Cutting rays stingers

[spotfin]

If it's just a warning why do some females get chewed to bits surely this deserves more than a warning

If you think I'm going to get stung just to prove a point you are crazy

It seams to me it's not just the tip of the barb that holds poison but the whole barb
Next time you remove a barb from the tank run your fingers along it you will get a sensation in your fingers
This tells me the whole barb is a weapon not just the tip

Look my rays have never lashed out at me or even flipped the tail vertical
This isn't to say I haven't seen it happen
Aquaman may remember years ago and I saw a motoro do it in the shop I was shocked as I had never seen this before even after years of keeping rays

Zoo said rays can be trained to have barbs cut safely but then 2-3 posts later he states he has been tagged loads of times.

At the end of the day rays are unpredictable be it flicking the tail to the side or over the back they should be treated with respect when you handle them I have never been tagged a fact I'm proud of as it shows I give them the respect they deserved


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This is the most important thought in this thread. If the OP wishes to trim the stingers every few months, so be it. Let's all hope he is careful and doesn't get stung.

 

[rich_one]

All of this talk of stinging and whatnot has me wondering... is there not a good product out there that would be of help to stingray owners? You know...something like thick, elbow or arm length gloves, that a stingray barb cannot penetrate? Sure seems to me to make sense for something like that to exist (Googling about this right after I click "Post Quick Reply"), LOL.

EDIT: Maybe I should clarify, for smaller species. I know some of you own some pretty big rays, and obviously, that is a different story.

-Rich

 

[Zoodiver]

It seams to me it's not just the tip of the barb that holds poison but the whole barb
Next time you remove a barb from the tank run your fingers along it you will get a sensation in your fingers
This tells me the whole barb is a weapon not just the tip

Unless you have an open wound or a way for the toxin to enter your blood stream, there is no way for you to feel any pain or 'tingling' from the toxin on the barb's sheath. The whole barb is coated, and yes clearly the entire length can cause problems.

Zoo said rays can be trained to have barbs cut safely but then 2-3 posts later he states he has been tagged loads of times.

I have never been tagged while trimming a barb. You have to take into account the number of both FW and SW rays I've dealt with (literally in the thousands) and the variety of settings - captive and wild.

 

[T1KARMANN]

All of this talk of stinging and whatnot has me wondering... is there not a good product out there that would be of help to stingray owners? You know...something like thick, elbow or arm length gloves, that a stingray barb cannot penetrate? Sure seems to me to make sense for something like that to exist (Googling about this right after I click "Post Quick Reply"), LOL.

EDIT: Maybe I should clarify, for smaller species. I know some of you own some pretty big rays, and obviously, that is a different story.

-Rich

A good pair of gardening gloves does the job if your paranoid


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[T1KARMANN]

Unless you have an open wound or a way for the toxin to enter your blood stream, there is no way for you to feel any pain or 'tingling' from the toxin on the barb's sheath. The whole barb is coated, and yes clearly the entire length can cause problems.



I have never been tagged while trimming a barb. You have to take into account the number of both FW and SW rays I've dealt with (literally in the thousands) and the variety of settings - captive and wild.

When I say tingle that's what I feed
If the toxin goes into the blood you get more than a tingle

But I know what I feel and it's a tingle this could be due to the fact I'm always stabbing my fingers to do blood tests due to being a diabetic who knows but I can feel something


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[Cu455]

Just sharing my experience. Rays stab with there tips. I am not saying they don't slash but they defiantly stab. Once it was in I could feel it trying to wiggle out. I will try and find the pictures right after the sting. The ironic part is I think I landed on a whiptail.

 

[Cu455]

Here are day after shots.

 

[T1KARMANN]

This just happened from a slash from a big rays barb

As you can see flesh has been ripped off

The whole barb is deadly not just the tip





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[Karl K]

This just happened from a slash from a big rays barb

As you can see flesh has been ripped off

The whole barb is deadly not just the tip


View attachment 997729


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That seems pretty bad man..

 

[burbon44s]

Did it heal up OK?

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