Albino Leos and Light

[Holston_119]

I have heard that it is normal for albino leos to close their eyes when they're exposed to light bc they are more sensitive to light than normal leos....is this true???

And I have never seen a leo be so active during the day as both of mine are!:D But hey i'm not complaining!

[king nick]

Any albino animal is more sensetive to sun light, but ive never herd on any albino animal closing their eyes when exposed to light.
NICK

[DirtyDuck]

I have a Uv light & a basking light that doesn't seem to effect my Albino's, But when I take them outside in the sunlight they close their eyes.

[Manitoban Herps]

UV light and Sunlight I heard wasn't good for the albinos, just keep that in mind DirtyDuck :)

[Ducksarefun]

Yes, they do close their eyes to light and they ARE sensitive to light. I wouldn't put a light on my tank (perhaps a red heat light, but my heat pad is good enough). When my albino leo first came home, my boyfriend was here and I wasn't. He put a florescent light on the tank, and the poor little guy was trying to hide and would NOT open his eyes. As soon as I got home I turned the light off. But even daylight makes him shut his eyes, so his tank sides are covered and no lights for him!

[DragnDrop]

Albinos are definitely sensitive to light. Normal leos prefer to stay out of bright lights even if they're awake during the day. Albino eyes are more sensitive to light, they have a hard time seeing during the day. A typical light over a tank is too bright for them, but it's nothing compared to direct sunlight which is brighter than any light you could buy.
Last summer I took one of my patternless albinos outside for a photo session. He walked around the grass with his eyes closed to barely a slit. The only way he opened them at all was when he was in shade (which didn't make for great photography conditions :)

[Holston_119]

yea i have my two albinos in sterilite containers with heat pads...no lights for them...i just noticed when i turned the light on at night and opened their containers they shut their eyes

[DirtyDuck]

I read or heard that some times Albino's adjust or get used to light. All my Albino's in the Tank with the UV light are all 1yrs old + and have been raised since babies with this lighting system and never closed their eyes as babies or adults only in sunlight, maybe it's because they don't have the "Red Eyes" so their eyes are not super sensetive to light?

[Up_North]

There isn't an albino species on the entier face of the earth that is bothered by bright or direct light. They lack the pigment in there skin and eye to protect them from the dangers of some light rays!
John

[DragnDrop]

Originally posted by Up_North
There isn't an albino species on the entier face of the earth that is bothered by bright or direct light. They lack the pigment in there skin and eye to protect them from the dangers of some light rays!
John


So, if I understand your post correctly, they are NOT bothered by bright light? But they may not have the proper pigment in their skin and eyes to protect them from some light rays? Which translates to: they can't be hurt by light but they're not protected from damage by light rays? :confused:

Bright light WILL cause at least a fair amount of discomfort to most albino leos. They shun bright light as much as possible if given the chance. UV light (C and B in particular) will damage any skin or eyes with enough exposure, albinos suffer more damage faster because they don't have the protection that melanin provides. Melanin is the 'tan' we get from exposure to sunlight (UV rays in this case). We protect our bodies by producing melanin as a 'protective barrier', though it doesn't work perfectly. Albinos don't have melanin, so they are at the mercy of the UV. They also don't have pigment in their eyes, the light can filter right through to the retina even if the pupil is almost closed. Being nocturnal, their eyes are more sensitive to light, daylight can be blinding in the right circumstances to a normal leo, for albinos it's worse.

[DirtyDuck]

DragonDrop) Well I will take the UV light off. I have never seen the UV light effect the 5 albino's I have negativly. They all eat regularly and my male is growing like a weed. The only time they squint or close their eyes is when they are in SunLight. Besides squinting or closing their eyes how else can you tell the UV is causing negetive effects on the albino?

[DragnDrop]

Originally posted by DirtyDuck
Besides squinting or closing their eyes how else can you tell the UV is causing negetive effects on the albino?

The only source I can dig up right now is this one from the archives of the GGA list.

Notcurnal geckos, UVB & Vit D3 (http://www.mail-archive.com/gecko@gekkota.com/msg02907.html)

If UV can affect 'normal' leos, think of what an albino might go through.

Granted, it's only one sample, but I have read many more in books and papers, and a few online but some of them don't exist anymore. If you do a bit of searching, you'll find lots of reliable references you can use to base your decision on.

[Up_North]

Dragndrop,
My bad I didn't even proof read my own post and got busted on my typo! Aperantly I fogot my "n't" at the end of my second "is".
That was ment to say "isn't bothered" or at least that was the point I wanted to make before I was caught with my pants down!
Thanks for teaching me a leson on reading (or not reading)what you write. Just another one of those things they tried to hammer into my head all through school that I never thought would be important!
John

[DragnDrop]

Okay, just pull 'em back up, I didn't think I got that nasty :) LOL