Diamond Question

[Just_Plain_Nuts]

Hi guys my first post, I have just recently purchased my second snake, a diamond python. I have heard speculation that they prefer cooler temperatures (28 in summer and 18 in winter) and to keep these cycles of winter and summer otherwise they die in captivity after a few years? Any experts out there like to shed some light on this matter? Cheers, Ben.

 

[Hoon84]

Well first of all, I wouldnt call myself an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but heres my advice.
keep your diamond at 28 degrees 24/7 til it is about 12 months old. Then 4 hours a day of basking at 32/33 degrees from september til april, Then 2 hours of basking at 32/33 degrees from april til september with the odd day or two with no heat whatsoever. Do not feed during this time. Be sure you have a good thermal gradient, you pretty much want the cool end to be ambient room temperature.
I live in Geelong and my diamond has been cooling since april 14th, she hasnt eaten since then and is coping really well with the freezing southern temperatures. Last night it got down to 5.4 degrees in her enclosure. She just sits coiled up on her log conserving her body heat patiently waiting for her heat lamp to come on at 8am. Its really amazing how they cope in freezing conditions.
I got her out this morning and her tongue was in slow motion, as her body temp increases, her tongue gets faster and she gets a bit more active.
As you said, they DO need an annual cycle, just like they do in the wild or they WILL die in captivity.
I like to think of it like this. Imagine you were an eskimo and your family and all your ancestors have lived in the snow for generations and generations......Then someone comes along and locks you in a sauna at 30+ degrees for 24 hours a day??? Your body wouldnt cope and your organs would shut down, Thats what happens to diamonds if you cook them.
Hope this helps...
Cheers

 

[Just_Plain_Nuts]

Thanks for your help hoon. How about if i give her the choice of hot and cold parts in her enclosure, will she know what she needs and when. Her new enclosure is 2.2m x 1.2m x .6m so i can have the heat lamp at the top near her tree and the bottom near the waterfall can remain a lot cooler. Do you think this will work, she is 18 months old.

 

[Zena]

Get the book "Keeping and Breeding Australian Pythons". There is a lot of info on Diamond Pythons and how to cool them, including detailed info on the temps to use and how many hours UV and heat each day for each month of the year. I am using it as a guide to cool my 2 year old Diamond this winter. I dont think you cool them til 2 years.

My Diamond has a basking light in the top of her enclosure and basking ledge. It is set at 29 degrees on the ledge (summer and winter). At the moment she is only getting 2 hours heat a day. The rest of her enclosure is cooler. My enclosure is tall so the top is the warm section and the bottom is cooler.

The hide she uses most is an upside down terracotta flower pot. Just use a chisel or similar to enlarge the hole in the bottom then smooth with sand paper so the snake can fit through. Apparently these are good as they retain heat relatively well.

Pic of my enclosure: 1500 high x 900 wide x 600 deep

 

[Just_Plain_Nuts]

I like your enclosure zena. When you say that she is only getting 2 hrs of heat a day, is that by her own choice or is that all that you turn it on for?

 

[thebraddles]

my diamonds from hatchies have 8 hrs of uv and heat a day. 23 at the cool end 28 max at the hot end and about 35 under the basking light. my tank is 4x4x2.hope this helps

 

[Just_Plain_Nuts]

thanks everyone for your help

 

[cement]

Ive been studying diamonds for a few years now in the wild and caring for injured ones as a rescuer,relocater and find that they aren't as fragile as what a lot of people think. In fact if you put any other species of python through a diamonds winter you'll probably soon realise just how resilient they can be. Considering they will spend nights curled up on mulch (out of the wind) with temps dropping to 2-3 degrees, and then sun basking through the middle of the day if the sun is out. I have found a wild one that I monitered for two weeks and it didn't get over 15 degrees at its hottest for two weeks.
I'm no expert and I have never seen DPS but even the temps I hear friends etc keeping them at through winter are still way different to what they get in the wild.
I have seen another in autumn with nights bottoming out at 7-8 deg and the animal only basked in full sun for 10-15 mins per day from 11.00am to 11.15am and that was it. They always find spots that are out of the wind for basking, and they have an incredibly reliable body clock that knows exactly when the sun will hit their basking site and I often see them waiting just off to the side hidden, moments before the sun hits.
cheers

 

[Just_Plain_Nuts]

thanks cement, i like your signature

 

[nos001]

i wonder about this only giving them heat for a few hours a day routine i did this with a 6yo female i had bought to breed and was in the process of cooling and i got up 1 morning to find her nearly twisting her self into knots and shaking till i put the heat on and she slowly warmed.
and she died to days later curiled under the light
and now i have a 5yo male i bought to breed with 6yo female that has not and will not eat it has been about 4months and the only thing he has bitten is me

 

[sweetangel]

that kind of sounds a bit like DPS. loss of apetite and loss of body control. i would see a vet, but unfortunately once a diamond is going in that direction, its pretty hard for them to come back...... sorry

 

[pinkmus]

Not wanting to hijack but I keep my 2 hatchies/juveniles at 30 degrees warm side...should I reduce it to 28 degrees? This is from 6am to 4pm with continuous heat after a feed.

-Will

 

[wranga]

i keep my now yearlings at 26C 24/7 and have done since they were hatchies. they also have uv lighting though theres nothing that proves that this is needed. i dont heat my adult at all. their kept inside my house. winter temps between 10-20C, summer temps between 18-30C. my adults arent given uv lighting

 

[brenttin]

i heat mine at 30C at the hot end and room temp at the cold from 830 am to 5pm and no heat at nite all yr around and no uv they do fine

 

[JasonL]

I think it's not only important to reduce their heating, but also subjecting them to very low temps for a good part of the year, ie 10 deg nights over winter. Alot of experienced diamond keepers don't offer any heat at all other than a room that warms up well over summer, even when kept like this some adult females are willing to eat year round as long as their day temps hit the low 20s.

 

[captive_fairy]

Get the book "Keeping and Breeding Australian Pythons". There is a lot of info on Diamond Pythons and how to cool them, including detailed info on the temps to use and how many hours UV and heat each day for each month of the year. I am using it as a guide to cool my 2 year old Diamond this winter. I dont think you cool them til 2 years.

My Diamond has a basking light in the top of her enclosure and basking ledge. It is set at 29 degrees on the ledge (summer and winter). At the moment she is only getting 2 hours heat a day. The rest of her enclosure is cooler. My enclosure is tall so the top is the warm section and the bottom is cooler.

This is very similar to what I have set up for my diamonds.
A few months ago my snakes started to become really snappy and aggravated all the time, which wasnt like them, then I found that my thermostat had been knocked up to 35 degrees. Since i turned it back down, I havent had any problems with them.
But Im no expert either.

 

[tenacres1100]

Not wanting to hijack but I keep my 2 hatchies/juveniles at 30 degrees warm side...should I reduce it to 28 degrees? This is from 6am to 4pm with continuous heat after a feed.

-Will

IMO don't cool hatchies or juvies, wait until they are at least 12 mths plus