newbie attempts to feed some VFTs

[Cincinnati Kid]

So I tried to feed my flytraps today... and I'm a total newbie at this... and it didn't go so well. I took my potted plants outside with me, and hunted for crickets. I couldn't find any. I found lots of isopods, but questioned if those are good food for a flytrap.

So I found a bunch of flies buzzing around the corner of my house, and set to work catching them. It was relatively easy to catch and stun them... but triggering the traps was troublesome!

On one plant, I couldn't get any of the traps to trigger. On another plant, I got two traps to trigger... but one fly managed to get his head out, and so I only call that one a partial success.

The third plant was smaller, and so I tried feeding it some big ants instead of flies. The stunned ant managed to escape just as the trap closed. I recaught it, but I couldn't get any of the other traps to shut.

So basically out of about 8 traps, only 3 would shut. 1 lost it's prey. 1 captured its prey. And 1 captured... half.. its prey.

So are isopods good VFT food?

Dennis in Cincy

[ICPS-bob]

The speed of trap closure is dependent on temperature (slow in low temp; fast in high temp) and trap age (after a few meals, traps tend to not close). If you took indoor plants outside, the conditions could be sufficiently different that the plants became stressed. We need more details about your conditions.

[Cincinnati Kid]

well i'm in Cincinnati... and i took them outside for just a few minutes as the sun was going down... the temperature outside is exactly the same as inside (i've had windows and doors open all day)... humidity in the terrarium would have been a little higher. i don't think they were not under any stress or shock.

the leaves seemed big enough to capture a fly... but they just didn't want to close. i figure i'll try again in a few weeks. maybe the leaves were too immature.

[unstuckintime]

Apr 12, 2010 0:05:13 GMT Cincinnati Kid said:

... humidity in the terrarium would have been a little higher.

That could be your problem right there. Venus Fly Traps are always at their best when grown under what they evolved to grow under- the sun. Its hard to get a Dionaea to thrive under grow lights like it does when it grows in full, natural, sunshine.


CJ

[jj1109]

I think that's what I would call a slater bug, and I've found many carcasses (carcaii??) of those in my flytraps.