What specifically is it that causes the wobble that spiders carry?

[Serpent_Nirvana]

Nah, I was mostly joking about the autoimmune thing -- the current theory on narcolepsy/Parkinson's hypocretin deficiency is autoimmune, which is why I said it. (I think in some cases it's a bit of a "cop-out" explanation, so it was meant in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way ... Like, "Okay, great, the body is attacking itself -- but WHY?!")

It would be interesting, though, to compile information from various spider owners about the progression of their pets' signs. I've heard of a lot of animals that have developed the "wobble" later in life; I have one girl who had never done anything "loopy," then just the other day I saw her spinning a bit in her cage. I remember awhile ago there was a proven spider female for sale for a very low price because she had never done anything neuro in her life, then laid her clutch and started wobbling.

At the same time, you hear of plenty of little wobblers and spinners right out of the egg ... Has anyone ever had a spider that improved with age?

[Russ Lawson]

Nah, I was mostly joking about the autoimmune thing -- the current theory on narcolepsy/Parkinson's hypocretin deficiency is autoimmune, which is why I said it. (I think in some cases it's a bit of a "cop-out" explanation, so it was meant in a tongue-in-cheek sort of way ... Like, "Okay, great, the body is attacking itself -- but WHY?!")

It would be interesting, though, to compile information from various spider owners about the progression of their pets' signs. I've heard of a lot of animals that have developed the "wobble" later in life; I have one girl who had never done anything "loopy," then just the other day I saw her spinning a bit in her cage. I remember awhile ago there was a proven spider female for sale for a very low price because she had never done anything neuro in her life, then laid her clutch and started wobbling.

At the same time, you hear of plenty of little wobblers and spinners right out of the egg ... Has anyone ever had a spider that improved with age?

My bumblebee improved with age. He had a very slight wobble when I got him, but after a few months, it was pretty much gone. Now he'll only occasionally wobble just for a second if he's startled, or sometimes while feeding. This is a rare occurrence anymore though. I've heard of both sides though - some animals wobbles worsening, then others improving - as they age.

[kitedemon]

From my experience all spiders have a little wobble some very slight but there it may become more pronounced over time or less pronounced but it seems to always be there. The odd thing is a spider normal cross the spider offspring all have a wobble but the normals do not all all. It seems to be a genetic transmitted that is linked to the spider colouration. It could be a deficiency as suggested but then I'd expect to see most hatchlings with little to no visible wobble and most adults with a pronounced one but that does not seem to be the case. Interesting and kinda sad, my spider have no visible wobble unless in feeding mode or stressed a bit he lets me know when he has had enough handling...

[bad-one]

My spider female barely wobbles any more. She used to wobble every feeding and sometimes during handling and I havn't seen it in some time. She still lightly corkscrews in the cage, but not like she used to (I've only seen major corkscrewing when put in a new cage, like when I upgraded the size of her tub).

I'm glad the spider wobble, unlike enigma wobble/spinning, doesn't affect quality of life. (at least imo)

[wstphal]

Not always. I've known people who hatched out spiders that didn't have a wobble for quite some time, and then it just popped up out of nowhere... But yeah, a lot of them do hatch like that, so it's probably not autoimmune.

I guess I got wrong info then. I was told they had it from hatch but that it was more or less noticeable. Thanks!

And I do agree that when we can't figure something out in healthcare, we do tend to say, "oh, it's autoimmune." It serves several purposes. One is the patient or owner wants a reason, and the other is it gives us an excuse to give steroids, and corticosteroids usually seem to make vertebrates feel better even though they are often detrimental.