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FAQs about Pet-fishing & Human Health: Bites
Related Articles: Wounds Articles, Moray
Eels Bite, But Are They Venomous? by Marco Lichtenberger,
Related FAQs: Petfishing and Human Health 1, Petfish
& Health 2, Petfishing & Human Health 3,
& FAQs on: Petfishing Concerns: Getting
Poked, Spined, Stuck, Envenomized
(injected), Poisoning (ingesting),
Skin et al. Contact, Companion Animal
Involvement, Troubleshooting/Fixing,
Bacterial Infections, Parasitic Cross
Zoonoses, Turn About's Fair Play...
Stingrays, |
Octopus Envenomations:
http://www.emedicine.com/emerg/topic342.htm
Some aquatic life forms can really give a big chomp! Even
Clownfishes, Damsels can draw blood. |
Foxface Rabbitfish - Bite, not Sting? – 09/19/09
Bob, et al,
<Good morrow>
Thanks for the help over the past several months, and for the wealth of
info on the website. In the past week, I've decided to let my Foxface
Rabbitfish get a little closer during the feeding of sinking pellets (I
know you think you know where this is headed, but no I didn't get stung,
ha). In the past two days, I've finally let him come up to my hand and
take the food from there. He bites... It's a little 3/16" slit he makes
on my fingertip. Now, I certainly know they are poisonous in their fins,
but my fingertip is a little "tingly" around these 5 nips - and I
wondered if it's just the little "ouch" of a couple of fish bites, or if
there is any toxin in their bite?
<Don't think so... but not a good idea to have open cuts in our tanks>
Granted, he's not going to get fed this way much longer because I need
to type with that finger, but thought it was interesting - given all you
ever read about are the sting from their dorsal and anal fins.
Incidentally, my Tomini Tang and Pacific Blue Tang also eat from my
hand, but don't produce the same slits on my fingertip (or any bites),
and certainly no tingling. His fin is not getting me, it is certainly
his bite, and is also very uniform in shape/size.
Thanks in advance,
Jon Hoover
<Thank you for sharing Jon. Bob Fenner>
Zoanthid Spider (Pycnogonid sp.) bite!!! HELP 5/23/07
<Hi tasty human! Mich here!>
I got bit by one of these things
on my finger.
<Ouch!>
Am I in danger?
<Are you standing in front of a bus? Holding a lit stick of
dynamite? Perhaps eating something with trans fat?>
Are they poisonous?
<No. They are not poisonous.
More here:
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/pycnogonids.htm
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/seaspiderfaqs.htm >
I got bit
about 4 hours ago and it hurt a bit, but I am not in any pain right
now. It looks a bit swelled up and red but nothing major.
<I
would keep and eye on it. If it gets worse consult a doctor. I
think your biggest issue is the possibility of infection. If you
see a red line going up your hand don't waste any time and seek
medical attention, can be a sign of septicemia which can be quite
serious. Perhaps a little ice might help reduce the swelling.>
[IMG]http://www.zoaid.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemI
d=398&g2_serialNumber=2[/IMG]
<Nice picture!>
Please let me
know any information you guys can.
<Hope this helps and you are
feeling better soon. Mich> |
Re: Zoanthid Spider (Pycnogonid sp.) bite!!! HELP
5/23/07
<Hello again tasty human, Mich here!>
Thanks for your help.
<You're welcome! Happy to help!>
I am glad to hear I'm ok
lol.
<Me too! But do keep an eye on it. There
are a lot of nasty infections you can be exposed to in marine
systems.>
Have you ever heard of anyone getting bit by them
before?
<I personally have not, but I do not have much
experience with these creatures either. Mich> |
Dangerous Puffers... to human aquarists! SW sel. 7/27/07
Not a question, just a quick story. I was putting an algae sheet on a
clip in the tank this morning for my angel and tangs, and my dogface
puffer bit the heck outta my finger. Man, those guys have sharp teeth!
Beware!!!
Thomas
<Yep, that can happen. If you've ever seen
pufferfish feed in the wild, you won't EVER underestimate their power.
They can bite off chunks of coral or grind up oysters without any
problems at all. It isn't so much the sharpness of their teeth, but the
huge jaw muscles. The whole deal with the bug-eyed face and external
nostrils you see on puffers is to make space in the head for the jaw
musculature. Thanks for writing, Neale.>
Snowflake Eel Bite – 11/28/2007
Hi!
<Hello.>
I have read through the posts on snowflake morays. I could
not find an answer to my question. I care for a 300 gallon tank at the
junior high where I teach science. I have had a snowflake eel in my home
aquarium and have never had a problem like this. Today while trying to
feed the inhabitants of the tank, at school, the snowflake eel was
wildly thrashing in and out of the tank. I had some silversides for him
and the lion fish so I grabbed one with me fingers to give him (I know,
not recommended ) anyway, he latched onto my finger and would not let go
without some coaxing. After he let go I had several small piercings in
my finger, and was bleeding. I cleaned the injury with peroxide, but was
wondering - do they carry any weird bacteria that could be infectious.
<Several dangerous bacteria have been found in the mouths of moray eels,
among them Vibrio and Pseudomonas. If the wound swells, is becoming
severely red or you feel insecure about what to do, visit a medical
doctor. In addition many (probably all) moray eels possess a weak toxin
produced by club shaped cells in their skin, that might be transferred
by a bite. Dizziness and tremendous pain are reported symptoms, but the
toxin is so far not considered very dangerous (perhaps only to allergic
persons).>
I don't know where else to seek an answer.
<The
aquarium magazine TFH had an article on moray bites in its September
issue. Possibly will be at WWM some day, too.>
Living in Cheyenne,
Wyoming doesn't afford me a wealth of expert advise.
<So far I am
not aware of anyone, who died due to a moray eel bite, but I am aware of
some people, who had to go to the hospital, some because of infection,
some because of massive loss of tissue (larger eels). Although most
moray eel bites heal without infection and further problems, I’d stop
hand feeding. Fingers and silversides are not the healthiest diet
anyway. Clam and mussel meat, squid and crustaceans should be used to
alter the diet.>
Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.
<Hope that helps. Cheers, Marco.>
Question on bites
Hi, My name is Phillip and I was wondering if
you could help me out. I live in Miami Florida and yesterday I went
swimming in our community lake with a few friends of mine and about one
hour later we got out and were sitting there and we all started getting
an overwhelming itching sensation all over our bodies from top to
bottom. We then went and all took a shower and washed ourselves from
head to toe with soap and water and nothing. We then went to the drug
store and got aloe and also anti-itch cream it barely helped but the
itching sensation went away very slowly. My four friends and I woke up
this morning and we all had approximately 200 bites all over our body.
They were red bites that looked similar to an ant bite or sea lice or
even a mosquito bite. I was just wondering if you new what happened or
if you know what bit us. I would really appreciate it if we new what we
were bit by. And if you don't know maybe you can give us an idea as to
what it was so I can further research it. Thank you very much.
Phillip
<Likely "Swimmer's itch", aka schistosomal dermatitis. Put
these terms in your search engines. Bob Fenner> Tessalata eel
bit me - is he poisonous
hello
I have a foot and a half long
Tessalata eel (Dragon) and he became a little aggressive during feeding
time (didn't know where finger ended and food began) and sliced my
finger with his teeth. I didn't know if they are poisonous or not. I
am almost 100% sure they are not but please let me know!!
thanks,
Jessica
<Ouch! Not poisonous or venomous, however moray mouths can be
dirty microbially... best to wash the wound site with very warm water
and disinfect with what you would for any open cut... Keep the wound
clean and dry... and have it checked out if it seems to become infected.
Bob Fenner>
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