Morph Hardiness

Hello All,

This is my first post here, and I have a question about morphs. First of all, I do not have a BP yet. I do have two corns and a beardie, so I would consider myself semi-experienced in keeping reptiles and am aware of all the special considerations when keeping these types of animals.

My question is: Is there any proven information on certain morphs causing any changes to the hardiness of the pet. For instance, I know I have read that the Spider gene is linked to worse head bobbing which is a neurological disorder. Any information on this would be appreciated. I am trying to gather all the facts so that when I do purchase my BP, I am making an informed purchase.

Thanks

its my understanding that not all spiders have head wobbles, correct me if im wrong guys. but i would do a good deal of breeder shopping if you can

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Originally Posted by Tannerrrtx

its my understanding that not all spiders have head wobbles, correct me if im wrong guys. but i would do a good deal of breeder shopping if you can

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All spiders have the wobble to some extent. Some are just more obvious than others.

Exactly. Some spiders have head wobble worse than others, and some you can barely tell. My advice is if you go to an expo to buy, ask a lot of questions to the vendor you a purchasing from. Ask them about their health, how well they feed, their weight, when their last shed was, etc. If the breeder seems like they know what they are doing and seem genuine then take the leap into morphs! Just make sure you quarantine your new guy from the rest of your collection for a minimum of 90 days, just in case!

This one will be in the bedroom when we get him, the two corns are in the living room. The beardie will be on the other side of the bedroom from him. Should this be adequate?

I would like to also add to the OP, do not let the "wobble" stop you from getting a spider gene animal. The wobble is not a bad thing at all. I actually think they have a little more personality because of it.

There is a whole thread about the quarantine process its rather long but a good read if you can find it. And what Rob said, don't let the "wobble" stop you from getting a spider, I just purchased my first one on Sunday, and she is the nicest little girl I've ever had. She does have a little wobble, and its kind of weird to see but so far she's fine. Just need to get her to eat (today is feeding day).

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...antine-process Here you go, forgot I had it in my favorites.

I agree with rob, don't let the wobble sway you. The Spider
gene is awesome.

I agree about spiders. Its part of their "quirkiness" that we all love. Id say, go for a bee! If its just a pet, get a nice male bee...you can find them pretty cheap now, and he would make for a gorgeous show animal. And he will bring you many many years of adorable yet quirky pet pleasure! :D

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Originally Posted by mauler5858

My question is: Is there any proven information on certain morphs causing any changes to the hardiness of the pet.

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While a desert female would make a nice pet, a breeder probably won't touch one.
http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...g-got-anywhere
http://www.albeysreptiles.com/desert07_1.htm

As for the spider gene, I have two females with it, a spinner (spider x pinstripe) and a bumble bee (spider x pastel). No wobbles, issues righting themselves if turned over, problems eating, etc. but I've noticed both like to hang from stuff and "corkscrew" their head/neck, almost like a tree python. It makes them fun to watch.

I have several with the Spider gene, and only one (Fire Spider) is at all a weirdo. She is a nut, but does great with all aspects of life.

Here is a short article I wrote a while back:

http://www.ballpythoncare.net/along-came-a-spider/

i always use this as reference:

http://www.owalreptiles.com/issues.php

Morph | Issue
Spider | Wobble
Woma | Wobble
Hidden Gene Woma | Wobble
Champagne | Wobble
Super Sable | Wobble
Powerball | Wobble
Sable x Spider | Difficult to hatch, severe wobble
Champagne x Hidden Gene Woma | Severe wobble
Champagne x Spider | Lethal
Pearl | Normally Lethal
Super Champagne | Lethal
Desert | Female fertility issues
Caramel Albino | Kinking and female sub-fertility
Super Cinnamon/Super Black Pastel | Duckbill & rare kinking
Super Lesser Platinum/Super Butter | Bug eyes
Banana / Coral Glow | Males produce weird sex ratios
Homozygous Spider | Mysteriously non-existent


But this is just a place to start. anything that says "lethal" or "normally lethal" or "severe wobble" must be avoided, apart from that its different for every morph mentioned. But then breeders just avoid producing them and/or wont sell them.

For example, super lesser / super butter eye-issue, not a real problem, its not less sturdy as a pet. Also, and this goes for all morphs on the list: if only the super is mentioned, but the normal form is not mentioned at all, then there will be no issues with the normals, or with combos containing the morph only once. lesser mojave or butter mojave or lesser mystic or butter mystic or lesser het russo or butter het russo all are beautiful white snakes with blue eyes, so you can easily avoid it and still make these beautiful all-white snakes.

or the banana/coral glow "issue", for non-breeders it is not an issue at all, it doesnt impact the health of any animal. Its just that these clutches where all males look normal and all females look like coral glows freak breeders out.... But by now it has been figured out. Its just some weird interference with the presence or absence of the sex-determining chromosome.

With desert its a real issue, but one that actually is a benefit if you just want one awesome-looking pet snake. Females are infertile, worse than that, if you try to breed them you run into health issues during egg production, potentially deadly. Apart from that they are perfectly fine pet, and they are a chance to get a double or triple-gene snake with blockbuster optics at a steal price. Male deserts are fine as breeders and also are healthy. If you do not want to breed in the future, a desert female (with other genes added) is something to look for.


The one common thing you really need to know about is the wobble. some like it, some avoid it, i personally avoid it, but you see, most other people disagree with me here :D. Its a neuro issue, normally snakes keep their head horizontal and untilted at all times. So if you find a snake lying around with its head upside-down, its either dead, or its a perfectly fine spider trying to confuse you and freak you out. Wobble is unpredictable, sometimes unnoticeable sometimes severe, but even snakes with severe wobble are otherwise healthy in captivity. What it does in addition is it just seems to make the snakes better pets, more inquisitive and more interesting. It changes the character.

Now, I've only OWNED two BP's for a short time now, but I do work at a pet store and have watched over PB's for a man who was on vacation. The only morph differences I have noticed were that the lighter color morphs (bumblebee, axanthic, etc) tended to be a little shyer. But thats just my experience.

I appreciate the information. I am possibly leaning towards a Mojave.