Re: Feeding VFTs

From: Marc I. Burack (marcb@companionfinancial.com)
Date: Thu Jan 07 1999 - 04:55:19 PST


Date: Thu, 07 Jan 1999 07:55:19 -0500
From: "Marc I. Burack" <marcb@companionfinancial.com>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg43$foo@default>
Subject: Re: Feeding VFTs

At 12:02 AM 1/7/99 -0800, you wrote:
>I have kept VFTs for several years now inside my house under
>growlights. Since these plants get little in the way of bugs they
>catch, I feed them on a regular (once a week or two) basis. Usually
>only one trap per plant. I use to buy only enough crickets to feed to
>the plants that day. The plants grew well but never bloomed. But, now
>I feed only crickets that have been gut loaded with "cricket food" and
>orange slices. These crickets are "DUSTED" with a vitamin supplement
>just before feeding. Any unused crickets end up as dinner for my tree
>frogs (or vice versa). I figured that if it is good for the frogs, its
>good for the plants. The plants really love it!! I get three to four
>blossom cycles a year. It almost seems that they are either blooming
>or are sending up a floral stalk. I stopped pinching off the stalks
>because they just kept sending up replacements. Does anyone else feed
>your plants this way? Do you get the same results? Will this (
>frequent blooming) hurt the plants in long run? Your comments would be
>apperciated.

You are correct in "gut loading" your pet store bugs. For those of you who
do not know what I am talking about, "gut loading" is allowing pet store
insects to eat about 24 hours before feeding them to your plants. This is
accomplished by throwing a piece of fruit into the insects box or bag and
allowing them to feed.

Most pet stores feed there live insects nothing more than dried potato
pieces (and some not at all). By the time they are purchased, the bugs have
very little nutritional value and according to a reptile grower I know, the
insects are flirting with death since they are so deprived of food.

I also "gut load" insects I purchase.......unfortunately it is a major pain
in the ***.

Marc I. Burack
marcb@companionfinancial.com



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