Plants to avoid in your vivarium

[terrestrial_man]

Please add to this thread any experiences or knowledge you may have as to ANY adverse reaction your frogs or salamanders or other amphibians or herps have had with any plant in your vivarium.

Since I am defining terrarium to mean a tank with plants only this thread does not apply to such. Only to vivariums which are defined as terrariums with reptiles or amphibians (do insects have bad reactions???).

[terrestrial_man]

While many members of this plant family are common among humans: plumerias in leis. I advise against the use of ANY member of this plant family in vivs for frogs or other amphibians. Some of the genera of this plant family are:
Adenium, Allamanda, Alstonia, Amonsia, Apocynum, Aspidosperma, Beaumontia, Carissa, Mandevilla, Nerium, Ochrosia, Plumeria, Trachelospermum, Vinca, and Wrightia.

[Tindomul1of9]

This is a good thread. I have no plant to add, but this should be a sticky and an ongoing thread.

[terrestrial_man]

This is the family that contains Poinsettas. It is called the Spurge Family. Included in this family are the following genera that may be encountered.
Acalypha, Andrachne, Breynia, Codiaeum, Croton, Elaephorbia, Euphorbia, hevea, Jatropha, Monadenium,
Pedilanthus, Ricinus, Synadenium, and Tetracoccus.

[terrestrial_man]

This is the Milkweed Family. Some genera of this family that you might encounter are:
Asclepias, Ceropegia, Dischidia, Echidnopsis, Hoya, Huernia, Oxypetalum, Stapelia, and Stephanotis.

[Tindomul1of9]

Araceae

I would avoid any plants of the family Araceae, Aroids when dealing with herbivoures or omnivores. Aroids contain calcium oxalate crystals which when in contact with wounds, or skin like the inside of the mouth, can cause damage. The crystals actually destroy your cells. Your turtle will most likely survive the experience and never touch the plant ever again, but why put it through such an experience. The calcium oxalate is found in the milky sap in Aroids and other plants I believe. Its why they tell you not to have certain kinds of plants when you have dogs and cats. Some people can't even touch the milky sap because they are too sensative to it. Luckyly not me I love Aroids!
As for frogs, I keeps lots of different kinds of Aroids in my frog tanks. No problems from anyone, so long as you don't purpusefully bread a leaf and drip the sap on your frogs on purpose, everyone should be fine. If you go in there to trim the plants, the sap dries very fast, and what are the chances the frogs will decide to sit on the wounded plant, at the site of the wound?

Some Genera,
Anthurium, Spathyphyllum, Cryptocoryne, Colocasia, Alocasia, Syngonium, Pothos, Philidendron, Anubias, Agloanema, etc...

I would categorize these as plants of minor to moderate concern. If there are herbivores, moderate concern. Once the leaf eaters have their experience, and usually if not always survive, they never try it again.

[Dreamscape]

Originally Posted by Tindomul1of9

This is a good thread. I have no plant to add, but this should be a sticky and an ongoing thread.

Warning he doesn't know what he's talking about

[Rainfrog]

Care to elaborate? That is a bit of a nasty thing to say and the quote you picked to point out is right, this is a good thread. if you have a problem with a post or some ones information instead of attacking it please post the correction in a pleasant way. if you just post a general negative no one knows why and it looks like an attack. Tindomule1of9 has allot of experience and allot of good info. If a mistake was made I am sure Tindo wants to know at least as much as any one else.

[Pavel]

Originally Posted by Dreamscape

Warning he doesn't know what he's talking about

Originally Posted by Rainfrog

Care to elaborate? That is a bit of a nasty thing to say and Tindomule1of9 has allot of experience and allot of good info.

Rainfrog, I suspect [though I could be wrong] Dreamscape is well aware of Tindo's knowledgability and was trying to tease/be funny -- kind of like the response that might ensue if Carl Sagan said he didn't know much about astronomy. But be that as it may...

For those new to viv's, use of the aforementioned plants is not a "death sentence" necessarily for you charges, as animals come in contact with such plants in nature. But it is with the goal of reducing the risks to your critters.

Originally Posted by terrestrial_man

Only to vivariums which are defined as terrariums with reptiles or amphibians (do insects have bad reactions???).

Indeed they can ... any organism can have detrimental reactions to certain other organisms.

The most obvious -- and I've know people who've unintentionally done it, are the carnivorous plants. I know should be a "no brainer' but ...

Also, while it isn't living plant material per say, avoid using cedar -- especially as a bedding material -- with arthropods. [Afterall, that's why so many of our grandmothers kept precious/sentimental items in their cedar chests.]

Avoid sharp-thorned plants. These can be dangerous -- even deadly -- to herps, phibs, and soft bodied arthropods like tarantulas.

[Tindomul1of9]

I choose to agree with pavel. hehe. Thanks Rainfrog.