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want to buy a venus fly trap

Semidevil

Diamond Member
I want to buy a venus fly trap, but I was wondering, how long do those things last? and can they eat a lot?

I was thinking of putting one outdoors, since we just had a new puppy, and new flys have emerged....will a couple of the fly traps minimize the problem a bit?
 
I'd imagine that they could live indefinitely, just like nearly any plant.

However, they are finicky plants, so it would be best to do some reading on them.

I doubt they will live outside in your area unless they already do, or you make a suitable environment for them.

I would imagine that if you had one on each windowsill, you could cut down on your flies quite a bit. I don't think they gobble dozens a day though.
 
Originally posted by: Semidevil
I want to buy a venus fly trap, but I was wondering, how long do those things last? and can they eat a lot?

I was thinking of putting one outdoors, since we just had a new puppy, and new flys have emerged....will a couple of the fly traps minimize the problem a bit?

What kind of puppy makes flys?

You might want to bring it to a vet to look at that problem.
 
They can live for over 50 years if you look after them properly.

The one in my room has caught exactly two flies in around nine months. Don't rely on them as some sort of fly control solution.
 
You might have to feed them manually. I fed mine ants and stuff from outside. Other people say ground beef works pretty good.
 
Be careful. I don't know much about them, but if they reproduce, your yard could look scary!
 
Originally posted by: JToxic
You might have to feed them manually. I fed mine ants and stuff from outside. Other people say ground beef works pretty good.

Sweet, That'd be pretty cool.
 
- They can survive quite a while if cared for properly
- Don't need lots of food / Won't eat alot (since they close while they digest)
- Won't do a damn thing about any insect problems...they digest rather slowly.
 
Originally posted by: Gooberlx2
Originally posted by: MrCodeDude
What happends if you stick your fingers in it? Will it eat them?

No, it's a plant...not a bear trap. You can keep your fingers.

Just don't stick something else in there... they can leave a bruise. 😛
 
No praying mantis work best!!! and they are fun to watch! Ive had 10 to 15 in my house before. Didnt have fly or other bug problems with them here.
 
I have had them for quite a while. They don't do much but they sure are conversation starters. Do not give them ground beef. The fat content will kill them quite quickly. They also need high humidity to survive since they are tropical!
 
Originally posted by: conservative002
I have had them for quite a while. They don't do much but they sure are conversation starters. Do not give them ground beef. The fat content will kill them quite quickly. They also need high humidity to survive since they are tropical!

tropical?
they grow naturally in the carolinas don't they?

i had a few going for quite a while indoors inside of a teranium
they do need high humidity, but i killed them (neglect for about 2 weeks)
 
mine caught 1 gnat the whole time i had them. I fed a bee to it once, but the bee escaped. the jaws of death are quite weak actually.
 
Originally posted by: JToxic
You might have to feed them manually. I fed mine ants and stuff from outside. Other people say ground beef works pretty good.


Yup, raw ground beef works well as I had a couple of Venus Fly trap plants as a kid.
 
I had them for a while and they are amazing plants to grow. I use to catch spiders and freeze them in the fridge for 40 seconds to put them into a sleep. Then I would quickly throw them into the trap; after a few seconds the plant would start to shake.

The big downside to these plants is that you need to hibernate them during the winter or they become weak and die off within the next couple seasons. I would just buy new plants every season. I think if you live in a area with cold winter you might be able to get away with leaving it out. But for southern Cali weather you would need to uproot them and stick them in the fridge. There is a process for it you can probably look up.

The traps have a lifespan of about 3 digestions then it turns black and die. It will also turn black and die if you feed it stuff it can't digest, like if you stick a hissing cockroach in it. So kickback on the feeding until you get at least 20 mouths.

It helps if you have a ro/di system at home. Never give these plants tap water. Only use distilled water. Of course this is if you want to keep them long term, same goes with the hibernation.

good luck!

 
I have a pretty decent collection of 6 flytraps and a bunch of other carnivorous plants in my terrarium, all of which are good fun, but the VFT are the most entertaining.

My oldest plant - Mr. Snappy - is four years old and is doing great.

First off, the plants don't need to 'eat' all that often. They photosynthesize like any regular plant (They use their traps up to about 5 times, then they kind of fold out and flatten to work as a regular leaf).
It is important to give them small insects such as mosquitos. Anything larger and the prey will begin to rot (Turning the trap black) thus killing the trap and generally not doing the plant any favours. The plant takes about a week to digest it's prey, after which the trap will reopen with the exoskeleton of the prey remaining (you can remove these carefully with tweezers).

You might have to feed them manually. I fed mine ants and stuff from outside. Other people say ground beef works pretty good.
Ground beef is way too fatty and will kill the plant. Also, the prey needs to be alive and moving for the trap to work.
Each trap has several 'hairs' on the inside that act as the trigger for the trap. These are stimuated by insects moving, but can also be stimulated accidentally by rain/dirt in the wind, etc. To combat this the plant goes through two stages when trapping. First, when the 'hairs' are stimulated, the plant closes lightly with the 'fingers' of the trap interlocked to prevent escape attempts. If the hairs are further stimulared after this point, the plant then closes tightly, forming a seal and introducing it's digestive goo.

Be careful. I don't know much about them, but if they reproduce, your yard could look scary!
VFT's spend most of their energy flowering. They produce a long stalk ~8" long with a bunch of white flowers at the top. Although pretty, this serverly weakens the plant and they ofen die as a result of flowering. It's considered good practice to trim these flowing stlaks as soon as you identify them. I've let Mr. Snappy flower a couple of times and it's always been pretty weak after for a couple of months, but a lot of sunlight/water and a few good meals and it's been OK since.
Also, once germinated it takes ~7years for the seed of a VFT to become a fully operational plant, so you're not looking at having a carnivorous jungle in your garden any time soon.

Just don't stick something else in there... they can leave a bruise.
Ok... it's pretty weird that you even thought of this.

they grow naturally in the carolinas don't they?
Yeah, and strangely ONLY in the South Carolinas... nowhere else. Some people claim they came down in a meteorite... I'm dubious.
Either way they're bog plants, used to living in very damp marshes and so should be kept in an environment similar to this to maintain their health.


I like my plants a lot, but they do need a lot of care. Most people find that theirs will die within six months or a year of them owning them.
If you're looking for plants that consume larger quantities of insect, go for a nepenthes alata or similar. Although the traps are passive (don't actually move) they produce many of them and can consume much larger insects (or even small reptiles like frogs).

Enjoy.
 
Originally posted by: Allio
They can live for over 50 years if you look after them properly.

The one in my room has caught exactly two flies in around nine months. Don't rely on them as some sort of fly control solution.

how do you keep it alive? I thought they needed humid weather, lots of sunlight and moisture
 
Originally posted by: aidanjm
Originally posted by: loic2003
My oldest plant - Mr. Snappy - is four years old and is doing great.

Pic of Mr. Snappy?

Sure, when I get home. I've also got a video of him eating a spider, not sure where to host it though...
 
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