Do snakes with red eyes need special care?
ratsnest
Our 6-week old corn snake has red eyes - an albino variation from what I've
been reading. Do we need to limit exposure to natural sunlight as with
other albino animals? Thanks,
Cheryl
Brian & Cris Dennison
(Creamsicle & Snow) and an albino Gopher. I never really gave that much
thought to light issues. Anyone?
derek welch
DEREK WELCH welch...@hotmail.com
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Douglas Taylor
answer, I'd think about it this way: Your snake doesn't need natural
light to live a healthy life and since other albino animals are
sensitive to sunlight, I'd keep it indoors.
dt
Bristen C. Bourque
when I got my snow corn.. it gets histerical when put into sunlight.. but
if, in the evening, I bring him in a dark room (very dark), he seems at
least 2 to 3 times calmer and relaxed. Snakes can't talk or communicate
with us, so we have to learn to "read" their behavior.. to me, this was a
sure bet that sunlight was either hurting him or making him totally blind..
both of which I'd try to avoid.. just look at the pupil of your snake's eyes
when in sunlight.. my normal corn still behaves normal, and has a pupil
normally sized when in sunlight.. the snow corn on the other hand has a
pin-sized pupil, and freaks when in sunlight.. so, as "dt" suggested, keep
him indoors.. I would add as well to keep him out of direct sunlight, or any
areas were bright lights may effect his eyes..
Now, it would be interesting to know if bright lights (like direct sunlight)
would in fact damage their eyes.. this is were scientific information would
be really nice to have.. for myself, I'm convinced that it is better for the
snake (my snow corn) to have it avoid bright lights.. but I'm really curious
in knowing if it's biologically harmful for them to be in bright lights...
anybody to help us out there?
Best Wishes,
Bryce
Douglas Taylor <Tonka...@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:20698-37...@newsd-161.iap.bryant.webtv.net...
Burmese-Python
before you get too bogged down in the technical aspects of this question,
consider this...
Most snakes that are called albino are not albino, but they ARE amelanisitc.
Here are some relevant highlights from the FAQ for this newsgroup, please
read them!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Subject: <4.7> What does <some term> mean?
The following are some terms that have been known to confuse people. This
list is by no means complete or comprehensive.
Amelanistic: "Albino" in the conventional sense; lacking all black pigment.
This is a widespread mutation in several species. Amelanistic animals are
often red or yellowish, instead of white like albino mammals; this is
because
amelanism does not affect the red and yellow pigments, or indeed any
pigments
other than melanin.
Anerythristic: "Black albino"; lacking red pigment. Anerythristic animals
are typically black and white. This is a common mutation in corn snakes,
and
has also emerged in several other snake species.
Subject: <4.2> What is sci.bio.herp?
More to the point, what *isn't* sci.bio.herp?
There are two herp newsgroups, this one and sci.bio.herp. The latter is, as
its name suggests, about the science of herpetology. It typically features
discussions on field techniques, taxonomy, and other subjects of interest to
the (scientific) herpetological community.
Many rec.pets.herp readers find it interesting to follow sci.bio.herp as
well,
and occasionally one of us will have a question that's better posted there.
For instance, if you're curious about the recent taxonomic revision of the
python family, sci.bio.herp is a good place to ask for information.
However, sci.bio.herp is *not* an appropriate place to ask about pet
keeping.
Historically, sci.bio.herp has had problems with postings that really belong
in rec.pets.herp. "My ball python won't eat" is very much a rec.pets.herp
subject, for example, and the sci.bio.herp folks have gotten understandably
tired of it.
The latest version of this FAQ will always be available at
<ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/pets/herp-faq/>
(as three files called part1, part2, and part3), and at
<http://www.concentric.net/~eastb/herps/faqindex.html>
(unless the maintainer changes, the present maintainer changes ISPs,
or the maintainer's ISP makes a significant change to its Web server).
The URL at MIT always contains the most recently posted version; the
Concentric
copy may include changes made since the last posting.
The FAQ is auto-posted every 30 days to rec.pets.herp, rec.answers,
and news.answers. It can also be obtained through a polite email request
sent to Bill East <ea...@concentric.net>. This is also the address to
send mail to if you have comments or suggestions about the FAQ.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
So, it may be a question best posted in the other newsgroup anyway, as long
as it is not posed in an unscientific manner! How about this:
"are there any health risks in exposing amelanisitc reptiles to direct
sunlight?"
I have posted this very question, and will report the findings to this
group, if there are any!