Reptiles ‘forgotten victims’ of extreme selective breeding, RSPCA says
Donnie's colour morph has resulted in a severe neurological issue.
The RSPCA has warned that reptiles bred for their unusual markings may ‘suffer silently’ as a result of selective breeding.
In its new documentary, Flawed by Design, the charity hopes to raise awareness of the dangers of selective breeding exotic pets.
The charity warns that the features that have made reptiles into appealing exotic pets makes them vulnerable to experimental breeding. It fears that reptiles may become ‘forgotten victims of breeding for looks over health’.
Breeders often seek to breed the species for novel and rare traits to increase their financial worth. These traits can include scalelessness or colour morphs, which are associated with harmful genetic conditions.
Among the reptiles in the documentary is Donnie, a royal python intentionally bred to have a ‘spider’ colour morph. This gives him pale-coloured, weblike markings on his scales.
However it has also resulted in a severe neurological issue known as the spider wobble syndrome.
The condition affects Donnie’s inner ear, causing disrupted balance and uncoordinated movement. This leads him to wobble, sway and ‘star-gaze’ – an abnormal upwards tilting of the head.
This makes it difficult for him to catch and eat food, as well as giving him difficulty in navigating his environment. His water bowl had to be changed for a shallower one so he wouldn’t accidentally drown in it.
Fred Bark, Head of Reptiles at the RSPCA’s Brighton Reptile Rescue in Sussex, said: “These morph pythons became popular in the 1990s because of their distinctive markings. The more unique, the more they sell for.
“But they later discovered that, after years of selective breeding and inbreeding, every single spider morph - that’s 100% of the snakes - now have the genetic disorder causing the wobble. These morph snakes are now banned from all major UK expos.”
Cletus the leopard gecko is also impacted by harmful genetic traits.
The reptile has been bred to be completely white – a condition known as leucism. This lack of pigmentation leaves Cletus with sensitive eyes and skin, meaning he is unable to cope with the same level of lighting as a typical leopard gecko.
Fred said: “His leucism has been caused by severe inbreeding - you can also see this through deformities such as his multiple tail-tips. He can’t function like a normal leopard gecko would.
“He is also prone to prolapse because his abdominal muscles aren't properly developed so if he gets stressed then prolapse can happen.”
The RSPCA report, The Shape of Suffering, can be found here. Meanwhile its documentary, Flawed By Design: The hidden cost of the ‘perfect’ pet, Is available here.
Image © RSPCA
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
