Is it lethal? or is it more of a "hurt you so bad you leave me alone" type thing? I imagine if it was lethal not so many people would be breeding and keeping them, though I do know some of the professionals trim their barbs.
FW stingray venom
- Thread starter Hybridfish7
- Start date
Think of it like a catfish sting. It just makes the wound extremely painful. Granted there are a few ways to die from a stingray wound.
1. Having an allergic reaction to the venom can kill.
2. Getting wounded somewhere vital can kill.
3. Getting an infection without treatment can kill as well.
Personally I would never trim a stingrays barb. I think of it along the lines of declawing a cat, except that a cat can't regrow it's weapons back like a stingray can. Either way tho I still think it's cruel to get rid of an animals only form of self defense.
Somewhere on this site a person can be quoted saying something along the lines of “a stingray isn’t much more dangerous than a cichlid” and to that I say Steve Irwin would disagree. He is the poster child of why it’s good to remain cautious around Stingrays.
whoever said rays are as dangerous as cichlids must be the marketing spokesperson for roundup, if you get what I mean there..
Yeah I can imagine someone getting stung on a major artery or vein also I agree with you on taking away an animals only defence system is cruel another example that I can think of is taking away an animal defense is defanging a venomous snake .
To be fair tho Steve Irwin did die from a stingray but it was by accident as well. He just happened to startle the wrong animal at the wrong time and was killed by a well placed barb from an animal acting in self defense. Honestly it broke my heart when I heard of Steve Irwin's death, he was a role model to me growing up as a kid and I hope that maybe some day I'll be able to atleast try to follow in his foot steps.
I’m not sure what you’re attempting to say in regards to my comment with your first sentence. Stingrays have the ability to be lethal while the vast majority of cichlids lack the ability to cause a death in humans.
Also I disagree about it being cruel to take away their defenses. They are in captivity and as long as the fish keeper has done their job and selected proper tank mates then they don’t need to use them to protect themselves and the barb thus becomes a problem because they then have the ability to kill other fish when their deaths were not necessary. I’ve seen several fish die on here due to a stingray with the latest one being headbanger_jib and his ngt datnoid. Needless deaths all because the stingray over reacted or a fish was being a bit pushy.
Not sure if "cruel" is the correct word here; isn't the stinger itself non-living tissue, like hair or horn? So trimming it isn't causing the animal physical pain, aside from the stress of restraining it while the deed is done. For a breeder, whose goal is to maximize production, de-stingerizing (copyrighted new word...) makes perfect sense. No different that a dairy farmer whose cattle are polled; they are easier and safer for both the farmer and each other without horns, so the justification is there. Another analogy would be rhinos, who often have their horns removed to make them unattractive to poachers in the wild.
For a hobbyist keeping rays... or cattle!...removing their natural weaponry just strikes me as wrong. If you are keeping these animals for their own sake, what sense does it make to mutilate them by removing a feature that is inherent to their structure and uniqueness? A personal choice, for sure. Personally, I think that if you are worried about being stung, then the answer is simple: don't keep stingrays. Or maybe the stinger is removed so that they can be kept together with a school of piranhas, who would naturally need to have their teeth removed to make them safe... and once you accept that step, where does it end?
Oh, and if you want a cat, then get a cat. Cats have claws; it's one of the things that makes them cats. If you want a de-clawed cat...well, then, you really don't want a cat; you just want a small, disobedient, lazy dog.
For a hobbyist keeping rays... or cattle!...removing their natural weaponry just strikes me as wrong. If you are keeping these animals for their own sake, what sense does it make to mutilate them by removing a feature that is inherent to their structure and uniqueness? A personal choice, for sure. Personally, I think that if you are worried about being stung, then the answer is simple: don't keep stingrays. Or maybe the stinger is removed so that they can be kept together with a school of piranhas, who would naturally need to have their teeth removed to make them safe... and once you accept that step, where does it end?
Oh, and if you want a cat, then get a cat. Cats have claws; it's one of the things that makes them cats. If you want a de-clawed cat...well, then, you really don't want a cat; you just want a small, disobedient, lazy dog.
I say in trimming barbs it's more like triming dog or cat nails, since they just grow back either way. Another thing with the barbs is (not really a reason to trim them but) them shedding them. Once they fall off, if the venomous tissue is still fresh on it and the owner doesn't catch it in time it can cause some unnecessary suffering to the ray if it goes over, other fish in the event they happen to be rubbing against the ground where one is, or the owner during tank maintenance if there is substrate and said barb cannot be seen.
As far as keeping features for their uniqueness, one thing I feel like I can compare that to is the lips on c.labiatus. in the wild, they have their trademark enlarged distended lips, which they use to grab things out from between rocks. In captivity however, the lips tend to receed because they don't need to pull food out from crevasses to survive. And they are fine with it.
While it isn't a defense mechanism that is one thing a fish can lose that it normally needs to survive that it is fine with losing because it's in captivity. And in the case of rays, in the right home, they don't really need the barb, so if it's for the person keeping it alive's sake or the other fish in the tank I feel like trimming is justified.
As far as keeping features for their uniqueness, one thing I feel like I can compare that to is the lips on c.labiatus. in the wild, they have their trademark enlarged distended lips, which they use to grab things out from between rocks. In captivity however, the lips tend to receed because they don't need to pull food out from crevasses to survive. And they are fine with it.
While it isn't a defense mechanism that is one thing a fish can lose that it normally needs to survive that it is fine with losing because it's in captivity. And in the case of rays, in the right home, they don't really need the barb, so if it's for the person keeping it alive's sake or the other fish in the tank I feel like trimming is justified.
Stingray quote-unquote venom is actually the mucus in between the Black sheath and the actual Barb which is why their Barb looks black instead of white colored.
The venom has been compared to that of a rattlesnake envenomation.
The tiny spines on the Barb break off in the wound that along with the ensuing bacterial infection makes it up very dangerous wound and difficult to heal.
Getting tagged by a stingray I have been told makes a person wish they could chew their arm off to stop the pain. Only soaking infected area in extremely hot water breaks down the venom.
As far as trimming the Barb goes... The only real reason to do it would be to keep the other tank inhabitants safe if the stingray gets spooked. Generally stingrays don't use their tail for self-defence when they are getting picked on...
The venom has been compared to that of a rattlesnake envenomation.
The tiny spines on the Barb break off in the wound that along with the ensuing bacterial infection makes it up very dangerous wound and difficult to heal.
Getting tagged by a stingray I have been told makes a person wish they could chew their arm off to stop the pain. Only soaking infected area in extremely hot water breaks down the venom.
As far as trimming the Barb goes... The only real reason to do it would be to keep the other tank inhabitants safe if the stingray gets spooked. Generally stingrays don't use their tail for self-defence when they are getting picked on...