidity you may want to consider a Similis or a Timor. They should be much gentler on the wallet as well.


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## mrhoyo (Feb 20, 2011)

mantisdragon91 said:


> Nice choice although Glauerti are more of an arid dweller. For 75% humidity you may want to consider a Similis or a Timor. They should be much gentler on the wallet as well.


All the breeders I've spoken to have said that glauerti need high humidity and that there are too many people keeping them dry and killing them with kidney failure. This is a picture of their natural habitat posted by someone on a varanus forum-









I've looked at timors and they're ok but not actually that much cheaper and nowhere near as attractive.

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## mrhoyo (Feb 20, 2011)

Groundhog said:


> Addendum:
> 
> For tiliquine skinks:
> 
> ...


Thanks Groundhog, your suggestions actually look pretty feasible. I've had a search on the old Google and most of them look familiar so I should easily be able to source them. When I get the time I'll check out the toxicity of all of them, the skinks have a tendency to nibble on new things so I don't want them keeling over. I had one biting the lens cap whilst I was photographing him the other day!



winstonamc said:


> i just picked up a alocasia cuprea for some crested geckos and am confident that it will be able to support some weight. They're short but with large and heavy leaves so they seem like the perfect choice





Groundhog said:


> I second that, Winston. Q: Don't Cresties prefer plants to curl up in, e.g., a small Ficus or Schefflera?





winstonamc said:


> yea, I'm actually going to try to *wince* bonsai a ficus benjamini, or at least trim and promote aereal roots wt moss wrapping. I also have a mesh pot worked into the foam background that will have one of the firmer-leaved hoya spread across the top and let the scrappier ficus pumilo climb up from below. I think the key wt fast-growing and moderately vulnerable plants in these scenarios is advance time to grow in, but I guess that's a no-brainer


The plants I've had most luck with when housed in Rhacodactylus vivaria have been dracaena compacta (multiple rosettes of leaves give plenty of hiding places and stability due to the woody stem) and scindapsus aureus - pothos. The pothos stems aren't really strong enough to support much weight but they provide cover and greenery. Pothos is actually poisonous despite what an earlier post says, it contains oxalates.

The ficus I've used in the past haven't lasted very long, benjamina has a tendency to drop its leaves whenever it gets touched so you end up with a few twigs after a week or so of lizard action. Pumila was ok but it didn't really grow quickly enough to withstand the odd gecko flinging themselves at it.


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## mantisdragon91 (Jun 2, 2010)

mrhoyo said:


> All the breeders I've spoken to have said that glauerti need high humidity and that there are too many people keeping them dry and killing them with kidney failure. This is a picture of their natural habitat posted by someone on a varanus forum-
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Glauerti need humidified hides they can retire to as do most monitors. What they will have problems with is if you keep their entire cage at 75% humidity. This will cause blisters and fungal problems, unless you have a strong UVB heat lamp that they can bask under at least 8-10 hours a day if they so choose. The reason I suggested the timors is that here in the states timors can be had for around $100 each versus $750 or so for the Glauerti. Sounds like in the UK the price disparity is much less.


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## qiksilver5 (Jan 9, 2007)

mantisdragon91 said:


> Glauerti need humidified hides they can retire to as do most monitors. What they will have problems with is if you keep their entire cage at 75% humidity. This will cause blisters and fungal problems, unless you have a strong UVB heat lamp that they can bask under at least 8-10 hours a day if they so choose. The reason I suggested the timors is that here in the states timors can be had for around $100 each versus $750 or so for the Glauerti. Sounds like in the UK the price disparity is much less.


Improper husbandry is going to cause a problem either way. They'll still require hot basking temperatures as well as temp/humidity gradients. But habitat studies and captive husbandry have clearly shown this is not an arid dwelling animal. Sam Sweet has some really good habitat information and I'm pretty sure he is where the picture came from. I believe the exact description was 'monsoonal tropics'. I'm sure mrhoyo can correct me if I'm wrong about that last part.


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## mantisdragon91 (Jun 2, 2010)

qiksilver5 said:


> Improper husbandry is going to cause a problem either way. They'll still require hot basking temperatures as well as temp/humidity gradients. But habitat studies and captive husbandry have clearly shown this is not an arid dwelling animals. Sam Sweet has some really good habitat information and I'm pretty sure he is where the picture came from. I believe the exact description was 'monsoonal tropics'. I'm sure mrhoyo can correct me if I'm wrong.


Correct me if I am wrong but I believe the only part of Australia that meet that habitat description would be the extreme Ne of the country(Queensland) Which this species most certainly doesn't inhabit. This is a quick description of preferred Glauerti habitat from a dutch monitor website:

Varanus glauerti description
Distribution and habitat: Distribution: Northern Australi a (Northern territory) and a couple of islands off the coast. *Habitat: It prefers dry surroundings.*
www.varanus.nl/V_glauerti_beschr_​eng.htm


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## qiksilver5 (Jan 9, 2007)

I'm on v.nl...
I just went and looked, actually the most recently active thread, page 2. Sam Sweet describes Kakau National Park and the glauerti found there. I also believe Justin has had the success he has due to higher humidity than previously described. Give me a second and I'll grab a quote so there's less back and forth.



mantisdragon91 said:


> Correct me if I am wrong but I believe the only part of Australia that meet that habitat description would be the extreme Ne of the country(Queensland) Which this species most certainly doesn't inhabit. This is a quick description of preferred Glauerti habitat from a dutch monitor website:
> 
> Varanus glauerti description
> Distribution and habitat: Distribution: Northern Australi a (Northern territory) and a couple of islands off the coast. *Habitat: It prefers dry surroundings.*
> www.varanus.nl/V_glauerti_beschr_​eng.htm


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## qiksilver5 (Jan 9, 2007)

Here's that quote.
There's also another description in his post prior to this one. I found it interesting as I had read previously the same information you had.



Sam Sweet said:


> The photo I posted is from Kakadu NP, along the western edge of the Arnhem Land Plateau. The landscape there is pretty similar to most of the areas in the Kimberely where V. glauerti occurs, except that the large trees are absent. The monsoon forest trees survive in Arnhem Land only where rock walls and ledges keep all fires out (we are talking about centuries) -- elsewhere in Arnhem Land it's much like the Kimberley in supporting very sparse fire-tolerant trees only. The seasons and rainfall are similar, the Kimberley just burns over much more often, such that pockets of forest are restricted to very isolated gorges.
> 
> I have studied V. glauerti only in Arnhem Land, but I have traveled around in the Kimberley as well. Access into anything but the edges of the Kimberley is very difficult during the wet season when V. glauerti are most active, so most people see them there only during the early dry season. At that time they are mostly seen in deeply-fissured rock walls low in canyons, where there is still some groundwater about -- no one to my knowledge has looked for them in trees (which they prefer over rocks in the NT). Once the landscape dries out, glauerti are nowhere to be seen in either region.
> 
> ...


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## mantisdragon91 (Jun 2, 2010)

qiksilver5 said:


> I'm on v.nl...
> I just went and looked, actually the most recently active thread, page 2. Sam Sweet describes Kakau National Park and the glauerti found there. I also believe Justin has had the success he has due to higher humidity than previously described. Give me a second and I'll grab a quote so there's less back and forth.


Most of my data is based on conversations with Frank Retes and he is a big proponent of to quote him exactly " *Not keeping monitors in cages that can be used to create jerky"* (Translation not hot and dry everywhere) I believe almost all dwarf monitors benefit from having a moist hide to retire to as well as more general humidity than people used to keep them under. I just don't believe that Glauerti's require the same amount of humidity as true rainforest dwellers like Prasinus, Similis, Beccari, etc, etc.


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## qiksilver5 (Jan 9, 2007)

I would say they should be given a dry season, so yes, not like the Varanids of Indonesia and New Guinea. 

But based on the ideas of the monsoon seasons of the area I don't see why you wouldn't keep the cage more humid for part of the year. I wouldn't advocate trying to recreate dripping rock faces. There are however things we can do over just the bare minimum, which is what not making monitor jerky would entail. 

Frank makes some solid points, you won't see me bashing him on the forums. It's irritating to me how both sides of the 'FR vs. The Rest' argument say really similar things and still manage to bicker at every step.



mantisdragon91 said:


> Most of my data is based on conversations with Frank Retes and he is a big proponent of to quote him exactly " *Not keeping monitors in cages that can be used to create jerky"* (Translation not hot and dry everywhere) I believe almost all dwarf monitors benefit from having a moist hide to retire to as well as more general humidity than people used to keep them under. I just don't believe that Glauerti's require the same amount of humidity as true rainforest dwellers like Prasinus, Similis, Beccari, etc, etc.


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## mrhoyo (Feb 20, 2011)

Anyone on varanus.nl will know that I'm currently asking questions on the thread in question and both Sam Sweet and Justin have been putting in some helpful comments along with many others. The information given, for those who aren't following the thread, has been quoted earlier. 
Some people keep stuff one way, others keep it another. I just choose to take the most advice from those who've managed to breed them.

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