Another Stingray Update

[eddi]

Well, 4 weeks ago toady my ray had two pups (male and female). In the first two weeks the male started eating but the female and the mother completely ignored the food. Suddenly my male died and the remaining pup and mother were not eating. It did not look good at all.

Fortunately, at the end of the third week the mother started eating and seemd to have fully recovered. She is now eating very well and is very active at night. The second pup, the female, is hanging in but not out of the woods yet.

I feed her nightly but she does not seem interested in the food. I have to actually place her over the food and eventually she will taste it, sucks it in her mouth then spits it out over and over. She is obviously eating enough to stay alive but I have never seen her actually eat a whole piece of food.

I feed her small, and I do mean small, pieces of squid, mussels and octopus. She is in a separate 10 gallon tank and I am getting rather worried because I will be gone for several days over Labor Day and if she does not eat on her own by then I am afraid she will not survive. I will have someone go over every night to feed her, but I can't expect her to have the same dedication and patience I do.

The people at work are not all that interested so I just wanted to share with those I know are.


Thanks for listening (or reading),

Eddi

 

[arnjer]

I wished I lived closer because I would do it for you. Good luck, how big is the pup I am trying to get rid of two 55 gal with stands maybe if she were in a larger tank it may help. If you were coming anywhere close to me I'll give you one for free.

Jerry

 

[Green Mariner]

Eddi,
Just make sure that the person you are having feed the baby, does not leave the uneaten food in the tank. Have you asked the Minn. Aquarium about the babies not eating?

I wish the outlook was better!!

 

[eddi]

GM,

I will leave detailed instructions on the feeding and care of the ray pup, and hope for the best.

I have talked to the Minn. aquarium more than once, but basically they did not tell me anything I did not know. I called them before I pulled the pups out of the main tank to see if I was breaking a mother/babies bond but they did not think there was such a thing.

I may pack her up and ask a local LFS I trust to keep her for me, maybe they will do it.


Eddi

 

[davelin315]

Although a lot of rays eat squid, octopus, and mussels in nature, try shrimp instead. I found that when I was feeding my sharks in the past, they never kept the squid or octuopus down, and they really didn't like the mussels. Get some ghost shrimp and try those (live food might entice her to eat) and also try shrimp that is laced with vitamins and supplements. I used to take shrimp for my baby catsharks and stick little food pellets into it and then feed them. This gave them the added nutrition that they were missing from eating nothing but peeled shrimp.

If you want real food for it, spend the money on some fiddler crabs and see if she's interested in them. They'll also survive in saltwater for a very long time, so she can eat when she feels up to it.

[ August 21, 2001: Message edited by: davelin315 ]

 

[eddi]

Jerry,

that is mighty nice of you (both for the offer of feeding her and the free tank). I have a feeling that if you are looking to get rid of them you will not have any problems!

The pup is about 3" in diameter. I am obviously worried about her eating habits, but more than that I am worried about her inactivity. She spends most of the tme buried in the sand and even when I force her out to eat, she barely swims around.

I am thinking of putting her back in with the mom (she is in a 360 gallon tank), but I have two eels that are voracious eaters and would not let her even get close to the food.


Eddi