Posted by:
DZBReptiles
at Fri Jan 26 12:05:07 2007 [ Email Message ] [ Show All Posts by DZBReptiles ]
I don't know how many responses you will get with this thread being so far down at this point, but I would not rip on you for your opinion. Its just that your opinion. I don't think anyone on here has a PHD in genetic nor am I aware of any long term studies of the genetics of line breeding and morphs so any thing that i say is theory or opinion at best. I agree that the "wobble" is not cute or indearing, but it is interesting. With the three females that I have there is almost three distinct degrees of this condition. The first one I obtained has had a moderate wobble from day one and the severity has not change with age or size(6 months/600gms). The second female had no decernable wobble when she was purchased but has over the last couple of months gained a wobble when she get excited. The third female has no wobble what so ever. All three females have different apperances both ventraly and dorsaly, but I have no way of connecting appearence or appetite to the wobble except for what was note above. I mention appetite or feeding response because the two that wobble are psycho feeders and the third is not. As far as ruining the pool I would think that the larger the pool gets the less this would be a factor. The more they are outcrossed from the original line the more the genetics become dilute. As far as selling these animals into a trade that is thriving off of the existence of such morphs I don't see thing changing much unless there is a severe worstening of this condition, but again I think things are going in the opposite direction. I think just from the replies to this post; even though a small percentage, people are expressing "no wobble". And lets face it the spider is not the only morph that has genetic defaults. The caramel albino has spinal kinks, the cinnamon/ black pastels have bubble nose and there are also rare totaly random cases of cleft jaw. These are all the reality of maitaining a geneticly diverse, wild animal in captivety in a relatively small gene pool, but what are you going to do. Not breed animals you love and enjoy just because there may be a chance of some genetic deformity. Genetic deformities exist in every species on earth the difference being that in the natural enviroment natural selection weeds out the bad seeds. And the mutations that are not weeded out; well I think thats what they call evolution. Kevin from NERD mentioned seeing a wobble in an arboreal boa. Perhaps if left untouched in nature this "wobble" or equalibrium problem would have eventually led to a arboreal sub-species of Ball Python. Who knows. But again this is just my opinion/theory based on no scientic fact.
Jeff
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