What's new
TerraForums Venus Flytrap, Nepenthes, Drosera and more talk

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

almost dry amp pitcher

my new green ampullaria is doing excellent, but this is the second pitcher i found with not much digestive juice. i am using the water tray method, and is not drying out much.its growing pretty good, i was just wondering if it is normal for amps to not have muh juice, or am i doing anything wrong? i am thinking about filling it up a little
i'll try to get a pic up soon
ty
 
I have read that many pitchers are nearly dry until stimulated by a moving bug.
 
N. ampullaria doesn't make much juice- it collects rain water, hence the open lid.

-Ben
 
ahhh so maybe i should put a little distilled water in it aye
 
no it makes juice! did u get it in the mail? if so most of the juices would be gone anyways. if there is juice(even a small amount) it is normal. once a bug is put in there more and more juices will come up. but the bug has to be alive
 
yea i had it for about 2 months now and it is on its 3rd pitcher. i will try to catch a bee or somethin tomarrow.
smile_m_32.gif
 
well i put a medium sized slug in there today (alive) and to my surprise the digestive juice did not act upon it. i turned the lights off for a minute and the slug started to clime out
smile_k_ani_32.gif
. i guess alive slugs are not good insects for pitchers.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (peanuts1gang @ May 21 2006,7:21)]i guess alive slugs are not good insects for pitchers.
Actually slugs are not insects at all, alive or dead. ;)

They do eat plants though, so I don't like them anywhere near mine.
 
The juices will not come out immediately, it will take time. But I'm still pretty sure that N. ampullaria does not make its own juices, otherwise why would it need to collect rain?

-Ben
 
  • #10
AH! haha the pitcher needs a sort of 'vibration' to start the production. like for example the beating wings of a fly or the crawling around of a sow bug or some ants. slugs dont rely have movement in this way.

Drosera36: some scientists think that N. ampullaria is becoming a detrivore(dead and decaying matter) so the pitcher sometimes collects falling leaves and such. going back to what u were saying i think you mean this because they dont realy have a lid. but wouldnt this true for N. inermis which we know makes its own digestive juices on both lowers and uppers? think about N. Lowii too. it has a HUGE lid...but holds it upright to possibly catch fecal matter and rain. we do know that the uppers and lowers(although they have a better lid) produce juices when raised in captivity where it might not get any rain or little animals! think about it.(and sorry if it was confusing haha) what i am trying to say they will naturally produce juice in the wild but because of their anatomy they collect more than bugs. but one in captivity will produce the juice because nature doesnt intervine. ok im done!
alex
 
Back
Top