Question: DrBecks, you are a new-founded role model of mine. I would just like to ask if you know any information about baltoids/rays? they are my favourite sea life animal. Is it possible to get a pet one? I want to get one and call it ray after ray charles :D

Rebecca von Hellfeld answered on 1 May 2025:

Hey there, that is such a kind message to read, I don’t think anyone has ever called me their role model! 🙂 I’m glad you had fun in the chat, I really enjoyed all your questions!

I absolutely love rays! They look so majestic when they swim! They have a similar hunting process to sharks, by relying on electroreception, which is particularly useful in murky waters. Given than some of the can have a wing span of more than 20 feet, I don’t suggest keeping them as a pet. I also hear that you need quite the big bathtub, and they have a varied diet, so that would get super expensive too. But I totally understand, I would love to have cool animals at home that I can just take care of and observe. Living your name idea! If I had a pet ray, I would call it Swim Shady. Or maybe ArRay Potter 🙂

Now, if you want pet-alternatives to rays, you can go with smaller cousins that are in the balitoid family (hillstream or kuhli loaches, for example). They are fresh water fish and apparently easy enough to care for. If you are dead set on having a ray though, I suggest you check out the Manta Trust! You can actually adopt a manta there, where they give you a letter about your manta, a poster, and loads of cool other things! Some of them are also still looking for names, so you can put your creativity with naming to good use 😉 Might be a fun birthday gift to ask for?