You can find the full information on caring for this plant in our Guide to Venus Flytraps here.

The fascinating Venus fly trap, Dionaea muscipula, is not the easiest plant to take care of. Here are several factors to consider.

• Light: They need a lot of sun, the more direct sun the better. Insufficient light is probably one of the main reasons these plants don't do well.
• Water: Venus fly traps are very sensitive to chemicals in water. Tap water is not recommended. Distilled water is better.
• How to water: Top watering is not recommended.During the warm active growing season, always keep 1/2 to 1 inch of water in the dish that your pot sits in.
• Fertilizer: Never fertilize these plants. They evolved in soil with poor nutrients and don't like fertilizer.
• "Feeding:" One way these plants developed to obtain nitrogen in poor soil conditions was to trap insects.
  • • NEVER use beef or chicken or any other animal flesh. They contain proteins and fats that the plants can't break down and so they will kill the trap.
    • Crickets work really well. At a pet store where you can buy individual crickets, try to buy the smallest ones you can. Then place them in a plastic bag and put them in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to make them sluggish so they won't jump away. Carefully and gently place a cricket into a trap. Be sure to touch at least two of the hairs inside the trap to make it close. Now when the trap closes it is sort of a "loose" close. If the plant captures a live insect it continues to struggle, sending a message to the plant to close up even more tightly. Once this happens a seal is created. Then digestive enzymes fill the trap and dissolve the soft parts of the insect.
    • You can remove the insect carcass or "shell" if you like, but it's not necessary. It's more of an aesthetic thing because the trap mostly likely won't be used again unless you decide to "feed" it again.
• Dormancy: These plants  go through a period of dormancy in winter. By October/November the leaves (traps) will be dying. This is normal because light is diminishing and days are getting colder. Don't keep your plant in a warm spot--cold is needed for dormancy. A cold window area around 50 degrees is good. Although the plant is dormant, it still needs light.
• Repotting: The plant will be fine in the pot and soil it came in for quite a while. But if you do repot, do it in spring. Use a mix with equal parts peat moss or sphagnum moss and coarse, horticultural-grade sand.  A plastic pot is probably best because it helps the soil retain moisture. The pot shouldn't be too big.
• Flowering: Dionaea grow tiny white flowers that are kind of pretty. However, it's best to remove them before they bloom, because flowering takes a lot energy from the plant and can reduce the number of leaves being produced.

The International Carnivorous Plant Society is also a good source of information regarding the care of this plant.

- Courtesy of NYBG Plant Information Service