Covering a stingray barb...

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don't cover the barb but with most species you can grind the tip so it is blunt. i have never tried it since i dont own rays but a friend of mine has some amazon fire rays and he grinds the tips to a blunts so they don't hurt his other fish, i think it would take some skill but might be worth it?
 
I just got the Sting Ray book that was recommended on here, it advises that the cover is removed and that it can bleed after. They recommend some tweezers and a blade.

It does talk about a veterinary pro who has done it before being brought in though (sounds expensive)

I think a good sticky would also be that you should ask the seller to remove it a while before collection so that you do not need to worry and any injuries have time to heal and are at the risk of the seller.

You mention BREEDER from H20, surely this is wild caught to have got the cover on the spine, I cannot imagine any breeders adding these to captive bread stock...or am I wrong (again)

I was going to buy my Rays from Maidenhead Aquatics and my stipulations were that the covers are removed and that I could see the Rays feeding...
 
most shops should take them off as soon as they get them some are just lazy and leave them on

to take them off you need a strong pair of garden gloves then hold the tail/sting with 1 hand and pull it off with the other

the tube has a few bad effects

1. infection
2. it messes up the rays balance as the rays use the tail to steer like i rudder

its best to remove the tube before placing the ray in the tank this causes less stress and not having to take the ray back out of the tank at a later date
 
Idk for stingrays but occasionally when me and my friends catch bat rays we'll snip a small bit off the end of the barb with toe-nail clippers just to dull it out slightly
 
if you are scared of getting stung don't keep rays

people shouldn't keep animals they are scared of
 
T1KARMANN;4119781; said:
if you are scared of getting stung don't keep rays

people shouldn't keep animals they are scared of

Theres always a healthy fear of animals, its just like someone that owns a pet cobra isnt ganna just stick their hand in the tank in front of the cobras face for no reason because they arnt scared. Thad be rediculous:eek:
 
Deep Blue Sea;4119984; said:
Theres always a healthy fear of animals, its just like someone that owns a pet cobra isnt ganna just stick their hand in the tank in front of the cobras face for no reason because they arnt scared. Thad be rediculous:eek:

i know what you mean about the keeping poisonous snake thing like you said if you respect these animals then they pose no risk to you.

but i think what t1karmann meant was that people who are afraid of getting stung by a ray shouldn't start removing stingers/covering them or worse still like the idiots suggested clipping or filing them!
just to stop themselves getting stung.
i think people that remove fangs from poisonous snakes or file down birds of preys beaks and claws are all just as bad.
if you cannot take the risk of getting stabbed/bitten or scratched dont keep them.

that is paramount to animal cruelty unless done by a qualified individual. zoodiver please comment on this!

this thread is getting off subject as it is meant to be about advice on how to remove tube covers from freshly imported rays without harming them.

i would be carefull removing them from small rays as they are often skinny and havent got much muscle mass on the tail so can easily be damaged when trying to remove the tube. often better to wait even just a few days of feeding till they have put a bit of weight on. i have watched someone pull off the stinger when they were trying to take off the tube and a lot of flesh came with it. needless to say the ray died.

so be carefull for the sake of the ray as much as yourself!
 
after reading what everyone has said, and questioning a few ray owners myself, I think I'm going to wait for it to fall off on its own...the ray has already established itself in the tank for a little over a month and a half, is happy and healthy and has a HUGE appetite...its tail looks great-at the begining of the top barb, (top barb is where the cover is) the barb seems to be a little white, from what I've gathered-and correct me if I'm wrong, it's an indication that the barb is going to fall off soon.
the breeder told me that they take 2-3 months to fall off,
so, not to stress him out, I think its wise to have patience in my situation, and let nature take its course :)

if I had just got him, and he were in the box; I would have taken it off...
 
Good decision. You are right about the barb turning White at the base. You should start seeing a notch like the top of a "y" just before it drops off. The skin covering the barb starts thinning more and more just prior to shedding. But remember even after shedding the stinger can still cause pain and numbing if handled improperly.
 
thanks sam...it could be my imagination, but it looks as though the faded white part on the barb seems to be growing upward toward the cover (again this could be my imagination as I'm looking closer at it-the barb is about 2in and just about a quarter of an inch is white)
and I'll def. use caution, and a net, to remove the shedded barb lol :D

its like watching grass grow!
 
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