Just wondering how many of you have actually been hit by your ray; if I got one I would be terrified to put my hand in! Are they genuinely aggressive or good fish to have?
Ray Stings?
- Thread starter Doogle
- Start date
i brushed mines stinger during a move and it felt like a burning posin ivy...they are like bees...if you shake the hive you will get stung...respect their space and your fine...
The stinger isn't for being aggressive, it's for being defensive - and when threatened they'll hide or move before stinging.
never had the problem ... but i also keep my hands away from there stinger... never trap them and should never have a problem ..
You should never put your hand into a tank with a dangerous wild animal until you are totally comfortable with risks. That said, stingrays have the barbs just as a defense mechanism. The only time I've ever seen one of my stingrays actually whip their tails was during mating; the younger female was being flipped and mounted by the larger male, and she was protesting rather violently. The male was incredibly agile in dodging her blows, and his angle of attack prevented her from actually landing any blows. She has since given birth (1 stillborn, her first pregnancy) and he is at it again.
We hand feed our stingrays; been doing it for over a year now and have never observed anything but peaceful behavior from these beautiful little monsters.
We hand feed our stingrays; been doing it for over a year now and have never observed anything but peaceful behavior from these beautiful little monsters.
I know someone who hand fed his rays all the time. One day one got startled by another fish and stung my buddy in the wrist. He said it was extremely painfull. He also got a real bad infection and lost use of his hand for quite some time. I've kept rays for about 10years now and have never and will never hand feed them. It's just a matter of time and it's not worth the risk.
"I have a friend that owned a hammer. He accidentally smashed his hand one day when his wife startled him, eventually having to have his entire left arm amputated due to an untended infection. I have never and will never own anything made out of wood or metal."
Dogs are also dangerous, as are cars. As with all things, be aware of the risks.
Dogs are also dangerous, as are cars. As with all things, be aware of the risks.
I used to hand feed my rays as well... But after awhile I slowed down, it was kinda neat to see once my hand was in the tank they would jump on it thinking theres food in there. After a move my stingrays were very stressed and my little female had hit my hand and it wasn't as painful as I had read on the interenet but I think thats just because she was small. I am sure a bigger ray 10+inches would really ruin your weekend. But like said before they are a peaceful animal leave them alone and theyll leave you alone.
Trevor
Trevor
