# who's knows where I could get an onychophoran (velvet worm)?



## skips

The title is my question.  I was told they're becoming more common in the pet trade.  I reallllly want one.


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## lukatsi

You can buy Peripatoides novazealandiae (it's listed as Peripatus, but I'm almost sure it's not) from a few dealers, (try this site: http://www.exotic-pets.co.uk/velvet-worm.html) or directly from New Zealand. But they have to be kept under 20 °C, which is hard to provide (unless you put them in a wine cooler or something like that), so if anyone knows where can I get tropical species please tell me.

Mark


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## Arachno Veteran

*Velvet Worm*

Whoa! - those are really cool!
We can only hope that US Dealers will start importing them.
Unless you can get one from overseas for not _toomuch $$
I've been known to buy lots of Deadstock specimens from overseas..._


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## Moltar

Cool. I've never even heard of those. They sound pretty neat yet challenging to keep.


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## skips

etown_411 said:


> Cool. I've never even heard of those. They sound pretty neat yet challenging to keep.


Yeah, i mean, my invertebrate zoology professor just mentioned the other day that he heard they were becoming more prevelent in the pet trade.  I've never seen them, but you have to youtube them.  so cool.  they're basically supposed to be the like between annelids (worms and such) and arthropods.  I'm not going to post my notes the board, but there really are alot of similarities.  Plus, they catch food by ejecting sticky goo.  How cool would that be to watch. 

I can't believe there are species that have to be kept cold.  All the ones I know of are tripical since they breath mainly through their skin and have to be kept moist.

Yeah, if I can't find a U.S. BREEDER, I won't buy them.  that's a shot in the dark but I thought i'd take it.  I hate wild caught anything.


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## AbraxasComplex

I have been doing my best to find tropical species, even contacting reptile exporters in countries they are found in. So far no luck. I should just go catch them myself.


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## skips

AbraxasComplex said:


> I have been doing my best to find tropical species, even contacting reptile exporters in countries they are found in. So far no luck. I should just go catch them myself.


Haha, please....I'm assuming no one has any idea how to breed the things.  Why don't we be the first and make a killing.  Deal?  You've got canada, I've got the states


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## AbraxasComplex

skips said:


> Haha, please....I'm assuming no one has any idea how to breed the things.  Why don't we be the first and make a killing.  Deal?  You've got canada, I've got the states


Deal.

It is probably quite easy. I have all my bugs breed. My bedroom is 70-75'F in winter and 80-85'F in summer. For tropical species that is winter and summer temperatures. It would provide a burmation period and that usually triggers breeding when they recieve a slight increase in temperature. Most people keep them at the same temperature all year long.

Also all my tanks are packed with live plants and many little bugs (which can be used as food). 


I might get a Jamaican species. So far they seem like the best candidate for collecting.


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## skips

AbraxasComplex said:


> Deal.
> 
> It is probably quite easy. I have all my bugs breed. My bedroom is 70-75'F in winter and 80-85'F in summer. For tropical species that is winter and summer temperatures. It would provide a burmation period and that usually triggers breeding when they recieve a slight increase in temperature. Most people keep them at the same temperature all year long.
> 
> Also all my tanks are packed with live plants and many little bugs (which can be used as food).
> 
> 
> I might get a Jamaican species. So far they seem like the best candidate for collecting.


Where do you think you could find them?  Thanks guys for posting those links, but I wouldn't trust intercontinental shipping with that type of animal.


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## blazetown

For some reason giant "worms" creep me out. Velvet worms are pretty cool but I wouldn't get one. I wonder if its hunting tactics would make for a lot of tank maintenance as well. You could be up all night cleaning worm vomit.


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## skips

blazetown said:


> For some reason giant "worms" creep me out. Velvet worms are pretty cool but I wouldn't get one. I wonder if its hunting tactics would make for a lot of tank maintenance as well. You could be up all night cleaning worm vomit.


oh man, but they're neither worm, nor arthropod.  They're there own phylum.  I think they re eat their hunting goo too.  It kind of covers the prey and they injest it all.  it probably biodegrates pretty quickly too.  they're like spider man, but cooler.


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## HepCatMoe

first,

there is a pretty awesome thread already on this forum from a member who keeps them.

second,

david attenborough has some amazing footage, i think the program was life in the undergrowth.  not sure about the name of the program specifically but i know it was attenborough and velvet worms.  worth the time to look it up and watch it.  some of the wierdest/coolest footage you will see.


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## skips

HepCatMoe said:


> first,
> 
> there is a pretty awesome thread already on this forum from a member who keeps them.
> 
> second,
> 
> david attenborough has some amazing footage, i think the program was life in the undergrowth.  not sure about the name of the program specifically but i know it was attenborough and velvet worms.  worth the time to look it up and watch it.  some of the wierdest/coolest footage you will see.


yeah, i've looked up four or five.  but the only people who seem to keep them live in new zealand or australia.  I really want one for our collection.  Lukatsi, you were in some of those threads.  Any advice on where to find them?


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## lukatsi

I don't know if anyone in the US keeps them, I only saw English sites selling them, but they import from New Zealand directly. I know a man from NZ, I'll send his contact in PM.
I've tried to contact 'lychas' from Australia, because he said the species he has can live at room temperature, but he has never replied. If you can get the Jamaican species, I'd buy some, too.


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## AbraxasComplex

lukatsi said:


> I don't know if anyone in the US keeps them, I only saw English sites selling them, but they import from New Zealand directly. I know a man from NZ, I'll send his contact in PM.
> I've tried to contact 'lychas' from Australia, because he said the species he has can live at room temperature, but he has never replied. If you can get the Jamaican species, I'd buy some, too.


Please contact him. Haha.

I have been searching for years for tropical or sub tropical species. No one collects them even in areas where they are found in relatively high numbers and the species are large and colourful. 

It's like collecting Tailless Whip Scorpions, a huge amount of species, yet only 1 or 2 are readily available in the North American pet trade (though I have imported in 2 other species myself). The rest you literally have to go and try and collect them yourself.


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## skips

lukatsi said:


> I don't know if anyone in the US keeps them, I only saw English sites selling them, but they import from New Zealand directly. I know a man from NZ, I'll send his contact in PM.
> I've tried to contact 'lychas' from Australia, because he said the species he has can live at room temperature, but he has never replied. If you can get the Jamaican species, I'd buy some, too.


Thanks for the PM.  I read that before this.  I think I could only feasibly keep tropical species.  its easy to keep something warm with heat rope (I think a light would dry them out too much), but it's another story to keep them cold, and my apartment gets hot.



AbraxasComplex said:


> Please contact him. Haha.
> 
> I have been searching for years for tropical or sub tropical species. No one collects them even in areas where they are found in relatively high numbers and the species are large and colourful.
> 
> It's like collecting Tailless Whip Scorpions, a huge amount of species, yet only 1 or 2 are readily available in the North American pet trade (though I have imported in 2 other species myself). The rest you literally have to go and try and collect them yourself.


I really wouldnt even know where to look other than this forum.  I'm going to ask some guys I know if they would know where to look.  It'll take a while to get a response though.  i'm pretty picky about what I buy.  It may be that a captive bred tropical species is just impossible to find.


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## lukatsi

I wrote to Gavin (Draiman), the guy who posted some pics of them a month or so ago, but he said that they're rare, and he only saw them once in the rainforest. He's from Singapour by the way.

I've had Peripatoides for a while, I've kept them in a cool cellar, but some mould infection killed them all. Maybe I'll try to keep them again, but not this year.


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## skips

lukatsi said:


> I wrote to Gavin (Draiman), the guy who posted some pics of them a month or so ago, but he said that they're rare, and he only saw them once in the rainforest. He's from Singapour by the way.
> 
> I've had Peripatoides for a while, I've kept them in a cool cellar, but some mould infection killed them all. Maybe I'll try to keep them again, but not this year.


That's such a bummer.  Yeah, I mean, A cool, damp cellar should be mold cenral.  That's always the rub isn't it, trying to keep things humid,while preventing mold growth?


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## AbraxasComplex

skips said:


> That's such a bummer.  Yeah, I mean, A cool, damp cellar should be mold cenral.  That's always the rub isn't it, trying to keep things humid,while preventing mold growth?


I had the New Zealand species in my cool room in the basement. Left for a week during a heat wave. It was incredibly warm and I lost all of them.


I can`t trust my home during the summer. Some days it heats up to 90`F, other days it is 70`F.


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## AMLTU

skips said:


> Haha, please....I'm assuming no one has any idea how to breed the things.  Why don't we be the first and make a killing.  Deal?  You've got canada, I've got the states


 Guys i am from Europe and here too i cant find where to buy them.


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## velvetundergrowth

AMLTU said:


> Guys i am from Europe and here too i cant find where to buy them.


I may be offering some tropical Velvets in the future, but I cannot guarantee anything yet as I have only just received them myself. I'm also awaiting the arrival of some NZ Velvets which I will also be attempting to breed.
Feel free to drop me a DM


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