Hooks in WC rays
- Thread starter Mrs. Kitty
- Start date
I think whether it will pass of if the ray will 'spit it out' depends on where the hook is, and if it is 'stuck' into tissue. If it is still in the throat the ray may indeed be able to spit it back up.
We had a Mata mata turtle that was in our collection for over 30 years. Upon necropsy, it had a hook and it was still in fine condition so honestly I think they can persist for a long time. If the body walls it off it will not be exposed to stomach acid anymore, just surrounded by tissue.
It is possible that if the hook is not lodged in the gut that when it starts eating it will pass throught the gut. It will be interesting to see what develops. I'd encourage you to necropsy it if it dies (and I hope it doesn't) to see if your theory about it having a hook is correct. There are lots of other reasons why it might not be eating.
We had a Mata mata turtle that was in our collection for over 30 years. Upon necropsy, it had a hook and it was still in fine condition so honestly I think they can persist for a long time. If the body walls it off it will not be exposed to stomach acid anymore, just surrounded by tissue.
It is possible that if the hook is not lodged in the gut that when it starts eating it will pass throught the gut. It will be interesting to see what develops. I'd encourage you to necropsy it if it dies (and I hope it doesn't) to see if your theory about it having a hook is correct. There are lots of other reasons why it might not be eating.
Today makes 3 weeks without eating. If it is a hook I hope it is not stainless because it will be there forever. I have tried on 2 occasions feeding through the spiracle. I used small red wigglers and let them crawl in the spiracle when the ray was breathing. All she did was spit the worms out her mouth. The first day I got her I put in 12 ghost shrimp and in one day had 5 left. I still have the same 5 left today. I put the ray in a 12 x 14 plastic vented box. She is 10" across and 19" long. The box is suspended in the 75 gallon tank so she has good water. I have heard from a few sources that cramping the ray will encourage eating. If this doesn't work then I have tried everything known to man. She is losing some weight on her tail but still does not have any bones showing. Her disc does have a slight under curling but is not curling up.
Gr8KarmaSF;2841585; said:
I always figured because the ray has nowhere to go and is constantly on top of food.
basslover34;2841892; said:I don't think so .. it's stressful which would cause a lack of appitite IMO
This info came for 3 different guys that have probably 25 years of combined ray experience. Don't know the details on how it works, but you get to isolate the feeding area and the thought is it provides a sense of security for the ray. Example would be a minnow in open water would be scared and out of place, you put that same minnow in a weed bed where it has confined security and it is happy.
