Diamond hatchling enclosure - too big?

[Arpy]

Hi all

My daughter will be getting her new male Diamond hatchling today and I have built a new enclosure for him. The enclosure is 600H, 600W, 400D and will be heated at one end by a infra-red globe with basking spot and will have a heat gradient , uv, hide, etc. Mid-temp around 28c.

My question is, will this enclosure be too big for a 10 week old hatchling. I have read about them getting stressed if in too big an enclosure. We do have a click clack type arrangement we could use, but if we need to do this, how big/old is enough to go into the big one?

Cheers

Rick

[Aslan]

I would personally wait until approx. 1yr - 18mths providing the Diamond is growing at a normal rate...

28c mid temp may be a little high for a Diamond - as they are a cool climate snake it is often recommended that the basking site be 28-30c so that they remain cooler than most...

[militant_vixen]

Oo post pics of both the enclosure and the new little one

[mungus]

Originally Posted by Aslan

I would personally wait until approx. 1yr - 18mths providing the Diamond is growing at a normal rate...

28c mid temp may be a little high for a Diamond - as they are a cool climate snake it is often recommended that the basking site be 28-30c so that they remain cooler than most...

well said.

[Chimera]

You can mitigate the risk of stress by crowding the enclosure with branches hides and perches, this prevents the snake from feeling too exposed and as the snake grows you can remove some of the clutter (just make sure that there are no gaps that a juvie diamond could get out).

A larger size will also allow you to create a warm basking site while keeping the rest of the enclosure fairly cool.

[Arpy]

Originally Posted by Aslan

I would personally wait until approx. 1yr - 18mths providing the Diamond is growing at a normal rate...

28c mid temp may be a little high for a Diamond - as they are a cool climate snake it is often recommended that the basking site be 28-30c so that they remain cooler than most...

In which case, how would I achieve a suitable heat gradient in a plastic container approx 400 x 250?

Thanks

Rick

[Aslan]

My click clacks are generally smaller than that and hold a gradient quite well via heat mat and thermostat - I have tested my click clacks gradient with the view of keeping Stimmies which I have recently put a deposit on and it holds a gradient between 32 - 22c after a bit of fine tuning with air holes and placement of the mat...

...a cooler gradient should be easier, however, I am not familiar with the weather/temps in Adelaide...

...of course a smaller enclosure makes a gradient more difficult but it is certainly possible with some fine tuning before the snake arrives...

[Chimera]

Another alternative for diamonds when heating becomes difficult is to limit the hours that heat is provided, give them a break overnight.