Diamond Syndrome

[michael]

What would be the chance of Diamond Syndrome in a cross breed of a Diamond & Coastal Python?

Thank you
Michael

[Greebo]

I'm no expert on mongrel snakes but I reckon there would have to be a chance of it occurring.

[instar]

what is it exactly? ive heard of the 7 year thing but what cause?

[africancichlidau]

If only we knew !

[instar]

theorys then? too high captive temps? insufficient uv?????? whats the physical cause of death? folk must have autopsies done?
genetic weak immune system through cb? any common symptoms/ conditions?

[fly2high]

that would be interesting to know for all whos new to herps like me

[bigguy]

Theroy. There appears to be a combination of causes for DPS. These are.1) Lack of UV lighting. Just adding UV lighting has shown to reverse DPS symptoms. 2) Consistant temperatures. Diamonds are not tropical and temps in their home range vary greatly from day to day. Variations of day temps in cages appear to help again. 3) Overfeeding. Do not feed as often as you would other python species.

As for syptoms you get loss of muscle tone, loss of skin strength, loss of appetite, loss of motor functions,the shakes, and finally death.

[instar]

Thats a damn shame. Does anyone know of links toany studys done into DPS? Has shine ,weigal etc done any?

[Greebo]

Sadly there has not been enough research yet to establish if any of these theories are correct. The theories Bob listed have come from keepers who have kept diamonds long enough. There is simply not enough conclusive evidence/proof yet. Hopefully as the hobby continues to grow, so will the data.

It really gives me the irates when people say Diamonds are no harder to keep than your average carpet.

[instar]

So, if I was considering a Diamond, living in sydney, i should?

Get a juvie big enough to cope with winter outside here and house it outdoors so it gets varied temps, heaps of uv and natural cycles and feed once a month? will this give it the best hope of survival beyond 7 years being in as natural conditions as possible?
any theory on diet related possibilties with diamonds? seeing as theyd get birds etc in the wild?
could variation of diet be a factor?
I would really love to have a diamond, they are a beautiful python, but Id hate for it to succome after a short life. whats the record age for an ozzy pyth? anyone know?

[Jay]

Would a uv tube be required or would 10-15 mins of natural sun every few days be fine?

Jay

[instar]

natural sun beats the crap out of any tube for uva/uvb output, outside is the best uv source for any reptile, as often as possible. That said if its inside for most time, a tube certainly wont hurt, but get the highest output, atleast .5 and set on atleast 12 hrs daily. Keeping in mind thias will bugger your photoperiod in winter (if your cooling forbreeding). Even then ,they must be very close to the tube to get any benifit and tube will be not putting out much after 6 months or so. There are other kids of uv lights but this work as basking lights putting out heat. Take it outside regularly imho

[Valley Reptile Supplies]

:arrow: Was reading yesterday that diamond syndrome was visible in captive snakes when continualy housed inside. In snakes 7-10 yrs old, they say that diamonds in outdoor enclosures, (especially if you live where they are commonly found) is great, and no signs of the syndrome have been observed in them.
The other thing was to have an inside/outside cage that you can seperate so they can go outside during day and inside at night. They also found that snakes kept in inside enclosures were less likely to develop this syndrome if they have varying temps in the cage. For example, 28-32 day time and 22-26 all year round if you want to breed them... The other book said about the same thing

[Jay]

Up until about two weeks ago Id had my juvie diamond and another two young snakes (proserpine and atherton) lights hooked upto an electronic thermostat (set to come on if temp fell below 26 during the day, or 20 during the night- though they only get to about 22), but then the diamond's light stopped working (tried other bulbs, so it was a wiring issue). Was planning on fixing it the first few days, but the temp seemed to still be fine (24-26 day, 21-22 night), her body temp still seems fine, shes more 'energetic' than before and seems to be using more strength than before (not that she was lethargic) when attacking prey and when wrapped around my hand. The room gets alot of light during the day so not having a light in her cage doesnt seem to have affected her day/night cycle.
My point is do diamonds necessarily require a heat source in inside their cage, and if shes receiving varied temps throughout the day from the basic room temp fluctuations does she require an outside enclosure for the day or permanently?

Jay

[peterjohnson64]

Jay,

I think that you will find that most reptiles need a temperature gradient so that they can choose the temperature they want. if you dont have one that is fine but you need a hot and and a cool end. Your cage may end up all the same temperature.

Perhaps with a diamond you could use a small heat source at one end that is not on a thermostat. On colder days the cage will be cooler, on hotter days it will be hotter. You may even like to have it on for a shorter period so the cage doesn't get too hot..

Thats what I had my intergrade on for the first 2 years of her life. She is now 9 and still going very strong.