The Spider Morph and the Wobble
All this fuss, but no information! So what’s the deal with the spider morph of ball pythons?
What is the spider morph?
The spider morph and its combos can be characterized by the ropey and drippy dorsal markings. They have a head stamp unique to the morph which makes them easily identifiable. This morph in particular has a neurological disorder associated with it called “the wobble.” It is a dominant gene, therefore it cannot be carried, so the only individuals at risk for wobble are those with the visual characteristics of the spider morph or other specific genes. There are several other morphs that have the same wobble syndrome, but for the sake of this write up, I will only speak of the wobble in terms of the spider morph. The other morphs with wobble are Champagne, Hidden Gene Woma, Woma, Super Sable, Powerball (Spotnose x Spotnose), Super Blackhead, and Super Cypress.
Here are some images of the spider morph and combos to help you better understand the pattern:
What is the spider morph?
The spider morph and its combos can be characterized by the ropey and drippy dorsal markings. They have a head stamp unique to the morph which makes them easily identifiable. This morph in particular has a neurological disorder associated with it called “the wobble.” It is a dominant gene, therefore it cannot be carried, so the only individuals at risk for wobble are those with the visual characteristics of the spider morph or other specific genes. There are several other morphs that have the same wobble syndrome, but for the sake of this write up, I will only speak of the wobble in terms of the spider morph. The other morphs with wobble are Champagne, Hidden Gene Woma, Woma, Super Sable, Powerball (Spotnose x Spotnose), Super Blackhead, and Super Cypress.
Here are some images of the spider morph and combos to help you better understand the pattern:
What is the “wobble?”
Wobble can be characterized by head twisting (referred to as “corkscrewing”), as well as intermittent head swaying, which can be nearly unnoticeable or make the snake appear as though they have lost coordination. The best way to describe wobble is to view it.
Here are some examples:
Corkscrewing
Corkscrewing
Swaying
Head shaking and corkscrewing
The spider morph and all resulting combos are tied to a neurological disorder that results in “wobble” syndrome. This can manifest from barely noticeable to so severe the animal will fail to thrive and will require euthanasia. The amount of the wobble is random and can change in severity at any point in the animals life (some only during feeding, some females will develop a more severe wobble after breeding, some born with a severe wobble, and some barely have any trouble their whole lives). Breeding an individual with almost no wobble can still produce babies with bad wobble.
More over the wobble issue is thought to be directly associated with development, so every spider morph has it regardless of whether or not the keeper has seen the wobble. Those who claim otherwise simply do not know better/haven’t seen it themselves.
The hypothesis is the spider gene is not just a gene that affects pattern, but rather causes an error in the neural crest during embryonic growth. The neural crest is responsible for depositing pigment as well as making sure neurons end up in the correct places. The spider morph affects where the pigment is deposited, giving it that typical drippy look, but at the same time prevents neurons from migrating to their normal places in the body thusly causing the neurological disorder.
While the pattern and neural cells correlate, it can be assumed that one does not cause the other. Many spiders have low spider physical traits and still may have severe wobble, whereas some will have high physical traits with no wobble. The expression of pattern itself does not dictate the severity of the wobble, nor does the wobble dictate the extent of pattern. This is also what may cause such variability of wobble between individual animals. Development varies considerably for every organism, therefore the wobble varies as well.
Why do some consider this a problem?
The wobble may impact the snake’s ability to thrive and do natural behaviors. Issues such as “side-to side head tremors, incoordination, erratic corkscrewing of the head and neck, inhibited righting reflex, torticollis (neck spasms), poor muscle tone, and loose grip with the tail” as well as difficulty striking and eating prey have all been reported in the spider morph (Rose). These are obvious health concerns that are not naturally found in the ball python, nor in most other morphs (some exceptions). While we cannot make assumptions about their happiness, we can see why this is could be stress inducing for the animal. The article goes on to say “where welfare science respondents perceived a moderate-high welfare impact intensity associated with the wobble condition, the rationale was often stated as likely frustration associated with impaired ability to perform species-appropriate behaviours…” which basically states that the welfare of snakes with the spider gene are negatively impacted by the neurological disorder for the reasons stated above (Rose). They are unable to have normal ball python lives and complete their natural behaviors.
Furthermore, the wobble periodically worsens during stimulating or stressful activities, such as during feeding or handling. It has been observed that the wobble may have a positive feedback loop as well, meaning that the wobble worsens as the snake begins to wobble more.
Where did the spider morph come from?
The spider came from a single wild-caught individual imported by NERD in 1999 (Angelo). I contacted NERD for further information and they stated he was a sub-adult male with a wobble.
Which ball python morphs have spider in them?
With over 4000 morphs and combinations, it would be truly impossible for me to go through and list every type that contains spider, but there are a few guidelines that may help. Any morph that has the word “bee” in it will contain spider. It is always good to use the World of Ball Pythons mega morph list to search and see if the morph you are interested in contains spider. You can also ask the breeder!
A ball python must have the visual characteristics of the morph to have the wobble syndrome. Therefore, if you pair a spider to another morph which produces non-spider morphs, they will not be afflicted. In other words, if a pinstripe and a spider were bred and produced a pinstripe, spider, spinner, and normal, not all the animals would have the wobble. The pinstripe and normal morphs do not have the spider pattern, therefore they will not have the wobble even though one of its parents was a spider. The spider and spinner morphs, however, will have a wobble because they directly contain the spider gene. We will learn why later.
Why are spider morphs bred?
Here is a list of the arguments for the continued breeding of spiders.
-They are very pretty as single genes and combos
-The wobble is cute
-It’s not that bad
-The morph is popular and therefore will bring in more money
-Spiders are common and therefore easy to find and inexpensive
-Everyone else is breeding them so I can too
-If they don’t buy spiders from me they are going to find them somewhere else anyway
-They are one of the founding morphs so we can’t get rid of it
-spiders have a great feeding response
-The morph can be used to study neurological disorders
- We can’t be sure it cause pain/discomfort/stress
-They’re just snakes
-“It doesn’t affect their breeding, their health, or anything” (Barczyk)
Now that you have all of this information it will ultimately be up to you to decide whether or not it is ethical to breed the spider morph.
Further questions you may have:
I got a snake with a wobble, what should I do now?
There is no way to cure the wobble, but there is a way to limit the chances of it spiraling out of control, in some cases. You’ll also want to avoid putting the snake in stressful situations as much as possible. Stress can periodically worsen the wobble, and worsening wobbles cause more stress. Switching to a tub instead of tank, can be useful as they are better at maintaining a consistent environment. If you choose to continue using a tank, you’ll want to carefully follow the guide on how to set up a ball python tank.
But X breeder said their snake has zero wobble.
Some truly believe the wobble doesn’t exist in their animals, but some people will also lie. Again, wobble is in every single spider and spider combo. It’s unavoidable!
The morph was found in the wild, doesn’t that mean they can survive?
One wild caught animal does not mean the morph is able to survive. In fact, it’s possible the individual would not have survived much longer without human intervention, depending on the severity of the wobble. Even then, the ability to survive is not the same as the ability to thrive. Survival simply means the organism is able to fulfill its resource needs. Thriving is being able to complete natural behaviors. Furthermore, in the 17 years since the gene was established, not a single additional spider has been found in the wild, which means that the original spider either did not reproduce or the hatchlings did not survive. Finally, the idea behind captivity is not to duplicate the wild, but to improve upon the lives of the animals we keep- the comparison to the wild is a weak argument.
Does the spider x spider pairing create a homozygous lethal animal?
The general consensus is no, but there is disagreement. The rumor that it would produce a white, underdeveloped snake is still debated. It first came to light from a carpet python breeder, Nick Mutton, who stated the pairing produces a leucistic underdeveloped baby. It was later determined that the pairings do not produce leucistic, underdeveloped babies, but rather that was a chance occurrence. Furthermore, it is believed the hatchlings were not leucistic at all, but simply underdeveloped as patterns and color do not develop in ball pythons until the final stages of incubation. Since then many breeders have pair spider x spider combos without producing underdeveloped hatchlings. Recently, OWAL published an article, duplicating the "super spider" white, underdevloped hatchling from a spider x spider pairing.
With the lack of proof towards a homozygous spider, it is also possible that the spider x spider pairing creates lethal supers, but instead of the hatchling dying in the egg, the hatchling never has the chance to develop past fertilization. It is likely a homozygous spider does not survive and is a slug or non-viable egg.
Wobble can be characterized by head twisting (referred to as “corkscrewing”), as well as intermittent head swaying, which can be nearly unnoticeable or make the snake appear as though they have lost coordination. The best way to describe wobble is to view it.
Here are some examples:
Corkscrewing
Corkscrewing
Swaying
Head shaking and corkscrewing
The spider morph and all resulting combos are tied to a neurological disorder that results in “wobble” syndrome. This can manifest from barely noticeable to so severe the animal will fail to thrive and will require euthanasia. The amount of the wobble is random and can change in severity at any point in the animals life (some only during feeding, some females will develop a more severe wobble after breeding, some born with a severe wobble, and some barely have any trouble their whole lives). Breeding an individual with almost no wobble can still produce babies with bad wobble.
More over the wobble issue is thought to be directly associated with development, so every spider morph has it regardless of whether or not the keeper has seen the wobble. Those who claim otherwise simply do not know better/haven’t seen it themselves.
The hypothesis is the spider gene is not just a gene that affects pattern, but rather causes an error in the neural crest during embryonic growth. The neural crest is responsible for depositing pigment as well as making sure neurons end up in the correct places. The spider morph affects where the pigment is deposited, giving it that typical drippy look, but at the same time prevents neurons from migrating to their normal places in the body thusly causing the neurological disorder.
While the pattern and neural cells correlate, it can be assumed that one does not cause the other. Many spiders have low spider physical traits and still may have severe wobble, whereas some will have high physical traits with no wobble. The expression of pattern itself does not dictate the severity of the wobble, nor does the wobble dictate the extent of pattern. This is also what may cause such variability of wobble between individual animals. Development varies considerably for every organism, therefore the wobble varies as well.
Why do some consider this a problem?
The wobble may impact the snake’s ability to thrive and do natural behaviors. Issues such as “side-to side head tremors, incoordination, erratic corkscrewing of the head and neck, inhibited righting reflex, torticollis (neck spasms), poor muscle tone, and loose grip with the tail” as well as difficulty striking and eating prey have all been reported in the spider morph (Rose). These are obvious health concerns that are not naturally found in the ball python, nor in most other morphs (some exceptions). While we cannot make assumptions about their happiness, we can see why this is could be stress inducing for the animal. The article goes on to say “where welfare science respondents perceived a moderate-high welfare impact intensity associated with the wobble condition, the rationale was often stated as likely frustration associated with impaired ability to perform species-appropriate behaviours…” which basically states that the welfare of snakes with the spider gene are negatively impacted by the neurological disorder for the reasons stated above (Rose). They are unable to have normal ball python lives and complete their natural behaviors.
Furthermore, the wobble periodically worsens during stimulating or stressful activities, such as during feeding or handling. It has been observed that the wobble may have a positive feedback loop as well, meaning that the wobble worsens as the snake begins to wobble more.
Where did the spider morph come from?
The spider came from a single wild-caught individual imported by NERD in 1999 (Angelo). I contacted NERD for further information and they stated he was a sub-adult male with a wobble.
Which ball python morphs have spider in them?
With over 4000 morphs and combinations, it would be truly impossible for me to go through and list every type that contains spider, but there are a few guidelines that may help. Any morph that has the word “bee” in it will contain spider. It is always good to use the World of Ball Pythons mega morph list to search and see if the morph you are interested in contains spider. You can also ask the breeder!
A ball python must have the visual characteristics of the morph to have the wobble syndrome. Therefore, if you pair a spider to another morph which produces non-spider morphs, they will not be afflicted. In other words, if a pinstripe and a spider were bred and produced a pinstripe, spider, spinner, and normal, not all the animals would have the wobble. The pinstripe and normal morphs do not have the spider pattern, therefore they will not have the wobble even though one of its parents was a spider. The spider and spinner morphs, however, will have a wobble because they directly contain the spider gene. We will learn why later.
Why are spider morphs bred?
Here is a list of the arguments for the continued breeding of spiders.
-They are very pretty as single genes and combos
-The wobble is cute
-It’s not that bad
-The morph is popular and therefore will bring in more money
-Spiders are common and therefore easy to find and inexpensive
-Everyone else is breeding them so I can too
-If they don’t buy spiders from me they are going to find them somewhere else anyway
-They are one of the founding morphs so we can’t get rid of it
-spiders have a great feeding response
-The morph can be used to study neurological disorders
- We can’t be sure it cause pain/discomfort/stress
-They’re just snakes
-“It doesn’t affect their breeding, their health, or anything” (Barczyk)
Now that you have all of this information it will ultimately be up to you to decide whether or not it is ethical to breed the spider morph.
Further questions you may have:
I got a snake with a wobble, what should I do now?
There is no way to cure the wobble, but there is a way to limit the chances of it spiraling out of control, in some cases. You’ll also want to avoid putting the snake in stressful situations as much as possible. Stress can periodically worsen the wobble, and worsening wobbles cause more stress. Switching to a tub instead of tank, can be useful as they are better at maintaining a consistent environment. If you choose to continue using a tank, you’ll want to carefully follow the guide on how to set up a ball python tank.
But X breeder said their snake has zero wobble.
Some truly believe the wobble doesn’t exist in their animals, but some people will also lie. Again, wobble is in every single spider and spider combo. It’s unavoidable!
The morph was found in the wild, doesn’t that mean they can survive?
One wild caught animal does not mean the morph is able to survive. In fact, it’s possible the individual would not have survived much longer without human intervention, depending on the severity of the wobble. Even then, the ability to survive is not the same as the ability to thrive. Survival simply means the organism is able to fulfill its resource needs. Thriving is being able to complete natural behaviors. Furthermore, in the 17 years since the gene was established, not a single additional spider has been found in the wild, which means that the original spider either did not reproduce or the hatchlings did not survive. Finally, the idea behind captivity is not to duplicate the wild, but to improve upon the lives of the animals we keep- the comparison to the wild is a weak argument.
Does the spider x spider pairing create a homozygous lethal animal?
The general consensus is no, but there is disagreement. The rumor that it would produce a white, underdeveloped snake is still debated. It first came to light from a carpet python breeder, Nick Mutton, who stated the pairing produces a leucistic underdeveloped baby. It was later determined that the pairings do not produce leucistic, underdeveloped babies, but rather that was a chance occurrence. Furthermore, it is believed the hatchlings were not leucistic at all, but simply underdeveloped as patterns and color do not develop in ball pythons until the final stages of incubation. Since then many breeders have pair spider x spider combos without producing underdeveloped hatchlings. Recently, OWAL published an article, duplicating the "super spider" white, underdevloped hatchling from a spider x spider pairing.
With the lack of proof towards a homozygous spider, it is also possible that the spider x spider pairing creates lethal supers, but instead of the hatchling dying in the egg, the hatchling never has the chance to develop past fertilization. It is likely a homozygous spider does not survive and is a slug or non-viable egg.