Wondering about plants

[thomas1123]

So i am going to be getting an ackie monitor soon and i was wondering if it would be possible to plant some type of nice plants in it vivarium? Im new to real plants in a vivarium so i dont know if you need anything special for them or what. I was just wondering nothing is said in stone yet! ;) but i would like to have a fully natural vivarium if possible. Just let me know what you guys think about this. The substrate would be a dirt and sand mix. Thanks!

[Starbuck]

you certainly can have live plants in your viv, but keep in mind it will soon be your ackies viv, and he will do what he pleases! I've heard quite a bit of monitors destroying live plants and digging them up etc... Someone with monitor experience will probably be able to tell you some hardier plants, or how to go about doing it.

[lady_bug87]

^^^ this.

You could try keeping the plants in pots and then cover the pots with dirt

[Akuma223]

I have a few different plants in my rudi's enclosure that do great, unfortunately I don't know what they are lol. If you keep the plants out of his general walking area, and keep them in buried pots they can do great depending on the lizard. My spider plants did great for awhile when he was small but now he just tramples them.

[thomas1123]

oh cool! well ill start reading up on some plants and ill let yall know what i find! I would like to have a kind of grass or maybe like a tall grass. Something that looks like it would be from Australia lol

[pdomensis]

maybe like a tall grass

how tall is tall? Grasses can range from a few cm to 50+ ft.

[lady_bug87]

I think Wayne tried grass with his savs I'm pretty sure they tore it up

[murrindindi]

oh cool! well ill start reading up on some plants and ill let yall know what i find! I would like to have a kind of grass or maybe like a tall grass. Something that looks like it would be from Australia lol

Hi, we have lots of (tall) spinifex grass in Oz, and it might do o.k in an indoor enclosure (I`ve never tried)? I`m not sure if you get that in America, or maybe you have something similar?
Small delicate plants will last maybe a few days, the larger sturdier types a few months. I use plastic ones, they offer hiding places, shade, and look quite realistic (but still don`t last too long), though my monitor is slightly bigger than the V. acanthurus!

[thomas1123]

well i didn't mean super tall of course! but that's my fault for not specifying earlier lol But i would say tall as in maybe a foot to 2 feetish area. I don't know the name of it but it might possibly be called spider grass?? and then i just wanted some smaller grass like 2-6 inches tall just to have a good foreground plant, just something so it isn't bare you know. And i am aware that they could be destroyed i just want to try it out to see how it looks. BUt i think grass would be best for this enclosure just because idk what kind of other little plants in could put with him that would be good. And ive had fake with other enclosures and i can make them look amazing and almost realistic but i just want to try the real thing you know lol. I want to try my best to make a little tiny ecosystem for my lizard lol

[pdomensis]

I think you might have difficulty keeping something small from getting torn out. It would be possible I suppose to take a year or so and let the grass form a sod prior to introducing your critter but I doubt anyone wants to do that. On the larger plant side, I think the burried pots are a good idea. You might consider using a landscaping lattice or geotextile over the pots so your lizard cant dig down into it. My first thought was chicken wire, but that's probably a bad idea. Google nidagravel to see what I mean. Depending on the watering/precipitation requirements there are several grasses that might be suitable. Sheep and hard fescue come to mind for fairly xeric bunch grasses that can withstand trampling.