Spider Research SURVEY Please participate!

[Morphie]

Before you fill out a survey, please read everything!! If you skip reading the instructions, i will know! If this happens, i can not count your answers and your time will be wasted

Thanks to everyone who has participated so far.

Below is a survey consisting of about 20 questions. If you have the time and patience, please fill out the survey by copying and pasting it into a reply to the thread, and type in an answer for each question for each of the spiders you own. If you answer the questions for multiple spiders (let's say you own three) please give me their names or a number you've assigned to them with each answer so i don't get their data mixed up.



Example:

"Snakeyspiderpants" is #1
"Snake-ette" is #2

How big is your snake (in grams?)

#1 48 g
#2 4000 g

How old is your snake?

#1 15 days
#2 21 years
****************************

This survey is just for SPIDERS in YOUR COLLECTION. No crosses, and no snakes you intend to sell PLEASE and THANK YOU!

Please do not fill out this survey for spider crosses (bees, etc.) There will be a separate survey for these animals. Thank you!

Feel free to omit any information you don't wish to share, but ***please*** try to keep your answers as accurate as possible! Finally, when you finish your survey type the word tigerlily at the end to prove that you read all associated instructions. Your data will not be counted unless you do this.

Yet again, thank you for your time. I can not adequately express my appreciation!

On to the survey (copy and paste the following)

1. Firstly, How did you find this Survey (you may omit this answer if you're answering here - this one is for those who fill out the survey on my livejournal and elsewhere)

2. What is your name/nickname/tag there? Or else please leave me an email address if you're willing to share more specific information (again you may omit this if you're answering here).

3. How old is your spider?

4. What sex is your spider?

5. How much does your spider weigh in grams?

6. From whom/where did you purchase your spider? If you have information about the spider's pedigree, please provide it here.

7. If your spider is big enough to breed, have you attempted to breed it? (if you answer yes to this question, I will likely attempt to follow up with more questions for you through whatever contact info i have for you.)

8. If your spider is *not* big enough to breed, do you intend to attempt breeding later?

9. What do you feed your spider? (please tell me the type of food offered, its approximate size, and whether it is live/pk/ft)

10. How often do you feed your spider?

11. On a scale of 1-10 rate how regularly your spider eats during the warm months. (1 being not at all and 10 being every time food is offered)

12. Does your spider have a noticeable head tilt (head is cocked to one side when lifted/not resting on a stable surface)? If yes, is this intermittent or constant?

13. Does your spider "wobble" (unable to hold still when head is lifted/not resting on a stable surface) If yes, is this intermittent or constant?

14. Has your spider ever displayed unusual movement behaviors such as appearing confused or panicked for no obvious reason, slithering in weird directions, flipping upside down or rolling? If yes, please describe the behavior in detail.

15. If you answered yes to 14, how old was your spider when it started? Approximately how much did your spider weigh in grams when it started?

16. If you answered yes to 14, on a scale of 1-10 how often does this behavior occur? 1 being it's only ever happened once, 10 being it happens constantly.

17. yes or no, have you ever had any non-spider snake (non-spider means no spiders or crosses that involve spiders) exhibit wobbling, head-tilting, or motor problems? If yes, what is the morphological background of this snake? (Please do not count cases of snakes that had this problem due to an injury or illness such as IBD. I'm looking for otherwise healthy/normally functioning snakes.)

18. Please briefly describe each aspect of your spider's living quarters. Please provide information about the enclosure material (glass, plastic etc), substrate material, presence of hides, and your target temps/humidity.

19. How many days a week do you handle your spider? And for approx. how long?

20. How many ball pythons are in your total collection (snakes you don't intend to sell)? and are you a hobbyist, breeder, or professional breeder?

21. prove that you read the instructions before starting:



This concludes the survey for now. I may attempt to get in touch with individuals again later for additional data depending on your answers. Thanks again for your help!!

THANK YOU!

[Enve]

3. How old is your spider? 1.5yrs old

4. What sex is your spider? Male

5. How much does your spider weigh in grams? 425g

6. From whom/where did you purchase your spider? If you have information about the spider's pedigree, please provide it here. 8 Ball Pythons

7. If your spider is big enough to breed, have you attempted to breed it? (if you answer yes to this question, I will likely attempt to follow up with more questions for you through whatever contact info i have for you.) He's paired with my normal female at the moment

8. If your spider is *not* big enough to breed, do you intend to attempt breeding later?

9. What do you feed your spider? (please tell me the type of food offered, its approximate size, and whether it is live/pk/ft) 1-2 live Large mice weekly

10. How often do you feed your spider? Weekly

11. On a scale of 1-10 rate how regularly your spider eats during the warm months. (1 being not at all and 10 being every time food is offered) 10

12. Does your spider have a noticeable head tilt (head is cocked to one side when lifted/not resting on a stable surface)? If yes, is this intermittent or constant? Yes, occasionally

13. Does your spider "wobble" (unable to hold still when head is lifted/not resting on a stable surface) If yes, is this intermittent or constant? Yes, occasionally

14. Has your spider ever displayed unusual movement behaviors such as appearing confused or panicked for no obvious reason, slithering in weird directions, flipping upside down or rolling? If yes, please describe the behavior in detail. No

15. If you answered yes to 14, how old was your spider when it started? About 8 months Approximately how much did your spider weigh in grams when it started? 225g maybe, not too sure

16. If you answered yes to 14, on a scale of 1-10 how often does this behavior occur? 1 being it's only ever happened once, 10 being it happens constantly. 2

17. yes or no, have you ever had any non-spider snake (non-spider means no spiders or crosses that involve spiders) exhibit wobbling, head-tilting, or motor problems? If yes, what is the morphological background of this snake? (Please do not count cases of snakes that had this problem due to an injury or illness such as IBD. I'm looking for otherwise healthy/normally functioning snakes.) No

18. Please briefly describe each aspect of your spider's living quarters. Please provide information about the enclosure material (glass, plastic etc), substrate material, presence of hides, and your target temps/humidity. Tub in a rack, aspen as of recent was on newspaper, 2 hides, 92 & 84 with around 55% humidity

19. How many days a week do you handle your spider? And for approx. how long? 1-2 times a week for about 15 min

20. How many ball pythons are in your total collection (snakes you don't intend to sell)? and are you a hobbyist, breeder, or professional breeder? 3, but will have 4 in about 2 hours. Hobbyist, eventually to be breeder

21. prove that you read the instructions before starting: tigerlily

[WingedWolfPsion]

1. Firstly, How did you find this Survey (you may omit this answer if you're answering here - this one is for those who fill out the survey on my livejournal and elsewhere)

2. What is your name/nickname/tag there? Or else please leave me an email address if you're willing to share more specific information (again you may omit this if you're answering here).
wingedwolfpsion@gmail.com


3. How old is your spider? Hatched 07/09/2007

4. What sex is your spider? Male

5. How much does your spider weigh in grams? 981 grams as of 10/04/2008

6. From whom/where did you purchase your spider? If you have information about the spider's pedigree, please provide it here.
Ballistic Morphs. I also have his mother, and will be proving out a possible recessive trait.

7. If your spider is big enough to breed, have you attempted to breed it? (if you answer yes to this question, I will likely attempt to follow up with more questions for you through whatever contact info i have for you.)
Just began this season, but no activity yet.

8. If your spider is *not* big enough to breed, do you intend to attempt breeding later?

9. What do you feed your spider? (please tell me the type of food offered, its approximate size, and whether it is live/pk/ft)
He will eat pk up to medium rat size--honestly, he will eat almost anything. lol He gets small ft rats generally.

10. How often do you feed your spider?
Every 5 days, but scaling back to every 7 days now.

11. On a scale of 1-10 rate how regularly your spider eats during the warm months. (1 being not at all and 10 being every time food is offered)
9, he's missed only 5 meals in the entire time I've had him.


12. Does your spider have a noticeable head tilt (head is cocked to one side when lifted/not resting on a stable surface)? If yes, is this intermittent or constant?
Yes--I think it's intermittant

13. Does your spider "wobble" (unable to hold still when head is lifted/not resting on a stable surface) If yes, is this intermittent or constant?
Yes--intermittant

14. Has your spider ever displayed unusual movement behaviors such as appearing confused or panicked for no obvious reason, slithering in weird directions, flipping upside down or rolling? If yes, please describe the behavior in detail.
Although his movements appear a little awkward sometimes, he hasn't done anything as bizarre as what's described here. He frequently misses when striking at food.

15. If you answered yes to 14, how old was your spider when it started? Approximately how much did your spider weigh in grams when it started?

16. If you answered yes to 14, on a scale of 1-10 how often does this behavior occur? 1 being it's only ever happened once, 10 being it happens constantly.

17. yes or no, have you ever had any non-spider snake (non-spider means no spiders or crosses that involve spiders) exhibit wobbling, head-tilting, or motor problems? If yes, what is the morphological background of this snake? (Please do not count cases of snakes that had this problem due to an injury or illness such as IBD. I'm looking for otherwise healthy/normally functioning snakes.)
No

18. Please briefly describe each aspect of your spider's living quarters. Please provide information about the enclosure material (glass, plastic etc), substrate material, presence of hides, and your target temps/humidity.
Sterlite bin in an Animal Plastics rack, 1 water bowl/hide (which he appears perfectly capable of moving around to suit his temp preference), and a basking spot of 90F. Humidity unknown, I spray the bins when they go opaque, and have never had a bad shed.

19. How many days a week do you handle your spider? And for approx. how long?
2 to 4 times a week, for a few minutes at a time. Occasionally (once a month or so) he will be taken out for 20 minutes or so.

20. How many ball pythons are in your total collection (snakes you don't intend to sell)? and are you a hobbyist, breeder, or professional breeder?
I have about 30 snakes at the moment, and I am a professional breeder.

21. prove that you read the instructions before starting: tigerlilly

[Argentra]

3. How old is your spider? 5 months

4. What sex is your spider? Female

5. How much does your spider weigh in grams? 274g

6. From whom/where did you purchase your spider? If you have information about the spider's pedigree, please provide it here.
I got her from a Reptile Expo. She was bred by a small-time breeder, parents were spider and pastel.

7. If your spider is big enough to breed, have you attempted to breed it? N/A

8. If your spider is *not* big enough to breed, do you intend to attempt breeding later? Yes.

9. What do you feed your spider? (please tell me the type of food offered, its approximate size, and whether it is live/pk/ft) She eats mostly FT (occasional PK) small adult mice.

10. How often do you feed your spider? Every 5 days

11. On a scale of 1-10 rate how regularly your spider eats during the warm months. (1 being not at all and 10 being every time food is offered) Since I got her in August and live in Colorado, I can't accurately answer that, but she has NEVER missed a meal.

12. Does your spider have a noticeable head tilt (head is cocked to one side when lifted/not resting on a stable surface)? If yes, is this intermittent or constant? No tilt

13. Does your spider "wobble" (unable to hold still when head is lifted/not resting on a stable surface) If yes, is this intermittent or constant? Slight wobble, more noticeable the higher she lifts her head. Fairly constant, but light.

14. Has your spider ever displayed unusual movement behaviors such as appearing confused or panicked for no obvious reason, slithering in weird directions, flipping upside down or rolling? If yes, please describe the behavior in detail. No

15. If you answered yes to 14, how old was your spider when it started? Approximately how much did your spider weigh in grams when it started? N/A

16. If you answered yes to 14, on a scale of 1-10 how often does this behavior occur? 1 being it's only ever happened once, 10 being it happens constantly. N/A

17. yes or no, have you ever had any non-spider snake (non-spider means no spiders or crosses that involve spiders) exhibit wobbling, head-tilting, or motor problems? If yes, what is the morphological background of this snake? No

18. Please briefly describe each aspect of your spider's living quarters. Please provide information about the enclosure material (glass, plastic etc), substrate material, presence of hides, and your target temps/humidity. 10g tank fully insulated. Hide on each end, aspen substrate, humidity ranges 52-64, Temps= 93/83.

19. How many days a week do you handle your spider? And for approx. how long? At least once a week for cleaning, often only five minutes max. Currently still in QT.

20. How many ball pythons are in your total collection (snakes you don't intend to sell)? and are you a hobbyist, breeder, or professional breeder? I have 8 Ball pythons and intend to be a small-time breeder.

21. prove that you read the instructions before starting: tigerlily

[Morphie]

Thank you to everyone who has posted replies so far!! This information is really valuable and I hope that more people will reply so i can get a good sample.

Do it for the spiders!

[Blue Apple Herps]

1. Firstly, How did you find this Survey (you may omit this answer if you're answering here - this one is for those who fill out the survey on my livejournal and elsewhere)Browsing the forums.

2. What is your name/nickname/tag there? Or else please leave me an email address if you're willing to share more specific information (again you may omit this if you're answering here).Blueapplepaste

3. How old is your spider?~16 months

4. What sex is your spider?female

5. How much does your spider weigh in grams?957 empty (just weighed tonight)

6. From whom/where did you purchase your spider? If you have information about the spider's pedigree, please provide it here.RMJ Reptiles

7. If your spider is big enough to breed, have you attempted to breed it? (if you answer yes to this question, I will likely attempt to follow up with more questions for you through whatever contact info i have for you.)Still too small

8. If your spider is *not* big enough to breed, do you intend to attempt breeding later?Yes.

9. What do you feed your spider? (please tell me the type of food offered, its approximate size, and whether it is live/pk/ft)F/t small rats

10. How often do you feed your spider?Once a week

11. On a scale of 1-10 rate how regularly your spider eats during the warm months. (1 being not at all and 10 being every time food is offered)10, except when she's in shed, then she doesn't eat.

12. Does your spider have a noticeable head tilt (head is cocked to one side when lifted/not resting on a stable surface)? If yes, is this intermittent or constant?Not really

13. Does your spider "wobble" (unable to hold still when head is lifted/not resting on a stable surface) If yes, is this intermittent or constant?A little bit. Really only does it when you're holding her and she cranes her head out out to the open, then she "corkscrews". But mostly is normal

14. Has your spider ever displayed unusual movement behaviors such as appearing confused or panicked for no obvious reason, slithering in weird directions, flipping upside down or rolling? If yes, please describe the behavior in detail.Not that I've observed.

15. If you answered yes to 14, how old was your spider when it started? Approximately how much did your spider weigh in grams when it started?

16. If you answered yes to 14, on a scale of 1-10 how often does this behavior occur? 1 being it's only ever happened once, 10 being it happens constantly.

17. yes or no, have you ever had any non-spider snake (non-spider means no spiders or crosses that involve spiders) exhibit wobbling, head-tilting, or motor problems? If yes, what is the morphological background of this snake? (Please do not count cases of snakes that had this problem due to an injury or illness such as IBD. I'm looking for otherwise healthy/normally functioning snakes.)They all have their quirks, but nothing like what spiders have.

18. Please briefly describe each aspect of your spider's living quarters. Please provide information about the enclosure material (glass, plastic etc), substrate material, presence of hides, and your target temps/humidity.32 qt tub with aspen bedding, water bowl, and hide. Temps at 92 warm and ~86 cool (fluxuates a few degrees with room temp). Humidity is usually around 50-60%

19. How many days a week do you handle your spider? And for approx. how long?Usually once a week during cage cleaning for ~ 10-15 min.

20. How many ball pythons are in your total collection (snakes you don't intend to sell)? and are you a hobbyist, breeder, or professional breeder?7 ball pythons. I'd call myself a hobbyist who breeds.

21. prove that you read the instructions before starting: tigerlilly

[sjsexotics]

1. Firstly, How did you find this Survey (you may omit this answer if you're answering here - this one is forN?A those who fill out the survey on my livejournal and elsewhere)

2. What is your name/nickname/tag there? Or else please leave me an email address if you're willing to share more specific information (again you may omit this if you're answering here).Sheenaschlytter@gmail.com

Yosimite#1
Trispot#2

3. How old is your spider?both 2008

4. What sex is your spider? both males

5. How much does your spider weigh in grams??#1-425g #2 110g


6. From whom/where did you purchase your spider? If you have information about the spider's pedigree, please provide it here.#1kangaskritters #2 joeellisreptiles

7. If your spider is big enough to breed, have you attempted to breed it? (if you answer yes to this question, I will likely attempt to follow up with more questions for you through whatever contact info i have for you.)nope

8. If your spider is *not* big enough to breed, do you intend to attempt breeding later?yes

9. What do you feed your spider? (please tell me the type of food offered, its approximate size, and whether it is live/pk/ft)both eat anything but I mainly feed live rat pups

10. How often do you feed your spider?both are feed ever five days

11. On a scale of 1-10 rate how regularly your spider eabits during the warm months. (1 being not at all and 10 being every time food is offered)both 10

12. Does your spider have a noticeable head tilt (head is cocked to one side when lifted/not resting on a stable surface)? If yes, is this intermittent or constant?#1no #2 no

13. Does your spider "wobble" (unable to hold still when head is lifted/not resting on a stable surface) If yes, is this intermittent or constant?#1no #2 no

14. Has your spider ever displayed unusual movement behaviors such as appearing confused or panicked for no obvious reason, slithering in weird directions, flipping upside down or rolling? If yes, please describe the behavior in detail.no

15. If you answered yes to 14, how old was your spider when it started? Approximately how much did your spider weigh in grams when it started?

16. If you answered yes to 14, on a scale of 1-10 how often does this behavior occur? 1 being it's only ever happened once, 10 being it happens constantly.

17. yes or no, have you ever had any non-spider snake (non-spider means no spiders or crosses that involve spiders) exhibit wobbling, head-tilting, or motor problems? If yes, what is the morphological background of this snake? (Please do not count cases of snakes that had this problem due to an injury or illness such as IBD. I'm looking for otherwise healthy/normally functioning snakes.)yes I had a normal male that would flip upside down and eat upside down

18. Please briefly describe each aspect of your spider's living quarters. Please provide information about the enclosure material (glass, plastic etc), substrate material, presence of hides, and your target temps/humidity.#1 - 32Q plastic tub newspaper and papertowls 91 on hot side 70 -80 cool side humidity 70% #2 6q plastic tube same temps and humidity

19. How many days a week do you handle your spider? And for approx. how long?
1 every day checked on held three times a week about 15 min #2 checked everyday held once a week 15 min

20. How many ball pythons are in your total collection (snakes you don't intend to sell)? and are you a hobbyist, breeder, or professional breeder?5 balls hoobyist

21. prove that you read the instructions before starting:tigerlilly

[starmom]

Hey Morphie~ Could you disclose what this research is for and how it will be used?? I am confused!

[Morphie]

Hey Morphie~ Could you disclose what this research is for and how it will be used?? I am confused!

Starmom,

If i get *enough* information (not sure how much enough is - i need a metric butt load, but i don't think that's a standard unit) i might be able to plot some data that gives me (us) an idea of what to expect from our spiders. What percentage are affected by what severity of spinning disorder at a given age? Are there factors that seem to be associated with expression (sex, temperature, etc.)? Based on what we know about genetics, do the ratios we extract seem to match up to any of mendel's laws, or perhaps it;s something more subtle? With a really huge amount of data, we might even be able to say to what extent it's linked to the spider gene and come up with a detailed proposal for removing it from future generations.

Those are the really ambitious goals of this project. It remains to be seen that they are practical. It's almost entirely contingent on the participation (or lack thereof) of you guys who own these snakes.

In terms of *me* who's heading it, basically it's a fun thing for me to cut my teeth on as an up-and-coming biologist who would like to feel a little more like a responsible morph enthusiast by doing something to try and help us understand what's going on with this particular gene.

So everyone, PLEASE! Fill out a survey! This tiny little wanky project depends on YOU to help it grow!

[starmom]

Wow! You are taking on a lot of variables and this will muddy your outcomes...
I'll fill out the survey for you soon!