new retic not eating

[spotfin]

I picked up a small retic a week ago from a lfs. So far, it hasn't eaten anything. I've tried all the foods I feed my other rays (shrimp, squid, tilapia, mysids, chopped worm, frozen blood worms). Even tried live black worms and baby crayfish but the ray still hasn't eaten.

I've had rays that are difficult to get eating before, but nothing like this retic. It doesn't even try to nibble on anything. Any advice?

 

[sharp tooth]

make sure your water is perfect and leave it alone. keep stress to a minimum.

is it on its own or in with other rays?

if its in with others make sure its not getting bullied, if its on its own maybe putting it in with other rays that feed well may help.

 

[spotfin]

It's in a tank by itself.

 

[ShadowStryder]

Was it eating at the lfs, how large is it and WC or CB? You know all the tricks to try and get a ray eating.
So no point in repeating them.
Retics always seem to be the hardest to get eating when WC.

GL

 

[abortedsoul]

Was it eating at the lfs?

Did you see it eat?

(Any retic you will find for sale, with almost no exception, will be a WC ray.)

 

[hecdr34]

He might have parasites......Prazi for a couple of days might help. Good luck and I hope he starts eating soon.

 

[ShadowStryder]

Did you see it eat?

(Any retic you will find for sale, with almost no exception, will be a WC ray.)

I have seen a Couple CB litters for sale over the summer, but yes you are
correct, most all are WC.

 

[spotfin]

Thanks all. Good news is he ate black worms this morning and is much more active now. He was at the lfs for a few days before I picked him up, but I'm sure he didn't eat there. He is also wild caught, and about 3.5" diameter.
I did dose with Prazipro last week, I think 2 days after I picked him up. I've had retics in the past that started on chopped worms and shrimp almost immediately. This one had me puzzled.

 

[abortedsoul]

Thanks all. Good news is he ate black worms this morning and is much more active now. He was at the lfs for a few days before I picked him up, but I'm sure he didn't eat there. He is also wild caught, and about 3.5" diameter.
I did dose with Prazipro last week, I think 2 days after I picked him up. I've had retics in the past that started on chopped worms and shrimp almost immediately. This one had me puzzled.

Glad to hear that he is doing better!

I've had a retic for close to a year now, and he still won't eat almost anything but finely chopped nightcrawlers and earthworms. Any sort of troutworm, ghost shrimp or red worm? Sure, but no solid meats of any kind (even soaked in blackworms, and he holds out even after a week of starvation). Daily he is exposed to small amounts of seafood and pellets, but he is just stuck in his ways I guess. I'm sure I could figure something out to break him of it, but I just don't have the heart to starve him.

 

[spotfin]

This little ray is a piece of work... Fattened him up on live black worms and now trying to get him to eat red wrigglers (worms). I have a worm bin going with the red wrigglers. They are reproducing well, and the retic will gobble up real small worms (the size of the black worms). If I take a larger worm and chop off small pieces about 2 mm long, the ray won't eat them. Still no interest in other foods except he did eat 2 mysid shrimp once. Of course those were the last of the shrimp I had.