Nepenthes Questions

[etclement]

I recently bought a Nepenthes (Hybrid) pitcher plant for my cage. I have a bit of a fruit fly problem, as it is spring in Nebraska and just starting to warm up. So far, my chameleon (3.5 m/o male veiled from flchams) has been very curious about it, thankfully not trying to eat any pitchers (yet). I will soon be building a 17 sq ft bioactive custom cage, which the pitcher plant will be in. Right now, the pitcher is comprised of two 6 inch plants with many pitchers. I already fed it a daddy long legs I found in a corner. Has anyone had success with these pitcher plants? If so, what lighting should the pitcher be in, and how much should the plant be fed? I have listened to the entire Carnivorous Plants podcast by Bill Strand, so I know some basics of nepenthes care.

 

[etclement]

I recently bought a Nepenthes (Hybrid) pitcher plant for my cage. I have a bit of a fruit fly problem, as it is spring in Nebraska and just starting to warm up. So far, my chameleon (3.5 m/o male veiled from flchams) has been very curious about it, thankfully not trying to eat any pitchers (yet). I will soon be building a 17 sq ft bioactive custom cage, which the pitcher plant will be in. Right now, the pitcher is comprised of two 6 inch plants with many pitchers. I already fed it a daddy long legs I found in a corner. Has anyone had success with these pitcher plants? If so, what lighting should the pitcher be in, and how much should the plant be fed? I have listened to the entire Carnivorous Plants podcast by Bill Strand, so I know some basics of nepenthes care.

I have an isopod colony going, but i have about 10 F1 isopods and ~120 F0 isopods. Are WC isopods okay to feed, since they are so toxic?

 

[KRuehle]

I've recently gotten into carnivorous plants, but I never considered combining them with chameleons. First, please make sure they aren't toxic. Second, depending on the type of nepenthes you have (ventricosa are the most popular and most hardy), different care may be needed. I will advise you on ventricosa as that is likely what you have. They do well on sunny windowsills, so if your enclosure is near a window, that may be fine. They do well under fluorescent lighting, but I am not sure about typical UVB lighting and basking lighting in cages. If it isn't growing well, most likely lighting is the issue. They adapt well to different soils, but I keep might in sphagnum moss. Might want to put a layer of large rocks on top of the soil to keep your cham from eating the substrate. Unlike most carnivorous plants, nepenthes are able to tolerate "hard" (tap) water and do not require distilled water. With feeding, none is better than over-feeding. I give my pitchers a small (VERY small) dubia once they open, then maybe once a month throw more in if the pitcher is still alive. Some people use coffee to stimulate growth, but I have never tried this. I wish you luck, but I also want to stress that the pitchers may not be consumable. Please be careful, maybe someone else can chime in.

 

[etclement]

I've recently gotten into carnivorous plants, but I never considered combining them with chameleons. First, please make sure they aren't toxic. Second, depending on the type of nepenthes you have (ventricosa are the most popular and most hardy), different care may be needed. I will advise you on ventricosa as that is likely what you have. They do well on sunny windowsills, so if your enclosure is near a window, that may be fine. They do well under fluorescent lighting, but I am not sure about typical UVB lighting and basking lighting in cages. If it isn't growing well, most likely lighting is the issue. They adapt well to different soils, but I keep might in sphagnum moss. Might want to put a layer of large rocks on top of the soil to keep your cham from eating the substrate. Unlike most carnivorous plants, nepenthes are able to tolerate "hard" (tap) water and do not require distilled water. With feeding, none is better than over-feeding. I give my pitchers a small (VERY small) dubia once they open, then maybe once a month throw more in if the pitcher is still alive. Some people use coffee to stimulate growth, but I have never tried this. I wish you luck, but I also want to stress that the pitchers may not be consumable. Please be careful, maybe someone else can chime in.

I know that pitchers are inherently pretty dangerous for any animal, because that is what they do. I've also heard that nepentes or other smooth leaves carnivores can be used for drinking. My cham doesn't seem interested in eating it, he never eats foliage, but I will keep an eye on it. This will be going in my larger cage once it is built, where I will have Jungle Dawn Leds for plants, to catch any stray bugs that wander in the cage (I hand feed, so no worries about the pitcher eating the cham's food). Thanks for the advice!