Has anyone ever resorted to force feeding a ray that wouldn't eat? I've got a new ray that came in from Columbia just the other day, and she's so thin that she shouldn't have ever been shipped - probably as bad as rooks was. She's about a 11" 'Royal' motoro, and I really need to save this fish! She's flipping over on her back now, and I just need to get some nutrients into her. Looking for someone with experience in force-feeding rays that just won't eat (she won't touch anything I can't get blackworms where I live) and need some nutrients to keep going.
Force feeding
- Thread starter African_Fever
- Start date
Never heard of "force feeding" a ray. I wouldn't even know how you would do such a thing. Good luck!
I have done it a few times with a SW stingrays (adult Dasyatis pastinaca). You have to make a mixture easy to digest (very very smashed but high protein) and put it into a syringe (a big one, 30ml/1 Oz or bigger). In the end where its supossed to be the needle you have to attach 15cm of this thing doctors use to stop your blood flow when they have to take blood samples.....you know what i mean?, i dont know the word in english. Being VERY carefull with the ray´s tail insert this end in her mouth and "inject" the mixture as deep as possible VERY SLOWLY. For this size you can make 30ml (1 Oz) of mixture. You can also smash and add Ocean Nutrition´s Shark Formula to the mixture as it does have a lot of vitamins and is protein rich. You can immoblize her against the tank walls but DO NOT TOUCH HER SKIN !!!!, you can damage her first immune system....and BE AWARE OF STING !!!. If you can find some sort of catfish (for human use) in your local food store use it as they have very fatty tissues. Mix it with shrimps (deshelled) and squids (as fresh as possible). I know it´ll be kind of hard but could you try to post some pics of her?.
Hope you can understand what i mean....the hole process. If you have any doubt please write me.
Good luck and please keep us updated.
Hope you can understand what i mean....the hole process. If you have any doubt please write me.
Good luck and please keep us updated.
Can u flood tank with earthworms not many rays knock them back . Good look i hope u can save this ray
I've actually seen pictures of what ernesto describes. It is done. But like he says, you need to be very careful not to harm the ray or get stung. I've never tried it myself.
That Sucks.. I would have to say if the ray is stressed to the point where it's doing backflips, that force feeding it might just send it over the edge.
No access to blackworms is tough.. did you try chopped earthworms?
Salt, Heat, Cover the tank? No stress issues?..
I think once a fish (esp rays) get emaciated to a point they have a hard time consuming food because their stomach has contracted and can't handle it. I believe all stresses have to be relieved, and the ray needs to settle in, before it can think about 're-expanding' the stomach..
Its kind of like if you took an anorexic girl to McD's and said, HERE, EAT, YOU LOVE THIS.. she will reject it until she can feel comfortable again eating those type of meals.
No access to blackworms is tough.. did you try chopped earthworms?
Salt, Heat, Cover the tank? No stress issues?..
I think once a fish (esp rays) get emaciated to a point they have a hard time consuming food because their stomach has contracted and can't handle it. I believe all stresses have to be relieved, and the ray needs to settle in, before it can think about 're-expanding' the stomach..
Its kind of like if you took an anorexic girl to McD's and said, HERE, EAT, YOU LOVE THIS.. she will reject it until she can feel comfortable again eating those type of meals.
I haven't found a ray that doesn't like ghost shrimp. They are not very healthy, but for some reason they love them. I had to force feed a bichir that I got cause it would not eat. It ended up dieing anyways. I wish you luck.
Tube feeding rays is difficult, especially in smaller ones.
The hardest part is not to harm the inside of the stomach walls. You'd be surprised how even the slightest oops leads to internal bleeding and death.
I'd have at LEAST three people there. One to hold the ray (on it's back), one to insert the tube and hold it in place, and one to use the syringe to push in the food.
Use a mush of very high calorie food. STAT is a good product mosts vets can get you. Mix it up with krill or something to feed it. Make sure to lube the feeding tube and also make sure it's rounded and doesn't have a point or sharp edge.
Don't feed too much. In the state the animal is in, it's stomach is not the size it normally would be stretched to during regular feedings. Have the person holding the ray feel how full the stomach is getting as you go (stomach is on the back next to the base of the tail).
The hardest part is not to harm the inside of the stomach walls. You'd be surprised how even the slightest oops leads to internal bleeding and death.
I'd have at LEAST three people there. One to hold the ray (on it's back), one to insert the tube and hold it in place, and one to use the syringe to push in the food.
Use a mush of very high calorie food. STAT is a good product mosts vets can get you. Mix it up with krill or something to feed it. Make sure to lube the feeding tube and also make sure it's rounded and doesn't have a point or sharp edge.
Don't feed too much. In the state the animal is in, it's stomach is not the size it normally would be stretched to during regular feedings. Have the person holding the ray feel how full the stomach is getting as you go (stomach is on the back next to the base of the tail).