Spider question???

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Originally Posted by CritterVet

I think if people stop breeding wobbler spiders we can eventually select-out this problem.

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Well, that would be pretty difficult. Even if a Spider doesn't show any wobble at all no matter what (even under a great amount of stress), the wobble can still be there in the genes so if you bred that Spider to something else the offspring could get the wobble.

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Originally Posted by CritterVet

I personally don't believe all spiders are wobblers. I have seen severe cases in which the poor snake would hit his head all the time just trying to get around, and I have seen spiders and spider morphs without any problems at all. I think if people stop breeding wobbler spiders we can eventually select-out this problem. If that's not the case, then perhaps the spider morph doesn't have a place in ethical breeding programs. :2cent:

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Spiders wobble. I don't believe you can "select out" this problem as they all have some level of it. Most of the time when people say "mine doesn't wobble" or "not my Spider" it's because they don't notice the more subtle signs or they don't want to admit that the pricey little snake that they purchased isn't perfect.
With mine I only see it a little at feeding time so I don't see it lowering their quality of life.

Thank you all for your views... I greatly appreciate it... I trust the breeder and her stock completely, I just wanted to be prepared and all my research wasn't giving me enough information... Therefore, I wanted to get some input from those that have experience... I just started my collection and a Spider is a great addition to my collection...
Thank you again to all...

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Originally Posted by CritterVet

In my opinion, it's completely unethical to breed a snake -- or any animal -- with a neurological defect. No one has bothered to do the real scientific research to find out what causes "wobbling" in spider BPs, but considering it's so tightly correlated to the spider phenotype, I would bet the ranch that it's genetic. If snakes had limbs, the effects of this deficit would be more dramatic and quite dreadful to witness. Wobbler kittens, dogs, and calves can barely take a few steps without falling.

I personally don't believe all spiders are wobblers. I have seen severe cases in which the poor snake would hit his head all the time just trying to get around, and I have seen spiders and spider morphs without any problems at all. I think if people stop breeding wobbler spiders we can eventually select-out this problem. If that's not the case, then perhaps the spider morph doesn't have a place in ethical breeding programs. :2cent:

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Who's to say it's neurological? My personal belief is that it's more of an equilibrium issue than a neurological one.

And I personally do believe all spiders carry this trait and that it's genetically linked to the spider gene, in varying degrees of severity. People have been talking about breeding only non-wobblers (but there's no such thing) since spiders first came on the scene, and no one has been able to produce a line of non-wobblers.

My three (soon to be four) spiders all have a minor wobble, generally displayed when they are excited. It has not impeded their ability to VERY effectively hunt, eat, poop, shed, breed etc, therefore, I don't view it as a defect, but rather a behavior of the spider gene. I don't believe that their mental capacity is affected in any way. I have no ethical delimma breeding these beautiful animals and sharing what I know about them and the wobble trait with my customers.

An "equilibrium issue" is neurological. There are a couple areas in the brain responsible for balance, and the brain and spinal cord work together for maintaining posture and righting reflexes. "Wobblers" have been known in other species for a long time, and in some cases it is due to cerebellar hypoplasia -- underdevelopment of the cerebellum, which is part of the brain. To my knowledge, no one has examined wobbler BPs to determine the exact mechanism, but it's definitely a neurological defect.

It is my firm belief that we should breed for health over beauty or else we will end up with genetic disasters like has happened in dog & cat breeding.

My male spider has a very bad corkscrew. He does it mostly when he's hungry, but you should see him at bath time.:) I have to give him a bath in a smaller container cuz he is way bad in the normal bath. He eats great and never turns down a meal. But all in all he is a great bp and that little corkscrew gives him his personality and he always makes me laugh.

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Originally Posted by waltah!

Spiders wobble. I don't believe you can "select out" this problem as they all have some level of it. Most of the time when people say "mine doesn't wobble" or "not my Spider" it's because they don't notice the more subtle signs or they don't want to admit that the pricey little snake that they purchased isn't perfect.
With mine I only see it a little at feeding time so I don't see it lowering their quality of life.

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I can honestly say the spider at my house (my girlfriends) doesn't wobble at all. im not in denial about anything and i don't think it makes her better than any other spider. but feeding time or anything, she doesn't do it at all. do i expect some of her offspring to do it, of corse. even if she did wooble would i care? not at all. but when we first got her, i was looking very closely for signs, still to this day i see nothing.

I have a jag carpet which is more pricey than the spider that does have slight woobles, just kind does it when she cruising around, nothing seems to trigger it. shes just that way.

I've never herd of a wooble affecting the snakes til the point they can't eat. so why does this question get brought up all the time, like its a bad thing? it just makes them different. whats a morph anyway, something different.

If in fact the wobble or spin is a genetic defect then in theory all of the Spiders ever produced should have it since the original Spider that Kevin brought in from Africa was the only one ever, to my knowledge, and he spins and wobbles.

Now I'm not saying there is anything wrong with them, it's just their characteristic. Some do it at feeding time but most do it in the middle of the night. Go check on them in the middle of the night and you will see them do some crazy stuff.

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Originally Posted by rjs73

Go check on them in the middle of the night and you will see them do some crazy stuff.

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That's when my bee displays it the most. Once the main lights are off and just my reading lamp is on I can see her wobbling. She does it @ feeding as well but not as severe. But in handling and during daytime she doesn't show any signs.

I never saw my first spider wobble at all. I read about wobble but I didn't see it first hand so I wasn't really sure what everyone was talking about. Then I got a chance to see some of his offspring with the classic spider wobble & corkscrew.