# Carnivorous Plants?



## Kebechet (Jun 30, 2011)

So I actually am having some good success with having a planted enclosure. Link mostly leaves the plants alone. With summer rolling around again, my apartment is getting fruit flies. They seem to inevitably wander into the cage and get trapped until I open it up again. I think they're attracted to the lights and moisture. To combat the problem (because cleaning and keeping everything up isn't enough) I'm considering getting some carnivorous plants, possibly a small pitcher plant.

Does anyone have experience keeping carnivorous plants? If so, is it safe to keep them in the same enclosure as my tegu? If not, I'll just put one or two in pots throughout the apartment.


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## new2tegus (Jun 30, 2011)

I don't, but I do know they have something along the lines as a stomach acid type of material in there. So, it won't be a problem as long as he doesn't walk through them,I think outside around there would be better, just my 2c.


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## montana (Jun 30, 2011)

They are very fragile and would in my opinion die overnight ..


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## M4A2E4 (Jun 30, 2011)

I kept a Nepenthes Ampullaria with my Tegu. Big mistake, my tegu trashed the helpless plant!
Didn't eat it, but he just trampled it to death. I put the pot in there one day, the next morning I woke up and the plant was in 5 different pieces lol.

Most Carnivorous plants are too fragile for something as strong and rambunctious as a Tegu.


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## Toby_H (Jun 30, 2011)

As Montana mentioned, carnivorous plants are quite delicate, but thier needs are very similar to a Tegus. I believe the Carnivorous Plant would need to be kept on a shelf or plantform that is out fo the tegus reach, but otherwise could be kept in the same enclosure.

Just be sure to do your homework on how to keep Carnivorous Plants. I've kept two different species with varying degrees of luck. For them to do good long term they must be cooled in the winter season.


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## Kebechet (Jun 30, 2011)

Toby_H said:


> Just be sure to do your homework on how to keep Carnivorous Plants. I've kept two different species with varying degrees of luck. For them to do good long term they must be cooled in the winter season.



There's a person who sells them at the farmers market here in town, so I'll be sure to ask them a lot of questions. As for cooling them, that'll be easy  I live in the pacific northwest, and it can get pretty chilly here. I'll be sure to ask about overwintering them, when I talk to the person at the market. Thanks!


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## got10 (Jul 1, 2011)

Tegu + plants = dead plants and dirty cage


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## Kebechet (Jul 1, 2011)

got10 said:


> Tegu + plants = dead plants and dirty cage



Only sometimes. I've already got some spider plants in the cage, and I've had them there for months- they're doing swell, and my gu leaves them alone. Otherwise I wouldn't be asking about plants


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## herpgirl2510 (Jul 1, 2011)

Whayt if you mounted it up high in a corner? I have hanging plants that neither one of my tegus bother. I havethose flies too they are driving me nuts.


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## M4A2E4 (Jul 1, 2011)

American pitcher plants, venus fly traps, and any type of temperate sundew or butterwort will need to a type of winter dormancy that.... actually could probably be very easy to accommodate if your tegu goes into hibernation AND the ambient temperatures get reasonably low (in an underheated college apartment it works just fine  ). If that won't work you'll need to put them outside/in your fridge/in your garage depending on where you live. If you live really far up north like me, leaving them outside won't work unless you get something extremely cold hardy like S. purpurea ssp. purpurea. 

Almost anything tropical can stay in a Tegu's cage as well. It actually may be a bit too warm for highland Nepenthes, but lowland varieties should do just fine. 



...oh I have a question. Are the UVB and MVB lights used for Tegus suitable for growing plants? Mine plant died of other causes, so I can't tell you for sure. Most carnivorous plants have inordinately strict light requirements.


M4A2E4 said:


> American pitcher plants, venus fly traps, and any type of temperate sundew or butterwort will need to a type of winter dormancy that.... actually could probably be very easy to accommodate if your tegu goes into hibernation AND the ambient temperatures get reasonably low (in an underheated college apartment it works just fine  ). If that won't work you'll need to put them outside/in your fridge/in your garage depending on where you live. If you live really far up north like me, leaving them outside won't work unless you get something extremely cold hardy like S. purpurea ssp. purpurea.
> 
> Almost anything tropical can stay in a Tegu's cage as well, unless your tegu hibernates AND your temps go down. It actually may be a bit too warm for highland Nepenthes, but lowland varieties should do just fine.
> 
> ...


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## herpgirl2510 (Jul 1, 2011)

You can also buy flourescent plant lights. I don't know about reptile uvb bulbs.


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## montana (Jul 1, 2011)

You won`t grow any plants with a UV bulb tho added to halogen or to a lesser degree standard florescent there may be enough red spectrum light to improve you bud ...

The thing you may want to consider is the amount of light that will be needed ..

With florescent lights you would almost have to cover the top and back wall to get enough light to really keep plants ...

It could be done buy why not just put them in a window ??? 


montana said:


> You won`t grow any plants with a UV bulb tho added to halogen or to a lesser degree standard florescent there may be enough red spectrum light to improve you bud ...
> 
> The thing you may want to consider is the amount of light that will be needed ..
> 
> ...


When I had those plants I found they did better in one of those little sweat or greenhouses..


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