Diamond not eating ?

[lorenzo]

Hi all,just a little concerned my diamond who is about 7 to 8 feet long hasnt eaten for 4 weeks she was due today but shows no interest in eating is it just the time of year ? Would appreciate some advice.

[Rennie]

Its winter, I stopped feeding mine over a month ago. Try again in September.

[GARTHNFAY]

It is that time of year.....none of our diamonds are eating except the hatchies!!

[raptor]

Should be cooling now anyway

[JasonL]

A seven or eight foot diamond in good condition will easily last twelve months without a feed, don't worry about one!

[the_brad]

Im in sydney and my diamonds are outside, they stopped feeding nearly 2months ago and it'll b another 2months before they start feeding again and the girls will be even longer due to be gravid .
Providing there in good health it's common for them to go up to 4 or 5 months with out feeding when housed outside. But if housed indoors you should hibernate diamonds for around 3 other wise health problems can arise and in this time food should be withheld.

[soulweaver]

Why arn't you cooling your diamond?

don't stress about the non feeding. Try again around september and you will be right.

Due to health reasons i would be cooling that diamond. This is your choice though.

[the_brad]

Maybe you should do some research on diamonds. they are a cold weather snake which as adults need to be hibernated but if you drop temps to quick they stress which will lower there amune system and canker will more then likely set in then you"ll be in all sorts of trouble. and you need to completely clear there digestive track out which 4 weeks should be ok.

[lorenzo]

Thanks everyone. When you you say cooling what temp should i go down to and how long?Also what is agood reference book for diamonds i can get to research in thanks again.

[MrBredli]

No heating during the night, and 24-25 degrees during the day should be ok. Not sure on books, perhaps do a search on this site; there are plenty of great threads on Diamonds.

[peterjohnson64]

Lorenzo. There is a great care sheet somewhere in this site about keeping diamonds. It is a US sheet so their spring is our autumn and they use the wring type of degrees but otherwise it is fantastic. \We dont know where you are but if you are in Sydney or a siumilar climate it is defintiely best to keep you girl outside. My diamonds were hibernating outside and the nights would get down to below zero. She managed 7 years out there and then I sold her. They will even come out to sun themselves on 20 degree days.

I guess the black colour is the sort of give away. Black absorbs heat so most cold climate snakes like Chappell Is Tigers & copperheads have a lot of black to absorb more heat. similar with diamonds I guess. Theres even a theory that says the BHP has a black head so it only has to stickk its head out of its hole to sun itself.

So why tell you that? I guess because I think that the darker your diamond the colder you should keep it. (I am not talking 5 degrees colder here but maybe 1 or 2 on average)

Sorry for hogging tonight folks....

[lorenzo]

thanks again everyone I have got that care sheet now thanks peterjohnson64 and i am going to cool her down soulweaver i dont want a sick girl she means to much to me thanks again everyone i appreciate all your imput,