Velvet Worms

Velvet worms are onychophorans — an ancient lineage that is neither insect nor annelid — and they are advanced-keeper animals. They require constantly high humidity with no dry cycle, cannot tolerate a substrate that dries through, and will not accept prepared or dead food. They hunt live prey, which they capture by firing adhesive slime from glands beside the head. Most species give birth to live young rather than laying eggs, and colonies are slow to grow. They are intolerant of heat, handling and disturbance, and they are sensitive to poor ventilation in a way that a millipede is not, which makes the balance between moisture and airflow the hardest part of keeping them. This is not a starter invertebrate. It is a species for a keeper who already runs stable bioactive enclosures and can reliably supply appropriately sized live prey.