PoHsun
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- May 20, 2023
- Messages
- 3
Hello~
I am interesting in Onychophora.
Do I have the chance to enter this club?
I am interesting in Onychophora.
Do I have the chance to enter this club?
Velvet Worm Chat
- Thread starter Cresto
- Start date
catboyeuthanasia
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2023
- Messages
- 137
Can I join the club? Got mine a few months ago, and I already see at least 2 new babies!
Also, do they poop pink? I saw one leave behind a white/pink puddle. I think it's waste but do yall have any idea?
Also, do they poop pink? I saw one leave behind a white/pink puddle. I think it's waste but do yall have any idea?
NarcedCeph
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2020
- Messages
- 11
For sure! I’m not sure when he plans to do another run. I was going to start selling mine but I had a mass die-off.
catboyeuthanasia
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2023
- Messages
- 137
What are the import laws like in Taiwan? I have a couple distant relatives there.
NarcedCeph
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2020
- Messages
- 11
Their urine is pasty to prevent water loss, so yes, I believe what you’re seeing is urine!
catboyeuthanasia
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2023
- Messages
- 137
Baby number 5!
NarcedCeph
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2020
- Messages
- 11
I love finding babies! What’s your population now?
NarcedCeph
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2020
- Messages
- 11
Being able to acquire them may depend on where you are located. Are you in Taiwan?
catboyeuthanasia
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2023
- Messages
- 137
Babies are the best!
I have no idea, I put in a lot of vegetation so I have a hard time seeing them even on the nights when I feed them.
I had another death, so I'm guessing 8-12?
catboyeuthanasia
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2023
- Messages
- 137
Man, I've been going on a velvet worm legality research spree over the weekend. We should totally pool our research and discuss the possibility of getting another tropical species legally imported.
US/Canada: doesn't seem to be any laws restricting import of tropical velvet worms. For canada, of the species of velvet worm explicitly listed in reference to import legality, none of them required a permit to import. I'm on good terms with a broker who specializes in plants, but I'm not sure how they deal with "insects". @AbraxasComplex has done this before. I cant imagine how hard it would have been... dude's a champion...
Costa Rica: seems exceedingly difficult to export from here, which is a damn shame, since Mongeperipatus come from here. I have been poking around dart frog import companies such as Understory Enterprises, and they seem to have imports from there. I'm certainly glad that Costa Rica protects its creatures so well, since they are so cool.
Chile/New Zealand: thanks to @Jabberjay, we know that collection is legal in Chile as long as we do so on private property with the land owner's approval. Similar story about collecting in New Zealand. Unfortunately, it seems that exporting from New Zealand is a whole other story. Additionally, these species are not tropical, so they will be significantly harder to care for.
Amazon basin: I've been going on some wacky butterfly collector forums, and apparently, there are companies that take you to the Amazon to collect insects and work out import/collection permits for you. This might be a good bet to ask around.
All in all, it seems quite difficult to collect anything if you are not a researcher. @AbraxasComplex, how did you work your magic, mate?
US/Canada: doesn't seem to be any laws restricting import of tropical velvet worms. For canada, of the species of velvet worm explicitly listed in reference to import legality, none of them required a permit to import. I'm on good terms with a broker who specializes in plants, but I'm not sure how they deal with "insects". @AbraxasComplex has done this before. I cant imagine how hard it would have been... dude's a champion...
Costa Rica: seems exceedingly difficult to export from here, which is a damn shame, since Mongeperipatus come from here. I have been poking around dart frog import companies such as Understory Enterprises, and they seem to have imports from there. I'm certainly glad that Costa Rica protects its creatures so well, since they are so cool.
Chile/New Zealand: thanks to @Jabberjay, we know that collection is legal in Chile as long as we do so on private property with the land owner's approval. Similar story about collecting in New Zealand. Unfortunately, it seems that exporting from New Zealand is a whole other story. Additionally, these species are not tropical, so they will be significantly harder to care for.
Amazon basin: I've been going on some wacky butterfly collector forums, and apparently, there are companies that take you to the Amazon to collect insects and work out import/collection permits for you. This might be a good bet to ask around.
All in all, it seems quite difficult to collect anything if you are not a researcher. @AbraxasComplex, how did you work your magic, mate?
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Jabberjay
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Aug 24, 2021
- Messages
- 19
Thanks for the mention, @catboyeuthanasia.
In the interest of pooling research, I'm reposting the CONAF correspondence document I posted in the other forum. For those who didn't see that conversation, the document specifically addresses collecting and exporting Metaperipatus inae from Chile.
In the interest of pooling research, I'm reposting the CONAF correspondence document I posted in the other forum. For those who didn't see that conversation, the document specifically addresses collecting and exporting Metaperipatus inae from Chile.
catboyeuthanasia
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2023
- Messages
- 137
This page is geared towards university affiliated entomologists, and butterfly/moth collection, but a lot of the advice there can be useful for us:
www.theskepticalmoth.com
South Africa is another interesting one, since it has a nice balmy climate, relatively relaxed collection laws, and a species of worm that might be quite hardy: Peripatopsis capensis is invasive in the Galapagos. These guys look really chubby. South Africa has many species of protected velvet worms, but this one seems to be thriving.
Collecting Permits | The Skeptical Moth
www.theskepticalmoth.com
South Africa is another interesting one, since it has a nice balmy climate, relatively relaxed collection laws, and a species of worm that might be quite hardy: Peripatopsis capensis is invasive in the Galapagos. These guys look really chubby. South Africa has many species of protected velvet worms, but this one seems to be thriving.
Last edited:
- Joined
- Aug 23, 2015
- Messages
- 2,346
Found this guy for sale at a recent reptile expo. Was $150, didn't know too much about velvet worms so I passed on it. Super cool seeing these available though!
catboyeuthanasia
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2023
- Messages
- 137
Looks like one of the barbados browns (Epiperipatus barbadensis)!
We've come a long way since they first were posted on the forums. Not getting this one was probably the right call. This looks like a tiny baby, barely bigger than the newborns I find, and these live best in groups headed by one or more large females. No clue of life expectancy, but getting a colony is probably the way to go.
If you ever want to join the "soft carnivore with lots of legs" team instead of the "armoured carnivore with lots of legs" team, Arthroverts has a great caresheet:
(Jk, centipedes are really cool too
)
catboyeuthanasia
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2023
- Messages
- 137
Looks like fate is forcing my hand. There's gonna be a cosmology conference my supervisor wants me to go to in Capetown, right where cape velvet worms live. I've got a little under a year to scramble permits together before I fly.
Wish me luck!
Wish me luck!
catboyeuthanasia
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2023
- Messages
- 137
Hi all, I'm back here with good news and bad news. The good news, I'm having lots of luck with worm import, the permit offices have responded and are processing my request, and I may have found someone in South Africa to supply worms
The bad news is that my current colony is plummeting in numbers. I found a bunch of springtails crawling around on living worms, sucking on droplets on their skin. COMMON WHITE SPRINGTAILS (Folsomia candida) ARE NOT WORM SAFE. I found a quartet of un-injured worms and placed them in a new enclosure without springtails. Hopefully this fixes things
The bad news is that my current colony is plummeting in numbers. I found a bunch of springtails crawling around on living worms, sucking on droplets on their skin. COMMON WHITE SPRINGTAILS (Folsomia candida) ARE NOT WORM SAFE. I found a quartet of un-injured worms and placed them in a new enclosure without springtails. Hopefully this fixes things
wormguy
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2023
- Messages
- 4
Hey I made a account for this but does anyone here know where I can buy velvet worm and have it get shipped to Canada thank u much for any help
wormguy
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2023
- Messages
- 4
By any chance are you looking to sell this lol
wormguy
Arachnopeon
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2023
- Messages
- 4
By any chance are you looking to sell this lol
catboyeuthanasia
Arachnosquire
- Joined
- Aug 10, 2023
- Messages
- 137
Sorry mate, my colony recently suffered a pretty big crash. Turns out, temperate white springtails, not just tropical pinks, can chew through their skin and drink their fluids. I'm waiting for my remaining individuals to recoup.
I would check kijiji, but as far as I know, the two sellers there both are low on supplies this year. I would message them a few months later.