Date: Mon, 24 Aug 1998 12:57:28 +0500 From: Rand Nicholson <writserv@nbnet.nb.ca> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2788$foo@default> Subject: RE: Venus Fly Trap
>Anne,
>VFTs do a great job of catching their own food if you keep them outside.
>If you can't do that, the occasional stray insect will keep your VFT
>happy. Insects must be small enough to fit inside the trap. People food
>(i.e. hamburger to filet mignon) is right out! For more information,
>hang around on this listserv, visit your local library, and check out
>the CP FAQ at http://www.sarracenia.com/faq.html
>
>Hope this helps,
>Philip
>URL du Jour: http://www.thislife.org
I'll second that.
VFTs and all Cps are evolved for a _very high_ protien diet, which most
insects provide. Mammal meat is _way_ too fatty.
Which brings me to what may be an interesting observation:
If you just _have_ to feed them and you do not have any bugs handy,
consider uncooked _fresh_ lobster (from the claw; pure arthropod-type
muscle) in very small amounts (a little goes a long way; these plants are
not high metabolism predators and take a while to break down their food
before absorption), or small chunks of scallop (pure slug-relative muscle).
I have done this with Nepenthes, VFTs and Sarr. species, all of which have
digested the stuff with ease.
If the pieces are too large, or the flesh comes packed in brine (salt
alert!), you will lose the traps and/or pitchers. For Neps. and Sarrs.,
wait until the scrap in the pitcher cannot be seen before feeding it again.
Shrimp works also, but I have had mixed results with crab and no longer use
it. I only do this in early spring or late winter indoors, if there are
signs of growth. The plants gorge themselves naturally throughout the
summer.
When a VFT trap that has been fed in this manner re-opens, tweeze off the
remains or use a squirt bottle to get rid of the "carcass." This prevents
mold amongst other things. Let the trap rest if you want to keep it.
Please note: I live on the Bay of Fundy, Maritime New Brunswick, Canada,
and do not go out of my way to purchase lobster or scallops for CP
consumption. It is more like feeding the dog table scraps.
Kind Regards,
Rand
Rand Nicholson
New Brunswick
Maritime Canada, Z 5b
<writserv@nbnet.nb.ca>
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