Ball Python Spiders

From what I've been told is that spiders have a wobble in their genetics. Why is that? I just got my first one today and was a little surprised about the wobble because I was unaware of ths. He is a beautiful snake and I love him and not complaining. Is there anything that I should be looking for as He gets older?

Wobble is a neurological issues that is connected to the genes that create a spider. they all have it to some degree. I feel that the wobble issue is blown way out of proportion most of the time. very few Spiders have a wobble bad enough to negatively effect their lives. My Spider for example loses a little motor control when he gets really excited... he eats fine, and lives every day just like my other (non-spider) BP's.

Wobble can show up or go away at any time with no warning, as long as he can eat there is nothing to worry about.

It's a neurological disorder. Every spider has it. Some can go unnoticed, while some wobbles will make an entire snake corkscrew. Spiders still thrive and feed fine.

Age may intensify a wobble. But it also may not. Same goes for excitement.

As long as your little guy is healthy and eating fine, I wouldn't worry about anything.

EDIT: Aaron beats me again!!!

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All spiders come from the first one that was imported (by Kevin McCurly I think...). That spider had a wobble, and it since proved to be genetic in all other spiders and spider combos. It's not a big deal, I think of it more as a quirk, as long as it doesn't prevent them from eating, drinking and defecating and still having a good quality of life. It can get better or worse with age, and spiders with minimal wobble can pass on a very strong wobble to offspring, and vice versa. It's completely random as far as we know, and there's no way to tell how it will be as an adult. I love my spider, wobble and all :)

All Spiders carry a genetic trait that makes them a little dingy in the cranium. It's part of their charm.

Yep it's part of what makes them awesome! :)

Womas also wobble, though it's not usually as severe as it is in spiders. I believe that some supers of some of the other morphs also wobble (Powerball, for example).

Any animal with the spider or woma gene as part of its makeup can wobble, but this doesn't, thus far, appear to produce any other adverse health effects or concerns. They don't appear distressed, and show no signs that they're under extra stress. They eat and breed just fine.

I got extremely freaked out when I took my bee home and discovered the wobble. As others have said here... take a deep breath and realize it's fine. They thrive in captivity.

For mine I have found if he's wobbling bad it's usually because temps have changed, he's about to shed and I'm bothering him, or he's extremely hungry. I consider it a positive for me that he shows a clear indication when one of those things is 'off.' It got a LOT less pronounced once I got my husbandry perfect.

They're definitely happy and healthy animals and once I realized that, the spider debate was over for me. In another time and place, a similar behavioral trait would be bred intentionally all individuals. Take a look at a ferret and compare it to the wild version.

Look at domesticated dogs to see how humans have no problems breeding out otherwise negative traits for their own enjoyment. My St. Bernard is going to die at half the age of other dogs and I nor the breeder he came from lost any sleep about it. It's just what a St Bernard does. Spiders wobble. It's all good... and in this case the spider actually doesn't seem to lose any life expectancy, have chronic pain, or anything like that.


Can we raise the thread from the dead where the guy claims the spider wobble is a superior genetic trait and that spiders have evolved in the wild to catch birds using their head as bait, similar to caudal luring? I liked that one.

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Originally Posted by MrLang

Can we raise the thread from the dead where the guy claims the spider wobble is a superior genetic trait and that spiders have evolved in the wild to catch birds using their head as bait, similar to caudal luring? I liked that one.

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Oh man! I'm sorry I missed that thread!

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Originally Posted by Slim

Oh man! I'm sorry I missed that thread!

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Here ya go :gj:! Please put your 2 cents in! I thought it was a really good read :gj:. Very interesting

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...t=spider+trait

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Originally Posted by h00blah

Here ya go :gj:! Please put your 2 cents in! I thought it was a really good read :gj:. Very interesting

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h00blah, thank you for finding that. What a great thread!

Leave it to Mike Cavanaugh not only post an interesting initial hypothesis, but continue to whip up the frenzy for seven pages! I miss him around here.

That thread also reminds me how much I miss Bruce Whitehead. I always enjoyed his take on things.

That was one of the first threads I ever posted on. Bruce hoped I stayed... I stayed! LOL

While they do have the wobble they might be the best eating and breeding Ball pythons in captivity...IMHO;)

I love the Spider Morph!!

I completely agree, Emilio!
My spiders are eating and breeding machines!! I can never have too many spiders.

Thanks to everyone that posted, I got freaked out when I seen the wobble. I love my spider. My bp's are like my babies. I can't wait till
I get my first clutch, lol. This site is great!!! Thanks BP.net:salute:

Well stick around, we always need more people around to enjoy snakes, and share pictures.

Also how the hell did I miss that thread a few months back?

has there ever been a problem with one that had such a bad "wobble" it couldn't eat?

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Originally Posted by luvabully.apbt

has there ever been a problem with one that had such a bad "wobble" it couldn't eat?

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Yes. Some corkscrew so badly, they can't even strike at prey. It would be safe to say most these spiders failed to thrive and probably passed on or were euthanized.

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Originally Posted by luvabully.apbt

has there ever been a problem with one that had such a bad "wobble" it couldn't eat?

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Out of multi thousands of spiders, I have only heard of one person make that claim.