Care and feeding of leos with sensitive eyes?

[Xaila]

Hi all.

As part of a trade I got a little Super Snow Bell Albino male. He's quite small compared to his clutch mate but doesn't look/act emaciated or unhealthy. (All of this was known to me beforehand)

What I have noticed is that the poor little guy is EXTREMELY sensitive to light. He clamps his eyes shut tight if I bring him into a lit area. The eyelids don't look deformed and he's capable of opening and closing them...just seems really unwilling to keep them open with any light.

I have him set up in QT in a 15qt tub with a lid and towel draped over some of the sides to block out light. Is this overkill or do you think it'll help him feed better and feel better in general? Will keeping him in dark have to be a lifetime thing? I've been reading that Bell Albinos are the most light sensitive of the albino strains. FWIW my female RAPTOR was also very squinty when she was small and still dislikes lighting, but not to the degree that this guy seems to want to avoid it.

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Most of my albinos with solid eyes are fairly sensitive to light. I haven't owned a Bell but it would make sense that they might be more sensitive to light as the color of their eyes tends to be lighter than the other two albinos. My albinos definitely clamp their eyes shut in lit rooms - especially for the first few minutes as their eyes adjust. The raptors seem more affected than the typhoons. I keep mine in racks which may be a lot like the towel you're putting over her bin. I would just make sure there is adequate ventilation and the humidity doesn't get too high for too long.