Curly tail bobber homozygotes may display head tossing, circling, otitis media, hearing impairment, abnormal hair pattern, curled or 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, may include only small body size and wavy tail, and the head bobbing and circling phenotypes range from severe to mild. Homozygotes seldom breed, although they do live a normal lifespan. Histology on two males found testicular atrophy, giant nuclei in the epididymis, and mild hydrocephalus. Histology focused on the ears found otitis media in all ears assessed from six weeks to six months of age and ABR analysis found moderate to severe hearing loss as early as five-and-a-half weeks of age, the earliest time point assessed. No hearing loss or abnormal phenotype was found in heterozygotes. Heterozygous intercrosses yielded fewer than 15% homozygotes.

This recessive spontaneous mutation causes head tossing, circling, otitis media, hearing impairment, abnormal hair pattern, curled tail, reduced fertility, reduced in utero viability, and smaller body size.

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