Eyesight in monitor lizards

[Sheldoncooper]

Shane's verdict is, he's blind as a bat. Otherwise perfectly healthy and surprisingly calm for an animal who cannot see what's around him. It was also the first case of coloboma he's seen in a monitor. CBDs apparently present with this relatively frequently, but he'd never seen one in a monitor ever until this evening.

Does it mean its been blind since birth. Hence u were lied to

 

[Smittiferous]

Does it mean its been blind since birth. Hence u were lied to

Most likely blind since birth, but a very small chance he had some vision but it has completely deteriorated by now.

As for being lied to... That's an uncomfortable possibility. I explained this to Shane, and he suggested that due to being kept in a much smaller enclosure with much less going on (filter pump, spray bar etc which is in his current one) he may have been easily able to use auditory and/or olfactory cues to hunt feeder fish, or that any vision he had may not have completely deteriorated at this time. Also I highly doubt he'd have even remotely close to the amount of attention paid to him, it's possible that simply nobody noticed. He does navigate his enclosure perfectly fine... You really have to pay close attention to notice anything is irregular.

Either way, he's blind, he's in my care and I have no interest in moving this special case on to another home just because he can't see. If anything it sort of makes him even more unique to me... Not every day you meet a blind monitor after all.

 

[pinefamily]

Exactly that. We have reptiles we have bought, knowing there were toes or tail tips missing. But picked them because of colouring or marking or whatever reason at the time. Our leatherback beardie has the tiny end of his tail missing, but when I put my hand into the enclosure, he was the only one to climb onto my hand. So of course he came home with us.

 

[inkarnate]

Mine has rediculous vision. I can have the door only open a few cm and peering in and he'll stop what he's doing and watch me.