Diamonds need UV????

[snakekid666]

i have heard people say and i have read in books that diamond pythons need uv lighting. how many people use uv and how many people dont just wondering if not having a uv light effects their bones or anything like that??

thanks
jake

my diamond below.

 

[wranga]

theres nothing proved either way if uv is needed or not. it has been proved that uv lighting wont stop DPS

 

[Brettix]

Hi mate i only use uv with my diamonds and bredli's.
Not only does it improve thier health but improves colours aswell.

 

[W.T.BUY]

Lots of things are said to "need" U.V but is yet to be proved.

 

[Hoon84]

My diamond has a UV in her enclosure cos she stays inside all day, if you have the time to take your snake out in the sun for a few hours every week, then she shoudnt need a UV.
There are a lot of different opinions whether they need UV or not, but in my opinion it couldnt hurt.

 

[carterd]

It's benificial that you and i get small doses of UV .
In the wild all carpet phythons etc recieve UV.
No proof either way, best to give UV.

 

[JasonL]

theres nothing proved either way if uv is needed or not. it has been proved that uv lighting wont stop DPS

Which is the only reason people say they need UV opposed to other snakes.

 

[ScottRamsay]

If you need proof, research the lifespan of a wild Diamond that recieves UV and a captive bred Diamond that recieves none. You will find a difference of about 10 years atleast.

Lots of things are said to "need" U.V but is yet to be proved.

 

[Khagan]

If you need proof, research the lifespan of a wild Diamond that recieves UV and a captive bred Diamond that recieves none. You will find a difference of about 10 years atleast.

Then why has there been people who have kept diamonds outside with access to natural UV and they have still gotten "Diamond Python Syndrome"? Theres gotta be more to it than just UV when these captive specimens with access to natural UV still die relatively young.

 

[ReptilianGuy]

there will always be a debate over wether UV is any good or not... all i know is i wouldn't go without it. i found it helps colour and is also needed for vitamin D.
although the life of UV output in the tubes or bulbs are only short lived, like 3-6 months, even though the tube is still lit apparently it's useless for uv after the 6 months.
there is suppliment powders that contain a Vit D suppliment in them but nothings better than the real thing...
Could DPS be a diet issue? lacking in something other than UV? inproper cooling? obviously something that they get in the wild that we haven't worked out yet for captive stock
i know bugger all about it myself

 

[Lewy]

My Diamond lives out side and has done its hole life he's about 6 years old now and I think that half the problem is there diet. I mean in the wild a Diamond or any carpet would hardly eat a rat and the ones they do would not be anywhere near as fatty. My Diamond eats a hell of a lot less than any of my other snakes, has access to the sun when ever he feels like it and is cooled in winter

Personal I think that All snakes should eat a range of food and not just rats as they would most certainly not eat fatty rats in the wild and yes I also believe that uv is a necessary part of a snakes life but I provide this by taking them out in to the sun and my Diamond has his own choice
Just remember that half an hour in the sun is the same as a full week under a uv light

Cheers Lewy

 

[serpenttongue]

I mean in the wild a Diamond or any carpet would hardly eat a rat

What do you mean by this, Lewy? Are you saying rats dont make up much of a wild diamonds diet?

 

[Lewy]

What do you mean by this, Lewy? Are you saying rats dont make up much of a wild diamonds diet?

Yes that's what Im saying IMO they would be more likely to eat birds, eggs, and other small mammals not fatty rats like what we breed for them and the rats they do eat like the Australian bush rat would have nearly no fat on them as they are very lean and fit lol

This is what I believe and I'm not saying that its correct

Cheers Lewy

 

[Jonno from ERD]

If you need proof, research the lifespan of a wild Diamond that recieves UV and a captive bred Diamond that recieves none. You will find a difference of about 10 years atleast.

G'day Scott,

I've got a bookcase full of books, research data, journals and papers and have never come across any serious work that pertains to the lifespan of Diamonds in the wild compared to captivity (however I have seen heaps of anecdotal evidence on APS and the like). Can you point me in the right direction?

 

[serpenttongue]

Yes that's what Im saying IMO they would be more likely to eat birds, eggs, and other small mammals not fatty rats like what we breed for them and the rats they do eat like the Australian bush rat would have nearly no fat on them as they are very lean and fit lol

This is what I believe and I'm not saying that its correct

Cheers Lewy

Well i definately agree that rats in the wild are much more lean than captive bred lab rats, but i think rats make up a large part of a wild diamonds diet. Wild diamonds seem to congregate in areas that are high in rat densities, such as old houses and barns in the bush. This is usually from December to April, which is the time of year that they do most of their feeding. Also, whenever i've seen a wild diamond regurgitate a meal(there's been quite a few), it's always been a rat.

This is just my opinion. I'm not saying you're wrong.

I think it all comes down to the quality of the rat.

 

[Lewy]

Well i definately agree that rats in the wild are much more lean than captive bred lab rats, but i think rats make up a large part of a wild diamonds diet. Wild diamonds seem to congregate in areas that are high in rat densities(old houses and barns in the bush), and whenever i've seen a wild diamond regurgitate a meal, it's always been a rat.

This is just my opinion. I'm not saying you're wrong.

I think it all comes down to the quality of the rat.

LOL no problems good to get a few views on it

Cheers Lewy

 

[ReptilianGuy]

i think lewy could have a point, not so much agree on the rats statement as they do prey on them as well as other mammals. but the quality of rat would be alot better than our lab bred rats..
also in the wild they are open t a wider range of diet selection that they wouldn't get in most collections like the birds, rabbits, i dunno but maybe some reptiles???, they're open to a whole veriety of prey in the wild so it could only make sense that perhaps diet could play a factor in DPS

 

[snakehandler]

One of the biggest problems with keeping reptiles is the diet we give them, rodents do make up a large proportion of many wild snake diets, however they are not raised on rat and mouse cubes, designed to bulk a rat up fast, the rodents in the wild have a varied diet. The rats and mice we feed off are kept in small areas, not much exercise and are infact obese (even an animal that does not look fat can be obese). Feeding off fat animals to our snakes will create a problem in their health too.

Natural UV is good for any animal, buy a good flexarium or reptarium and put your snakes out in the sunshine, ensure they get shade and you will have been giving them all the UV they need, we try to do this to all our snakes at least once a week during the warmer months.

 

[thebraddles]

all my pythons get UV in there tanks. cant hurt.

 

[Waterrat]

What is really important, is the distance between the UV source and the snake. Do some research before you install your UV unit.
Also, when using UV fluoro tubes, any glass (e.g. terrarium lid) or perspex (diffuser covers) will effectively cut off any UV rays rendering the whole thing useless.