Why the heck do people keep breeding spider morphs?

Just to chime in. I had a Phantom Spider that was extremely "wobbly." He was about 2 years old and was able to eat (though he would only eat live and needed some time with the rodent before he would get it). He would basically do somersaults all the time and looked a lot like the severe wobble seen on youtube. What was strange is that the vet thought he had renal problems as well. He drank whatever water I would give him and would urinate constantly. I had to limit his water intake because of it. He ended up catching an RI and died while on antibiotics. I feel like he was unhealthy to begin with and I had gotten him from a breeder who I realized later was pretty shady. It was a lesson learned. My question is, if some of these gene combos produce neurological defects (like wobble), wouldn't there be the possibility of it producing other defects as well?

Personally, I avoid the spider gene and anything else associated with the wobble as there are plenty of other pretty morphs out there that don't appear to have the defect.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BPGator

What do you consider an "extreme spider condition"?

---

An animal that is corkscrewing continually when moving/disturbed and having trouble eating.
Warren

There are no serious problems with the spider gene. If your referring to the wobble, that does not effect them eating or living a normal life. Even if the wobble was horrible and you breed the snake that does not mean the babies will have a bad wobble.

Warren, Ive seen spiders with horrible "corkscrewing" and still having no problems eating whatsoever.

Its entirely up to you (any individual) how you select your animals to breed. I simply choose a different route of selecting the best quality animals. If it comes to something with spider, I will simply not breed an animal with extreme corkscrewing. I do not consider the extreme corkscrewing and tweaked nature of some spiders an attractive phenotype, and therefore I will avoid breeding animals that are extreme. I want my breeding animals to represent my animals for sale, and therefore I select only the best animals, whether its a ball python or a boa. Breeding is a hobby, and therefore I can choose to be very selective.

Warren

Something to consider when breeding spider anything.

A spider w little wobble can still create a baby w major issues..just as, one w major issues, can throw babies w little issues such a minor wobble.

So, its not possible to breed spider gene and know without a doubt if some or all of that clutch is or isnt affected w the neuro issues seen in spider gene snakes, muchless any ability to determine the severity of their issues until later.

Furthermore, a snake that exhibits no issues, can develop them as it matures, the extremity is only left to be determined later. A snake showing issues can also "outgrow" its issues.

The spider gene has been around awhile.. These are the things we know about it to date. Always has been like this. You cannot breed the neuro issues out.

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk