I’m sure that people will disagree with me, but I personally believe that breeding spiders is not ethical. Wobble is a well known, pathological genetic trait that accompanies all spider morphs, and the severity of the wobble will be present to one degree or another in all spiders. This issue could be solved by simply not breeding animals that carry the spider allele, but people consciously choose to do so because spider ball pythons are in demand. If no one wanted to buy spiders, this wouldn’t be a problem in the industry, and we wouldn’t be here having this conversation. Time and time again, I see breeders and hobbyists justify the continuation of a severe genetic defect being bred into the population by claiming, “Not all spiders have bad wobble.” Bullshit. Any amount of wobble is unacceptable.
Variations of this discussion are currently happening all throughout the pet trade. English bulldogs are susceptible to a myriad of genetic issues including cardiovascular disease, respiratory problems, hip displasia, and internalized tails. Many bulldogs can’t give birth naturally and require a c-section for safe delivery. This is just one breed, too. It this really ethical? After all, we’re the one’s controlling the reproduction of these animals, and whether we want to admit it or not, we the ones culpable for the suffering that some of these animals endure as a result.
When you breed a spider and one of the hatchlings displays severe wobble, that’s on you. When the snake can’t feed properly, when the snake bites its self, when the snake misses a prey item and strikes the side of the enclosure, that suffering (and it is suffering, whether you have the honesty to admit it or not), falls on your shoulders. When the spider you bred can’t right it self, when it can’t properly discern which way is up, that’s something that you caused. I strongly believe that people should take responsibility for their own actions. When your spider hatchlings can’t function at the same level as that of a normal ball python, you are responsible. When you tell a new snake owner that wobble is an overblown issue, and that owner goes on to buy and breed a spider, and those resulting spiders suffer as a result of their inherited neurological disorder, you’re responsible for that suffering. You have to own that result, because that new owner made a decision based on what you told them.
Put yourself in the position of this animal. I’ll post a link below. How would you like to have to live with that for the rest of your life? That animal didn’t choose to be born. He had no say in the decision surrounding his breeding, but he has to live the rest of his life like that, unable to discern which direction is up or down. Who knows what other pain and suffering is going on beneath the surface? All we know is what we can see, not what may be happening on the inside. That animal will have to deal with that for the rest of his natural life, and you know what? It all could have been prevented by the breeder exercising just an ounce of empathy. But no, a $300 payday was more important than preventing a lifetime of suffering for that animal. Disgusting. Selfish. There are no other words that I have for this practice.
