are rays immune to their own venom?...some snakes are so i asume it would be possible...i ask cause one of my rays has an exposed stinger and it is jagged after stinging the shipping bag and an oscar...i see my other ray bumping the stinger... i can't help but wonder if he were to catch it right and get stung could he die?...i will be getting 3 females in a week or so (if everthing goes acording to plan) to go with my 2 males...if they sting the bag also could the same sting insident occur with my existing rays when they check the ladies out?...also how long does it take to regenerate a stinger and how often do they shed...also are the sheds still venom coated? thanx ahead of time those are some thoughts i have been pondering as of late...
ray venom ques.
- Thread starter sbuse
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From what I've seen, no matter how rays swim over each other, whether the barbs are jagged or smooth, they don't get stung, unless it was an intentional sting. Rays usually shed barbs around 2-4 times a year. IME retics and hystrix tend to shed barbs less than, lets say, motoros. No clue why this happens though. Basically, a ray will grow a new barb under its current one, and when the new barb is fully developed, the old barb will just fall off along with the venomous sheath still on it. The new ones will also have the sheath. Sometimes the old barb just stays on the ray and doesnt fall off, it's not really anything to worry about. Some people have even seen rays with 3 overlapping barbs, meaning 2 old ones didnt fall off. As for whether or not rays are immune to the venom, I have no idea, but as crazyness said, a ray that gets stung usually survives unless its hit in a vital area.
This is not proven, but in my experience I think the rays are immune to the pain of the sting. The reason behind it is if you even brush the stinger with your finger, it starts to hurt a little, not as much as getting full on stung, but it still has an effect on you. But the rays seem to swim, bump and even run into the stingers or their tank mates with no apparent ill effects. The only times it can be dangerous is what crazy stated above about being stung in a vital organ.
Very interesting,i thought about getting some rays a while ago,but i read a book on them and it scared me to death,so i didnt bother,obviously they are dangerous but only if you do something stupid i guess,i may have to reconsider.
Ive learned something today,thanks.
Steve
Ive learned something today,thanks.
Steve
thanx for the answers, and steve i was worried aswell about me and my kids getting stung...then i got them and have seen that they are like bees...if you respect them they respect you...on the other hand if you shake the hive...then you desurve it...i don't plan to shake the hive!...lol
no prob....the only problem is that they are like gars...you think about getting them for a while then you finally do get them and you want more!!