Venus flytrap
Dionaea muscipula (Droseraceae)
Cats and dogs
Non-toxic to cats and dogs
Not expected to poison cats or dogs. Eating any plant can still cause vomiting or an upset stomach, so keep it out of reach of chewers.
Source: ASPCA entry "Venus Fly Trap", checked October 3, 2026.
Light
- Low light 3+ mol
- Medium light 6+ mol
- Bright indirect 10+ mol Copes
- Direct sun 12+ mol Best
Needs lots of sun (full sun to part shade); indoors only a sunny south window or a terrarium under grow lights is suitable. Sources warn it often does poorly as an ordinary houseplant.
Direct sun: needs several hours a day.
On our scale it grows well from about 12 mol/m²/day and holds on down to roughly 2.2 (how these numbers are set).
Care
Care level: Demanding. Water: Keep the soil constantly wet using rainwater, distilled or reverse-osmosis water; tap or hard water can kill it.
It needs a cool winter dormancy (around 40-50 F), which is a main reason it struggles indoors.
More pet-safe plants for similar light
- Burro's tail direct sun
- Echeveria (hens and chickens) direct sun
- Ponytail palm direct sun
- Areca palm bright indirect light
- Basil direct sun
- Gloxinia bright indirect light