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Most of my collection ( of 17 ) are albinos ( Royals / Kings / Garters / Corns ) and the ONE thing they all have in common is terrible coordination when striking or simply biting onto a dead mouse ... I recall reading something suggesting that Albinos had slightly defective vision ... is that possible ??
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Re: Albino snakes - defective vision theory
Yep, albinos in all species have a higher occurrence of vision problem, including humans.
Albinism FAQs | Vision For Tomorrow Foundation
Albinism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia -
Re: Albino snakes - defective vision theory
I agree totally with natieb's post; you have to remember that while an albino animal may seem unusual, very cool & have a special beauty, that albino gene is a defect. It's not such a big problem for captive snakes,
but in the wild very few survive for long. Fortunately yours are eating dead prey, in the wild they'd be more apt to get injured when catching a meal & more likely to die from resulting infections. They'd also stand out
"like a sore thumb" for any creature that wanted them for dinner.
I've likewise noticed poor vision in some snakes of normal coloration as they become elderly...just like most people, eh? Our pets w/ good genes, luck & good care- are able to live longer than their wild counterparts...
diminished speed or poor vision can be fatal in the 'natural' world.
BTW, I've kept some albino snakes too...they're still great pets, even if visually-challenged!Comment
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Re: Albino snakes - defective vision theory
The one albino snake I've had was an amelanistic corn snake. Like yours, he was less accurate at striking than the normal corns.
Do you feed frozen/thawed? That might also affect accuracy for the royals and any other snake with heat sensors.Comment
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Re: Albino snakes - defective vision theory
I do feed d/f frozen but they are are always warmed up in warm water and then their heads heated by hair drier ...Originally posted by paulh View PostComment
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