Light Sensitivity and Albinos

[YungRasputin]

recently acquired an albino burm and i was wondering if i should modify lighting, heat lamps, etc because of this? could just be my mind but it seems like she shys away when the i flip the lights on in a way my other normal/wild types don’t so i just wanted to be sure

[Luvyna]

There is no official scientific documentation about albino snake eyes as far as I'm aware, but from research on other albino species and general knowledge about albinos I strongly believe that albino snakes are probably afflicted by similar issues to other albino species. They have no melanin to protect their eyes, so it's important to avoid exposing their eyes to direct UV light. Their eyes are probably also more sensitive to regular light so it's also best to limit exposure to that, especially if you can see your snake reacting to it.

For my albino BP, I do not use any lighting in his PVC enclosure - there are lights installed, but I only turn them on for cleaning when he is not in the enclosure. Snakes cannot close their eyes and if you've ever stared directly at an enclosure light you will find it blindingly bright so even for a non-albino snake I'm not sure if I would use them.

A ceramic heat emitter or RHP would be better than a heat lamp as those don't produce light.

My BP's enclosure has a glass front so he still sees regular daylight...etc. but I avoid directly exposing his eyes to bright light. Even when I take him out to handle him, I keep the lights dim and I've found he tends to be much more active and comfortable with low lighting whereas he doesn't move and hides his head when it's bright.

[YungRasputin]

There is no official scientific documentation about albino snake eyes as far as I'm aware, but from research on other albino species and general knowledge about albinos I strongly believe that albino snakes are probably afflicted by similar issues to other albino species. They have no melanin to protect their eyes, so it's important to avoid exposing their eyes to direct UV light. Their eyes are probably also more sensitive to regular light so it's also best to limit exposure to that, especially if you can see your snake reacting to it.

For my albino BP, I do not use any lighting in his PVC enclosure - there are lights installed, but I only turn them on for cleaning when he is not in the enclosure. Snakes cannot close their eyes and if you've ever stared directly at an enclosure light you will find it blindingly bright so even for a non-albino snake I'm not sure if I would use them.

A ceramic heat emitter or RHP would be better than a heat lamp as those don't produce light.

My BP's enclosure has a glass front so he still sees regular daylight...etc. but I avoid directly exposing his eyes to bright light. Even when I take him out to handle him, I keep the lights dim and I've found he tends to be much more active and comfortable with low lighting whereas he doesn't move and hides his head when it's bright.

many thanks for this response! this is what i suspected - my only issue here would be that i currently have her in a standard glass terrarium because she’s only a couple months old so i am unsure how to meet her basking requirements without the lamp because idk how i could fix her up with an RHP given this

[Bogertophis]

many thanks for this response! this is what i suspected - my only issue here would be that i currently have her in a standard glass terrarium because she’s only a couple months old so i am unsure how to meet her basking requirements without the lamp because idk how i could fix her up with an RHP given this

Several ways- a CHE (no light output) or a dimmed (!) red or black incandescent. I think any of those would be fine. Make sure (for safety) to use a light fixture with a ceramic base (not plastic) & one that's rated for the wattage you'll use, as otherwise heat can build up & melt the plastic base that the light or CHE screws into.

Most snakes dislike bright overhead lights anyway, unless they're something like a diurnal sun-loving coachwhip. Even snakes that are not albino- for example, the nocturnal Trans Pecos rat snakes that I keep: I avoid bright lights on them (including sunlight)-they have large eyes & are known to be sensitive to light.

[Armiyana]

Most other species with albino (or leucistics as well) seem to have a varying degree of light sensitivity. So by default, I assume that albino snakes would also be sensitive, they just can't show the same reactions to it.

[Animallover3541]

I haven't seen issues in albino snakes, but I do have experience with albino turtles. It seems like it's 50/50 as to whether or not they will be able to maintain a steady diet or have genetic nutritional problems. I wouldn't worry too much about lighting, although a little less would be better. Like other people have said, you shouldn't really need it unless you want it for display. In that case make sure your animal can get away from the light if they so desire.

Edit: I HIGHLY recommend finding a way to add additional Vitamin A to their diet if possible (maybe put supplements inside the mouth/throat of their prey item...?). It seems like albino animals need increased Vitamin A levels due to their sensitive eyes, although again the severity depends a lot on genetics. Some barely have problems, others suffer greatly. The albino turtle I mentioned earlier had a perfectly healthy sibling, it just seems the the one turtle got the short end of the genetic stick.

[Bogertophis]

...I do have experience with albino turtles. It seems like it's 50/50 as to whether or not they will be able to maintain a steady diet or have genetic nutritional problems....

In albino turtles, is that dietary set-back due to not being able to see well enough to pick out proper foods (as in the wild?), or actually from other genetic defects that go along with being albino?

...Edit: I HIGHLY recommend finding a way to add additional Vitamin A to their diet if possible (maybe put supplements inside the mouth/throat of their prey item...?). It seems like albino animals need increased Vitamin A levels due to their sensitive eyes, although again the severity depends a lot on genetics. Some barely have problems, others suffer greatly. The albino turtle I mentioned earlier had a perfectly healthy sibling, it just seems the the one turtle got the short end of the genetic stick.

While that's a good point you brought up, I think we need to make sure we're talking about the same species before we recommend or imply that albino snakes need the same sort of supplementation as do turtles. Perhaps they do, but the dietary needs of snakes are vastly different than turtles- they eat whole animals & get their nutrition from what their prey consumed. And while dietary supplements are often routine for us humans, let's not forget they can also be harmful when used incorrectly- they can throw other nutrients out of balance, for example, or they can simply be excessive & useless, but they could also build up to toxic levels if the consumer's body is unable to process them effectively.

For anyone considering vitamin supplementation for their snakes, I'd recommend going easy on dosing & using a balanced product designed for snakes, & better yet, ask your vet about doing this, as they're apt to be aware of the latest research on this. Since I raise my own rodents, I actually make sure THEY get some natural "supplementation" in the form of kale, carrots, tomato bits, etc. along with their science-based rodent diets, rather than using any man-made supplements. "They are what they eat" -"health food"...

[YungRasputin]

Several ways- a CHE (no light output) or a dimmed (!) red or black incandescent. I think any of those would be fine. Make sure (for safety) to use a light fixture with a ceramic base (not plastic) & one that's rated for the wattage you'll use, as otherwise heat can build up & melt the plastic base that the light or CHE screws into.

Most snakes dislike bright overhead lights anyway, unless they're something like a diurnal sun-loving coachwhip. Even snakes that are not albino- for example, the nocturnal Trans Pecos rat snakes that I keep: I avoid bright lights on them (including sunlight)-they have large eyes & are known to be sensitive to light.

will have to look into those, thank you for recommendation!

as far as nutrition goes i hadn’t planned on any supplements and was moreso planning on a natural but varied diet with the main stay being rodents like mice, rats, rabbits, etc and also mixing it up with the occasional chickens, quail, etc tho so far i have only given mice + rats

to give some care specs usually in the early morning i turn on the overhead light in the room, and then when it gets to be proper daylight hours i turn on the heat lamps, then when it gets dusky again i turn off the heat lamps, and when it’s night the snake room goes pitch black - the ambient temp in the room rn has been 80-85F and they’ve had consistent humidity levels of 60-70% some times dropping into the high 50s - all of them have UTHs and i have only been using low wattage basking bulbs to get the basking spot up to 90F during the day

i was assuming that they would retire to their shaded dens during the day if they didn’t want to bask for some reason and sometimes they do sometimes they don’t - my scrub likes to be high on their climbing perch the majority of the time, my Burms like to be in their pools and climbing perches the majority of the time and same with my red tail - my ball Python is probably my only snake that like to hangout in its log den the majority of the time

this is my first albino animal so anything i can do that’s best for them i wish to do

[Bogertophis]

I wouldn't worry about either ambient daylight in the room, OR about using overhead room lighting at all- mostly I'd avoid the direct lights that some people put on/in their enclosures- or if you need more light (like to spot clean, or just to see your snake better), lamp dimmers* work great. (*aka rheostats- available in any hardware store; you can buy them already installed in extension cords too, so all you have to do is plug your light into that, rather than doing any rewiring.)

For some additional basking warmth with minimal light, many of my snakes appreciate overhead "light" sources (red or black bulbs- dimmed significantly), especially in the chilly months of the year. FYI, "black" bulbs give a purplish-glow, similar to moonlight when dimmed. But if you're worried about even minimal light having an impact on their day-night cycle, a CHE will heat with no light at all.

The reason I DON'T use CHE is that it seems they don't last so long if they're dimmed, & most of them have way too much power (like 100 watts) so they'd be too hot if not dimmed. You can always run them on a thermostat though, so they're controlled by going "on-off", rather than the proportional type t-stat. The other drawback of CHE is that since there's no light, it's easy to mistakenly grab the fixture & burn your hand if you forget it's been on.

There's more than one way to do things- Do what works best for you & your animals.

I only mentioned nutrition & supplements because it was brought up by Animallover3541 with respect to albino turtles, & I didn't want people to conclude it was the same for snakes. Turtles eat all sorts of things, whereas snakes evolved as carnivores only, so their nutritional needs are bound to be quite different. Some variation in prey seems like a good idea though- since that's what happens in the wild.

[Gio]

Read these different articles/studies and come up with your own conclusion on the subject of vision.

I found these quickly using certain words in my search. If I started messing around with more specific terms I may very well have found more info.


https://www.nps.gov/cabr/blogs/albin...-our-parks.htm

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles...22.890874/full

https://reptileshowsofnewengland.com...bino-reptiles/



Boas and pythons are primarily nocturnal/crepuscular hunters. Their eyes are tuned for dark and low light conditions.

From the brief reading I've done, I believe there is a higher propensity for snakes with true albinism to be light sensitive.