missing spurs

i have a male 100% het pied that lost both his spurs and was wondering if he will still be able to breed.


thanks john patino

Lost them?
How?
The spurs are used during courtship, but are not essential for copulation. As long as he can sufficiently stimulate the female, he should have no problem completing the act.

Well there goes his hopes of getting his legs back one day.

I had a female that lost her spurs once. Actually I still have her, but she lost them many years ago. I wish I had investigated it a little more closely.
I noticed that one of them was gone and the other one was a little red around the base. I pulled at it gently trying to see if an infection was growing or something and it came right off in my fingers.
No further problems resulted and the redness went away, but I have wondered several times what caused it. My theories are possibly age, mild infection, or perhaps remnants of shed skin retained around the base of the spur that were undetected resulting in the contricting of the tissue and the eventual loss of the spurs similar to toe loss in lizards.

Do you have any idea what was the reason for the loss in the case with your male?

Originally Posted by Clay Davenport

perhaps remnants of shed skin retained around the base of the spur that were undetected resulting in the contricting of the tissue and the eventual loss of the spurs similar to toe loss in lizards.

I have occasionally noted bits of retained skin around spurs, so that was the first thing I thought of, Clay...and (IMO, anyway) probably the most likely cause.

i am not sure how he lost them when i bought him i noticed one was missing but never thought any thing about it and then during cage cleaning i was checking him out and saw that the other one was also gone. he does shed in one piece so i am not sure if it is retained shed that caused him to lose the last one. this coming season will be the first time i try to breed him so we will see if he can get the job done without them.