Can a stingray sting you by accident?

[crimzy]

I am just curious because my stingray is so hand-friendly. She swims up and down my arm any time I do anything in the tank and is always looking for food in my fingers. She is extremely nonaggressive and would never sting me intentionally. I just wonder sometimes if she can sting me by brushing her tail along my arm as she swims by. Anybody know the answer?

 

[1journeyman]

Well, technically, yes. The barb is there so if it rubbed you the wrong way it might cut you, allowing bacteria, mucus, etc. into the wound.
Kind of like if a person goes to shake your hand and pokes you with their fingernail. (Best analogy I can come up with)

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
Well, technically, yes. The barb is there so if it rubbed you the wrong way it might cut you, allowing bacteria, mucus, etc. into the wound.
Kind of like if a person goes to shake your hand and pokes you with their fingernail. (Best analogy I can come up with)
Seems logical. But for this to happen, I'm assuming that you'd have to be rubbed "against the grain" of the tail. As my stingray swims down my arm, even if the stinger accidentally touched my arm, I'm guessing that it wouldn't puncture the skin.... hopefully.

 

[kjr_trig]

Isn't that what happened to Steve Irwin? He was actually impaled though I believe.

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by kjr_trig
Isn't that what happened to Steve Irwin? He was actually impaled though I believe.
I don't know if you can say that he was stung by accident. He was dealing with wild, very large stingrays. And the fact that he got stung in the heart tells me that he was in a very strange (and possibly threatening) position relative to the stingray. I think that stingray probably did sting Steve Irwin as a defensive measure. Just a guess.

 

[o2ngk]

It seems you believe that your stingray is tame and won't sting you .. I know you know your fish better than me .. but for safety and before you regret it, stay away from the tail

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by o2ngk
It seems you believe that your stingray is tame and won't sting you .. I know you know your fish better than me .. but for safety and before you regret it, stay away from the tail

This is probably good advice. The darn thing just sneaks up on me sometimes.

 

[cubsfan]

When I was in myrtle beach at ripleys aquarium they said they clip the stingers on the stinrays they swim with and people touch. The lady said its like a finger nail and does grow back but doesn't hurt the stingray. Not sure how its done but something you may want to look into.

 

[1journeyman]

Yup, we used toe nail clippers to clip them in the touch tank at the Texas S.A.

 

[dual45s]

You can take this with a grain of salt but I was under the impression that a stingray uses its tail defensively only as a reflex. Whether this makes you more or less nervous I don't know what to say. So your ray can't actively try to sting you, but if you touch her wrong she may automatically do it without malicious intent. Again, I could be totally off the mark here.

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by 1journeyman
Yup, we used toe nail clippers to clip them in the touch tank at the Texas S.A.
I wonder if anyone else has clipped the stinger in a home aquarium... sounds like a pretty difficult task.

 

[groupergenius]

Originally Posted by crimzy
I wonder if anyone else has clipped the stinger in a home aquarium... sounds like a pretty difficult task.
You would think that if you grabbed the ray to perform this...it would get defensive and strike.
As far as the ray being nice and cuddly..so are alot of dogs that bite people.

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by GrouperGenius
As far as the ray being nice and cuddly..so are alot of dogs that bite people.

Then I must be a wild man, because I cuddle with my dogs too.

 

[zeke92]

i was just sugest to not touch it's tail or anything much. but it is possible if he gets spooked, or turns real quick and the barb hits oyu.

 

[jc74]

Rays tend to "tame up" when raised around and fed by humans, so I doubt it would get spooked enough to strike you intentionally. At the national aquarium divers swim with the sting rays all the time and they're like puppy dogs.
I'd use caution but wouldn't be afraid of it. But this is coming from someone who used to rub his lion fish on the stomach...

He'd come to the top of the tank and roll over on his back to be scratched. It was just the occasional pat.

 

[crimzy]

Originally Posted by jc74
I'd use caution but wouldn't be afraid of it. But this is coming from someone who used to rub his lion fish on the stomach...

That's pretty funny because I do this also.

 

[zeke92]

lol, i'd love to have a fish that did stuff like that. but unfortuneatly my clwonfish just likes to stay near his plant pot, and the most my shrimp will do is try to clean my fingers >_>

 

[srfisher17]

Originally Posted by kjr_trig
Isn't that what happened to Steve Irwin? He was actually impaled though I believe.
Yeah, his last words were "Crikey! That's sharp!" I got nailed by a fairly big ray when I lived in the keys years ago; that's when I learned to shuffle my feet while bonefishing. I don't think clipping the barb in captivity would be that hard. I took a big parasite off a big lionfish by just having someone hold him in a very shallow pan with a wet towel and using a tweezers. I can't see why this would bother a ray much.

 

[dinogeorge]

I have always clipped the end of the spines on all of my rays. Here is what I do.
Soak a towel in tank water. Lay the ray in the middle of the towel and fold the sides over to cover him completely, but leave his tail sticking out. Make sure the towel is WET, not damp. You don't want to remove any protective slime layer with the towel. Pull the sheath back that covers the spine. Take a pair of nail clipers and cut off the end so that it is flat and not pointy. Then get you ray back into the water. It's painless and takes only a few seconds.
If you pull the spine out, he will only grow a new, sharper one. But if you leave the spine in place and only clip the end, it won't grow back sharp again. If he ever swipes you with his tail, the blunt end of the stinger will not go into you. There tails are not just defensive weapons. They can and will use them in an aggresive manner if they don't feel well, or if they are having a bad hair, er bad fin, day.