Venus Flytraps are some of the most unusual living plants in all of creation, being one of a tiny number of plants that are carnivorous to supplement nutrient poor soils. It's this feature that makes the Venus Fly Trap such a popular household novelty. Of course, it also means that you can't treat one like other plants. Here are the basics on how to take care of a Venus Fly Trap.

First, the good news is that, unique as these plants are, taking care of them isn't really all that hard to do. Of course, they'll need water. But there's no need to water them from the top like most plants require. Instead, you'll want to make sure that their root systems are in water, which you can do by putting a bowl of water underneath them. This should be distilled water, or rainwater you've collected just for this purpose. Do not use tap water, as the salt and chlorine in it can damage or kill a Venus Fly Trap.

You'll need to prune your Venus Fly Trap occassionally. A plant actually has several traps, and they wither and die just like blooms on any plant. When you see a trap that has died, just snip it off at the base.

Feeding your Venus Fly Trap isn't time consuming. In fact, if you keep your fly traps outside, you won't need to supplement their nutrient supply at all, as they can fend quite well for themselves off unlucky passing insects. If you keep them inside, just make sure they get an insect every now and then, such as a fly, grasshopper, spider, etc. The bug should be live, to help stimulate the trap. They can live off of one insect for up to 10 days or so, and their trap will remain shut for that whole time. Don't feed them worms, as most worms have too much calcium, which can harm the Venus Fly Trap. And never, ever, give them any kind of meat, either raw or cooked. They weren't designed to eat meat, and it can (in no time) harm them.

That's the nuts and bolts of how to take care of a Venus Fly Trap. Follow these directions and you should be able to get years of enjoyment out of everybody's favorite flesh eating plant!