So I have someone who's planning to buy my albino chick, and she says she has found out that albinos have poor eyesight, and also she's worried that it might have too much sensitivity to bright sunlight. I wrote back to her that I have never heard of this, but that I will check into it.

 

A little bit of Googling turned up some (other) forum discussions, which was really just people giving their own experience on whether their albinos could see well or poorly. There was some mention of how albinism in humans definitely causes vision and eye problems, but it wasn't known if birds would follow the same model.

 

So then I tried a few different keywords, to try to find something scientific about it, and I did come across a study done on leghorn chickens. It appeared that the albino chicken chicks did have some differences in their eyes and their vision. They were slightly more myopic than their normal counterparts. But it didn't sound like the differences were debilitating. (But that wasn't the point of the study, which was to see if studying avian albinism could be useful in studying human albinism.)

 

Elsewhere, I found articles that talked about albinism causing lack of pigment in the rods, which causes the human vision problems, but they stated that bird vision relies more heavily on the cones than the rods, so the lack of pigment might not be a problem for birds.

 

What I'm wondering is whether anybody knows of any scientific information about avian vison and albinism, especially if it pertains to budgies. I've already found lots of anecdotal stories from people who say their albino budgies can see just fine. That's not what I'm after here. (And of course, I've also already come across the silly myths that albino budgies are blind, inbred, sick, you name it. I'm not worried about trying to disprove those, we know they are just untrue wives tales.)

My chick buyer sent me this link, which is where she got the idea to worry about the chick's eyesight http://www3.sympatico.ca/davehansen/time.html

 

It seems like a reputable source of information, but what do the rest of you think?

none of my albino's have eye sight problems

 

I think they get that from the human albino's (yes there are Human albinos lol) and yes they do but I've never known an Albino bird to have any

 

not even my Albino Indian Ringneck

 

P.s. All my albino and Lutinos LOVE being by the window they're their happiest by the window chirping, playing, watching the wild life out side

 

I really don't think they have poor eye sight and I don't think they live a shorter Life than a non albino/lutino

 

I've had Normals die at a year old my Albino and Lutino both died at 4 years old

 

but this line

Budgies are best known for breeding between their second and seventh year.

 

makes ya wonder why people insist you stop breeding them at 4 years old when they can in fact breed past 4 years old as long as they are healthy, and able to do so

Edited May 6, 201114 yr by K&M Breeding

There is a lot of rubbish published on the internet. The gene that makes a budgie an albino effects the colour pigmentation not the birds health

the only thing i will say though is although it does not afect their eye sight

my albinos nest better in a darker position than the other birds they seem to like the nest facing away from sun wheres i normally face nests towards sun

apart from that my albinos are normal healthy happy able to see quiet well

Edited May 6, 201114 yr by GenericBlue

makes ya wonder why people insist you stop breeding them at 4 years old when they can in fact breed past 4 years old as long as they are healthy, and able to do so

 

most stop the hen at 4 years but happily use the males for longer.

 

to answer you Finnie - i don't no any scientific information proving or disproving the belief. BUT if it was true there would be more topics and site about the issues and how to care for the birds.

There is a lot of rubbish published on the internet. AMEN TO THAT! The gene that makes a budgie an albino effects the colour pigmentation not the birds health That's what I have always thought.

 

 

to answer you Finnie - i don't no any scientific information proving or disproving the belief. BUT if it was true there would be more topics and site about the issues and how to care for the birds.

 

 

That is a very good point, Nerwen. In some of the anecdotal discussions I have read, some said they called their vet, who didn't know anything about it, and some had taken their bird in to the vet to have its vision checked, and it was fine. (Of course.) But there is nowhere that tells owners of albino birds that they need to do anything special with it.

 

 

Thank you KM and GB. I knew both of you had a lot of experience with albinos, so you would know whether they were cropping up with vision issues.

 

I've never questioned birds with red eyes eyesight since a very nasty Lacewing hen always managed to find my thumb to latch hold of REALLY HARD! Amazing eyesight! She could even spy my thumb whilst she was in the nest box and I was trying to sneakily clean out the cabinet!

I've never questioned birds with red eyes eyesight since a very nasty Lacewing hen always managed to find my thumb to latch hold of REALLY HARD! Amazing eyesight! She could even spy my thumb whilst she was in the nest box and I was trying to sneakily clean out the cabinet!

 

been there many times well not with a lacewing but with my albino's They seem to bite me harder than my non albinos - Maybe they just think they're meaner since the red eyes does make them look a bit evil at times lol

My mother who bred inos for many many years always said that ino hens tended to be a bit more savage than normal hens (of course that's a generalisation but....) and I've found that many of my lacewing hens are more savage too - that funny ino gene maybe?!

My mother who bred inos for many many years always said that ino hens tended to be a bit more savage than normal hens (of course that's a generalisation but....) and I've found that many of my lacewing hens are more savage too - that funny ino gene maybe?!

 

 

 

Maybe they think they have to be more mean since they stand out like a sore thumb LOL

 

but then again you don't see Albinos, lutinos, laecewing etc in the wild so they really wouldn't have to worry about being seen by predators

 

well unless some ones pet got out of course- - But under normal circumstances you don't see them in the wild (or at least it used to be like that)