# Venus Fly Trap - Rotting traps?



## TreebeardGoddess (Jun 24, 2019)

I've tried to keep a venus fly trap plant a few times over the past few years, but I can't seem to keep them alive. I recently got a new one to try again.  One issue is that when a trap has caught food, eventually it will rot instead of reopening later. Is this normal? I make sure the prey is small enough for that trap so it gets a good seal for digestion. This has happened with flies, ants, isopods, and mealworms; it doesn't seem to matter the species. Is there something additional I should be doing post-feeding?
Thanks in advance!!


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## Vanisher (Jun 24, 2019)

Most species require high humidety! I have always kept them inside glass terrariums. It functions as a "mini greenhouse" but it was years since i kept any


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## ChaosSphere (Jun 24, 2019)

Each trap will only be used twice, then wither and be replaced. That might be what you are seeing

Reactions: Agree 1


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## TreebeardGoddess (Jun 24, 2019)

ChaosSphere said:


> Each trap will only be used twice, then wither and be replaced. That might be what you are seeing


Thanks!  How did I not know that already?? I always thought I was doing something harmful...
I think I have the sunlight and water amount figured out now, so hopefully this little guy will make it!


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## basin79 (Jun 24, 2019)

Traps won't open and close indefinitely. Once they've reached the end they just die and rot. It's usually 2 or 3 times. 


Here's one of my traps that's reopened after catching a crane fly. It could very well die the next time. 













A sunny windowsill and sat in rainwater until they die off in winter. Then keep them just damp. They'll regrow next season. I don't feed my plants. There's always the odd fly knocking around in the house and once maybe twice I'll put them outside on hot days for them to catch flies. 


They don't require a lot of food. They're not animals.


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## pannaking22 (Jun 24, 2019)

I rarely feed any of my carnivorous plants, I just let the random flies and things in my apartment do the work for me. Though I do have an ant colony living in one of my pots, so every now and then I knock some of the ants off the pitcher into the hole because the ants annoy me lol.

What type of water are you using?


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## TreebeardGoddess (Jun 24, 2019)

I use distilled water since I don't have a reliable way to collect rainwater.
So far I've only fed two traps a few days ago after having it for 3 weeks (there's about 10 traps ready). I'll keep in mind that I shouldn't feed too often. Would feeding a couple traps once a month be a good schedule? 
Also, does providing them a variety of prey impact the health of the plant? I usually have crickets, isopods, and mealworms around as food (and obviously anything they'd catch in the house like a fly or something).


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## schmiggle (Jun 24, 2019)

TreebeardGoddess said:


> Would feeding a couple traps once a month be a good schedule?


Sounds fine to me, though you could probably do even less than that.


TreebeardGoddess said:


> Also, does providing them a variety of prey impact the health of the plant?


Nope. Animals care because they get all their nutrients from food, but since plants are only looking for phosphorous and nitrogen it doesn't matter.


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## TreebeardGoddess (Jun 24, 2019)

Ok thanks. Yeah I'm not as familiar with plants so I'm not confident in their dietary needs.


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