Diamond Python Wont Eat ....

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matty_e888

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I got my diamond python about a month ago just as she was going into shed. As her eyes started getting milky I tried offering food for the first time but understandably she refused.......
She shed completely on wednesday night so i tried offering food again on thursday, to no avail!
The problem is i have some of those fake "exo terra" leafy vine plants which she is ALWAYS in (she hardly ever comes down) and even when i put food in there, she takes zero interest in it.... doesnt even poke her head out to have a look.

I tried getting her out of the tree and into another container last feed but it stressed her out too much and she just spent the time trying to find an escape from the separate box i put her in.
So should i be changing her food (different scent) ..... or should i leave the food in there over night?
How can i get her interested in even smelling the food????
Thanks in advance!
 
what size is it?

what are the temps in the tank? hot spot and cool end?
 
How old is it? As it's getting into winter now, most diamonds will be slowing down and not feeding again til spring. Nothing to stress about, in the wild they go without food over winter.
Mine is 2yrs old and hasnt eaten since the start of April. She is usually very switched on to food but is uninterested at this time of year.
 
She is about 6 months old (Approx) and about 50cm long...
She had been fed by the breeder the day i got her (about a month).
The temps seem to be ok, 29 in the hot end and 22 in the cool end. but she spends ALL her time right next to the heat lamp.
 
We had exactly the same problem with our Diamond when we got him. The thing that we found that worked which its kinda gross was bashing the pinky against a hard surface then offering it to the snake, ours took it straight away. Our local reptile guys told us to try piercing the skull of the pinky and letting the snake smell the brain matter (this didn't work for us but it might for you).
 
so just after u thaw it out u bash it on the hard surface?
What does that do??
Yea i tried yolking it, and also tried braining it... Still not keen!
 
yeah after you thaw it bash it on a hard surface, some of them bruised and started bleeding a little out of the nose. Dont no why it work but after we did that he took it. and hasnt not had a meal since
We tried all that, plus putting him in a smaller container but ours stressed out as well. Hope it helps
 
Vines??? Is is it in an enclosure? a snake that age should be in a small click clack and not an enclosure till its at least a year old..
Build it a small click clack, put in a hide and it will probably feed within days.. :)
 
The reptile shop/breeder i got her from said the enclosure should be ok. Its quite small measuring at 600 x 400 x 400.

Should she still be in a click clack definately?
 
The temps at the hot end may be a little low. Around 32 may help. Is the vine near the heat lamp?
 
I keep hatchlings and even some smaller yearlings in a hatchling rack, the tubs are sistema 7 litre and measure about 32cm long, 23 cm wide and 10 cm high and never have problems feeding cause the animals feel safe, in the wild young snakes live under rocks and logs etc so there whole world is only small..
Give a simple click clack a go, small container... toilet roll hide and small water bowl... heat mat or cord under back third and it should come good..
Reason its probably staying in vines is cause thats the safest place to be and the open space scares it..

Temps are also fine as it is a diamond and heating it like a regular carpet at a young age is what causes problems later in life.
 
Yea i knew diamonds are colder weather pythons so thats why im trying to keep it around 28-29.
Might give a click clack a try!
Cheers for all your help!
 
I have also just purchased a diamond hatchling, from a trusted breeder and asked the question about temps for hatchlings and was told different. I agree about the click clack- they feel much safer and at least then they can choose the temperature they prefer if given a temperature gradient.
If you grab yourself a copy of "Keeping and Breeding Australian Pythons" edited by Mike Swan it has a chapter on diamond pythons that explains very clearly how diamonds differ from other pythons and what temperatures to maintain them. A higher temperature is needed to digest food.
 
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Just finished building a click clack for her.

She went straight into one of the hides and coiled herself right up with her head just sitting at the entrance.

The only heat mat i could get today was one called "reptapet australia" - Heatmat with temperature control.
It seems a bit dodgey as you just set the temperature on a wheel on the side of the control box and leave it. ( I set it to approx 28 degrees)
I put the thermo probe inside the hot end.
The control has a red and a green light on it and both have them been on since i turned it on (approx 6 hours ago).

Has anyone else ever used one of these?
She does look a bit happier now that shes inside a suitable hide!
 
it wont eat if the temps are only 29, 32-34 i keep hatchlings at.. a click-clack is needed, your enclosure is to big imo..

dont trust the dial on your heatmat, get a thermometer..
 
it wont eat if the temps are only 29, 32-34 i keep hatchlings at.. a click-clack is needed, your enclosure is to big imo..

dont trust the dial on your heatmat, get a thermometer..


Yea i have 2 thermometers but they are hardwired into the enclosure so i just bought another off ebay... One of those Infra Red thermometers. Has anyone had good/bad experiences with these?

Ill try feed her again in a few days...

Oh and by the way the click clack is see through (didnt really think about that when i bought it.
Will it still do the trick?
 
if the diamond was always around the heat lamp and not moving, then you do not have the temps high enough. if the temp is set for 34 at the hot end and their is a gradient then the snake will move once it gets too hot/cold.
 
it wont eat if the temps are only 29, 32-34 i keep hatchlings at.. a click-clack is needed, your enclosure is to big imo..

dont trust the dial on your heatmat, get a thermometer..


Even for diamonds? my understanding is they are more suited to cooler climates (28-30)
 
No Idea about dial up heat mats:? a regular heat mat under a click clack should leave a warm end around 32, hide over that, and a couple of further hides at ambient. Put some wooden dowel at the top of the tub, where it will spend the night roaming, and during the day will be in the warm end...job did :)
 
Yes even for a diamond. Research it. It is a bit different if you had of read my last thread, when they are older.
 
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