Curly tail bobber homozygotes may display head tossing, circling, otitis media, hearing impairment, abnormal hair pattern, curled/wavy tail or small size in comparison to littermates. The fur, most noticeably on the rump, can grow in reverse orientation leading to an overall ruffled coat appearance. The phenotype varies from animal to animal. Some mice that exhibited only small body size and wavy tails proved to be homozygotes, and the head bobbing and circling phenotypes also range from severe to mild. Homozygotes seldom breed, although they do live a normal lifespan. Histology on two males at ten months of age found otitis media, testicular atrophy and mild hydrocephalus. Cross sections of ears from three homozygotes found otitis media in all three and auditory brainstem response (ABR) analysis at four and five weeks of age found moderate to severe hearing loss. No hearing loss or abnormal phenotype was found in heterozygotes. Heterozygous intercrosses yield fewer than 21% homozygotes.

This recessive spontaneous single G deletion, predicted to result in a frameshift mutation, causes head tossing, circling, otitis media, hearing impairment, abnormal hair pattern, curled tail, reduced fertility, reduced <i>in utero</i> viability, and smaller body size.

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