Velvet worm attacked by springtails!

[NarcedCeph]

So, I have been breeding velvet worms for the last 1.5 years, and I have been highly successful--I have managed to breed two entire generations, with seemingly baby deaths. So far, I have had around three deaths, all males, two juveniles, and one adult. When they die, I find their bodies on higher parts of the substrate where springtails and the occasional isopod are finishing them off. I assumed this was the notorious sudden death syndrome that some owners discussed.

Today was different. I opened the vivarium in the middle of the day, and to my surprise, a velvet worm was hanging out on top of a leaf, right under the LEDs (strange for a highly photophobic creature, they usually run from any form of light)! He did not seem dehydrated or underweight, but he just sat there and seemed undisturbed by my presence. Upon closer examination, he was covered in springtails, which amounted to about 30-35 crawling around. I took some distilled water and flushed them away from his body--he suddenly started to move again!

Were the springtails harming him? I inspected his body for holes or lesions, but he seemed fine. I have heard some people saying springtails will assault velvet worms. Could this possibly be a strange, undiscovered type of parasitic symbiotic relationship where the springtails will clean old shed off the velvet worms?

Have any owners experienced this? I do not want more to die, so I have been considering getting them out of the bioactive setup and transferring them to a paper towel type setup, but it seems like they very much benefit from the soil.

I am aware this creature is elusive and hardly anyone has them, but I thought I'd reach out.

Thank You!

 

[egyptiancrow]

Springtails do not harm a living creature. If anything they probably were drinking up any excess moisture or particles on its body, and he being so sedentary, did not shake them off. Theyll walk anywhere that isnt moving, afterall.

 

[wizentrop]

I completely disagree with the previous comment. Springtails can be disastrous to a velvet worm colony. And of course mites as well, but that's not our topic here. It seems that springtails like to take cover and ride on the onychophoran skin, and often they nibble on it and create tiny holes from which the animal bleeds, which in turn attracts even more springtails.
Your best best is to find something that can keep them at bay. Predatory mites can work, I use schizomids as I have found them to be the best companion to velvet worms.

 

[NarcedCeph]

I completely disagree with the previous comment. Springtails can be disastrous to a velvet worm colony. And of course mites as well, but that's not our topic here. It seems that springtails like to take cover and ride on the onychophoran skin, and often they nibble on it and create tiny holes from which the animal bleeds, which in turn attracts even more springtails.
Your best best is to find something that can keep them at bay. Predatory mites can work, I use schizomids as I have found them to be the best companion to velvet worms.

Yeah, that was my big worry!
Where do you source those specific mites from? And how many should I introduce?

 

[NarcedCeph]

Springtails do not harm a living creature. If anything they probably were drinking up any excess moisture or particles on its body, and he being so sedentary, did not shake them off. Theyll walk anywhere that isnt moving, afterall.

that was my initial thought, but I believe other velvet worm owners have complained about this issue. Thanks for the insight!

 

[NarcedCeph]

I completely disagree with the previous comment. Springtails can be disastrous to a velvet worm colony. And of course mites as well, but that's not our topic here. It seems that springtails like to take cover and ride on the onychophoran skin, and often they nibble on it and create tiny holes from which the animal bleeds, which in turn attracts even more springtails.
Your best best is to find something that can keep them at bay. Predatory mites can work, I use schizomids as I have found them to be the best companion to velvet worms.

Will This suffice? Looks like it’s a blend of different ones!

 

[Edan bandoot]

I completely disagree with the previous comment. Springtails can be disastrous to a velvet worm colony. And of course mites as well, but that's not our topic here. It seems that springtails like to take cover and ride on the onychophoran skin, and often they nibble on it and create tiny holes from which the animal bleeds, which in turn attracts even more springtails.
Your best best is to find something that can keep them at bay. Predatory mites can work, I use schizomids as I have found them to be the best companion to velvet worms.

what species of schizomid do you use?