Opinion on translucent veileds

[twatts704]

I second the notion that there is nothing to back up your statement that they are sensative to the light. Most albinos in fact in the wild die not due to health defects but due to the fact that they stand out like a sore thumb. If they are an apex predator that may be a different story but things like say a snake. They would be food for any large bird or other predator that saw it first. I know several snakes that have lived long healthy lives with no problems that are albino. I own an albino Columbia red tail boa. She is 4 years old now and healthy as ever. Never had a health issue once.

 

[Thezillaman21]

from the pics i have seen they always look like they need to shed and they dont have enough color they are not a diffrent species so cost wise id say just get a regular one. unless you wanna pay like 50+ dollars just to see the bones of the chams arms threw its skin...

no offense to the trans owners i just think its a waste of money that could be used make the cage better.

 

[Alexl]

If "translucent" chameleons with shedding issues, decreased life expectation and burns or albino snakes with wound healing problems as I mentioned before (and yes, they live, they're no imagination ) were no proof for you - what do you want to have? Think the already stated arguments are reason enough to avoid those defects.

 

[shaunaroxanne]

I second the notion that there is nothing to back up your statement that they are sensative to the light. Most albinos in fact in the wild die not due to health defects but due to the fact that they stand out like a sore thumb. If they are an apex predator that may be a different story but things like say a snake. They would be food for any large bird or other predator that saw it first. I know several snakes that have lived long healthy lives with no problems that are albino. I own an albino Columbia red tail boa. She is 4 years old now and healthy as ever. Never had a health issue once.

Hmmm, interesting thoughts. These articles say otherwise about albinism, but ok.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/problems/medical/albinism6.htm

http://scienceray.com/biology/zoology/10-straight-facts-about-albino-animals/

 

[Olimpia]

I don't like them, they look sickly. Albino animals are beautiful, or piebald animals too, but these guys are transluscent so you can see their little veins and pink tissue. Not for me! If they were a solid, clean, opaque white like on snakes that would be different.

 

[okiroo]

That should prove the point that they are not healthy. If they come from the wild, then we should see an abundance of them IN the wild. Yet we do not, because they are easily spotted by predators and they probably are sensitive to the sun in those areas where there is no pigmentation.

And just because they are in the wild does not mean it's a good thing. Human babies are born every minute with chromosome abnormalities and birth defects, but we don't encourage them to reproduce with others with their deficiency to make more. In fact, when human parents have a baby who has a serious genetic issue, and if chromosome testing indicates that their next child would likely have the same disorder, they often STOP having children at that point because they don't want to see another child suffer.

have you ever been to the wild to count how many there are? your speculating. there very well could be many out there. mabey there white spots represent the sun going throught leaves and make them more leaflike? mabey it doesnt matter- after all bright red chams seem to be doing ok. Also, humans have alot more kids with birth defects beacuse meds allow us to do so. So many humans live through things that would normally kill. Veileds dont go to doctors. If a baby regular veiled dies and a trans lives to be an adult then i say they're fine.

 

[Seeco]

The morph was originally found in the wild.

Ya and got snagged by a primate -- us

 

[Carlton]

But here's the thing. People who are albino can't be in the SUN. The have no protection from UVA/UVB. So how does an animal who can only thrive by exposure to UVB do so if he has no pigmentation to protect him from the overexposure to it?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but this translucent trait isn't the same thing as an albino. Albinism includes other traits that translucents don't seem to have such as red eyes and a uniform lack of pigmentation. Translucent chams do have pigmented skin color, it's just patchy.

The root of the trait doesn't really matter to me. I have never liked them. To my biologist's eye they look defective or unfinished. To me beauty is in function...and a pigmented veiled's color change ability is an amazingly functional thing. Same goes for many captive bred morphs in other herps including albino snakes, silkback beardies, translucent beardies, etc (no offense meant to those of you who have them).

 

[TC1144]

wow great response i appriciate all the views it was just a curiosity i had and was wondering ont the facts to try something new (price and ability to sell) im more of a panther chameleon kind of guy myself. Thanx for the opinions.