Feeding VFTs invertebrates

[markym4rk]

Has anyone fed their VFTs invertebrates such as worms and flat worms etc?

[Rug]

Yup! Real bad idea! They stink so bad its unreal! Don't bother! On top of that they tend to rot out the trap its in real quick because there seems to be to much liquifaction all at once. I put a small worm in a Nepenthes pitcher once and I will tell you this..... NEVER AGAIN WILL I MAKE THAT MISTAKE!

[dvg]

Rug, were you feeding your vft's earthworms? How big was the Nep pitcher, and what type of worm did you feed it.

Markym4rk, what type of worms are you wanting to feed your vft's. I have found that the leaf roller larvae, which look like a small grub or caterpillar, leave hardly any trace of themselves after the vft has digested them. None of those exoskeletal remnants that houseflies leave behind. I was wondering if maggots, live bait for fishing, might work okay.
If the flatworms are not too big, they might work...it doesn't hurt to try one. That way you'll know one way or the other for next time.

[markym4rk]

DVG: I jus fed my VFT a tiny flatworm. I guess i will have to experiment to see what happens.

Rug: Thx for the warning. At least I got an idea of other ppls results.

[dvg]

Mark, where did you get the flatworms from? Are they the ones with the triangular heads, and if you cut them into pieces, they can regenerate into a whole worm again?

[blokeman]

I remember last year, i put an earthworm in my nepenthese ventricosa pitcher, no adverse effects, no smells, no fuss. IDK, maybe it's cause it is in my terra that i did not smell anything, but I am certain the nep loved it, this spring, i will go to the bait shop and buy myself a styrofoam thingy of worms, and keep em in my fridge to feed my vent. It'll be outside come spring, so i am not worried about the smell now that it's outside of the terra. Other stuff i've fed to the ventricosa: spiders, flies, earwigs, snail, potato bugs (looks like an 'armadillo')

[Rug]

Yeah I did the worm in my Ventricosa too. It was a full size worm and, yeah it loved it, but wow did it stink if it even got bumped or if you went near it. Maybe there was too much water in the pitcher for me and not enough digestive juices. Who knows?

[dvg]

Some bugs are probably stinkier than others. Lloyd and Flytrap have both commented before, on how much foul odor pillbugs/woodlice give off from inside Nep pitchers.

[hackerberry]

Hmm, I was thinking of maybe using dried crickets that you can buy from petstores. They should still have nutrients without the foul smell.

hb

[dvg]

Those should work hb. I saw the ones that came out of the can in Barry Rice's book. Just throw those in the blender, hit high, and voila...plant fixin's.

[canadaone]

EWWW!!!! dvg

[dvg]

Mar 11, 2009 19:13:50 GMT -5 canadaone said:

EWWW!!!!

Probably not in one's best interest to mention to your spouse, that you've been using the blender for a 'special' project.

[hal]

I've used canned crickets. They're freeze-dried so very dry. I soak them for about 15 minutes before putting them in the trap.

[markym4rk]

LMAO... yummm

blokeman: I got the flatworms from my biology 108 lab at the UofA and yes they have triangular heads. I'm not too sure about chopping them into pieces and them regenerating I figured since i coudnt find any tiny bugs that would fit into some of the traps that are jus comming out of dormancy, the flatworm I got would work. To my suprise, the VFT that had the meal is growing a trap twice the size of the previous ones.


Cheers!

[dvg]

I think the flatworms you have are Planaria. If you cut the head into two sections, each section will regenerate a new head.
If you are at the UofA, you should have access to a few feeders for your plants. In the Biological Sciences building you should be able to get old cultures of flightless fruit flies and maybe some other delectables for your CP's.