Is any aloe vera plant safe for enclosure?

[Ann404]

We wanted to add a few plants real or fake to his enclosure. But want to make sure they are safe. I have some air plants (not sure what kind) and aloe vera. If pesticide free are these safe in ceramic pots? Also does anyone have a site to get FAKE cactus that is safe (cant eat)? So far i only found ones with plastic thorns that seem easy to remove. Thanks for any help.

 

[MrSpectrum]

My enclosure currently has ~20 live plants--mostly succulents, but I avoided any cacti because of the thorns. I have 3 air plants (Tillandsia) of different colors. Without knowing the specific species of yours, I hesitate to say for sure if they're safe, and I'd still look it up as I do with every plant I add.

Aloe Vera can be a Con-Sub. While technically not poisonous, it can cause digestive problems (diarrhea) if consumed in quantity, yet some beardies seem to love it. Other Aloe species (there are over 500) I would check individually.

There are many lists of beardie-safe plants. (Lithops are one I particularly like.) Once you establish your own list, be prepared that your beardie may nibble, eat, stomp on, dig up, or otherwise destroy any live plants. IOW, Be prepared and have extras on-hand. :wink:

Ceramic pots should be fine--even (yuck :bleick: ) plastic, if necessary. I found some cool natural-looking "lava rock" planters at a local garden store, and built a few others out of slate tiles.

ZaRDoZ has tasted and nibbled on every plant I've put in there (except the Tillandsia, because it's up on the back wall out of reach, and the Lithops) but so far, he hasn't dug any up--he just likes to climb/stomp on them. However I've also included some herbs (Basil, Oregano) that he's welcome to.

 

[Ann404]

Ok thank you for all your help. I will look up a list and go from there. I certainly don't want to cause our little beardie any problems. I do have some organic basil im trying to grow, but figured that wouldnt grow too well with no humidity. Thinking of that, do you mist your plants in the cage or remove them? Again thanks, ann

 

[MrSpectrum]

Funny you should ask/mention that. When I discussed my plans for plants early on. a lot of folks (and various articles) expressed concern over the plants raising the enclosure humidity too high. That was the main reason I stuck primarily to succulents. To dissuade Mr. Dragon from digging in the pots/planters, I covered the soil with smooth river pebbles I got at a dollar store. The pebbles also reduce moisture evaporation directly from the soil. The odd result was, even with 12+ (at the time) plants, the humidity was too low! I was having to spritz 3-4 times a day to keep the RH above 30%*, and that created rather dramatic swings from 25% to 55%.

I tried raising the humidity with dishes of water and wet sponges to no avail, and was considering getting an automatic mister--but first I wanted to try adding more plants (as long as he wasn't too destructive). So at first I added more succulents until I was up to 15+; still no change. Most recently, I added a "forest" of basil (so he could hide in it or run through it, and I'm cool with him munching it), with a couple more succulents. Now I'm up over 20 plants, and the humidity stayed above 30% for the first time (I later found out DW was spritzing the basil once a day).

We'll see how things go. If I still need more humidity, there are lots more non-succulent herbs I can add that should transpire more moisture.


* My humidity target range is 30%-40%. This is the range recommended by the breeder. Other sources may recommend different ranges.

 

[Ann404]

We have a very hard time with the humidity. Even with a little dehumidifier, our cage stays around 45%, sometimes higher. Our beardie is about 15 months old now and hes never had a respiratory problem, but i am always trying to lower it. Being in south Louisiana doesnt help. We just made him a bigger tank. Hes not in there yet, because I'm already fighting the humidity, and the temps are too high. Lol. It would be awesome if adding just a few plants took some humidity out of the air. Id love a picture of that basil forest? I offen think his cage looks boring, i want to give him things to do.

 

[MrSpectrum]

I don't know of any plants that would lower the humidity (though some can lower temps), but there are lots of other tricks to try.
lowering humidity in a bearded dragon enclosure

45% wouldn't alarm me if it's relatively stable, especially if he's endured it this long. I start paying attention when daytime humidity climbs above 50% (Nighttime at 55% is fine.)

Important to remember: Humidity is generally inverse to temperature; when temperature goes up, humidity goes down (and verse vicea). If it were me, I'd concentrate on getting the temps right first, then tackle humidity.

IME (and those of many here), digital thermometers and hygrometer are preferred; the dial types have too great a margin of error (many say they're junk). A temperature gun similar to this is also very useful, both for enclosure temps and bath water. :wink:

The basil forest has only been in there a couple days, so it's the trial version. He's only been in it once (though he slept right next to it last night). If it works out, I'll probably cover the tray with slate leftovers from the backsplash.

 

[Ann404]

Thats so neat. Will have to try something similar. Right now hes still in his old cage, but moved next to the new one. He just came out of a deep sleep, and hes showing signs of stress, every time he sees me, he glass surfs with black beard. Poor little guy, nothing makes him happy right now.
We put some air plants in the new cage and i made a succulent potter (based off the lava rock ones) with some flat rocks i baked to sterilize. Still fighting the temps in his new setup. And yes, temp gun, and digital read outs is all i use. Hopefully soon he will calm down, and I'll figure out his temps , so he can enjoy a bigger more natural looking environment.