co-habitating diamonds

[Hamalicious]

G'day APS members

Ive heard from a lot of people that Diamonds seem to be the exception when it comes to co-habitating snakes. I don't keep any of my snakes together but i am thinking about getting a male diamond for my girl and she's in a decent size enclosure so i thought id see what other people think or have experienced. The current enclosure is 4' H 4' L and 2' D.

Just to clarify i am not doing this to save money or because i'm lazy, so please don't think that, i am more than happy to buy a second enclosure, i'm just interested because i've heard so many stories about diamonds not having problems when living together.

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Australis]

There is a huge reporting bias when it comes to keepers experiences housing pythons together. Then you have a confirmation bias that will play out in this thread.

Just buy another enclosure for hygiene reasons alone is my suggestion because really the pythons wont have much to gain from sharing a box.

 

[Burnerism]

I would also like to hear more about this from those who may have expirence or know someone who has in regards to this. I'm sure the op as I are after not mindless drible regarding murpheys law, expirence with other types of pythons etc etc. Lets try keep this one on topic.

That wasn't a dig at you either Australis I would just like more info about the op and not in regardes to keeping other pythons together as I too have herd this about diamonds..

 

[harlemrain]

I've never tried it myself but the bloke I bought my coastal hatchie from kept both his male and female coastals in the one enclosure, mum was 9ft and dad was 7.5ft from memory, and the enclosure wasn't overly huge and he told me he had never had a problem with them, not sure if Diamonds would be any different or not

 

[serpenttongue]

I think the main reason diamonds are kept together is because a lot of keepers house them outdoors in large aviaries where it is easily done.

With the insane feeding response of these pythons (more-so than other morelia, in my opinion), I would never recommend housing them together indoors; at least during the warmer months.

 

[Bushman]

Diamonds are generally fine when housed together in groups. The only thing that you have to be careful of is when feeding. Not only must feeding sessions be closely supervised, but after feeding they can remain in feed mode for some time and bite and constrict each other savagely. The Diamond Python feed response is pretty full-on.
Are your Diamonds in an outside aviary or in an indoor enclosure?

The other issue is that housing together can reduce the mating response in the breeding season.

 

[Sezzzzzzzzz]

Diamonds are generally fine when housed together in groups. The only thing that you have to be careful of is when feeding. Not only must feeding sessions be closely supervised, but after feeding they can remain in feed mode for some time and bite and constrict each other savagely. The Diamond Python feed response is pretty full-on.
Are your Diamonds in an outside aviary or in an indoor enclosure?

The other issue is that housing together can reduce the mating response in the breeding season.

bushman is there any reason that diamonds do okay together and not other sp.?

 

[Bushman]

Males don't fight. They're the lovers of the python world!

 

[Hamalicious]

My main point for this thread was that i hear diamonds are better than other pythons. There seems to be a very strong difference in opinion between diamonds and every other python. Also feeding would be done separately for obvious reasons.

 

[serpenttongue]

I think it all comes down to cage size. Like I said, diamonds appear to do better because most people keep them in large aviaries. Indoors, diamonds tolerate each other because they have to. The keeper hasn't given them any other choice.

Diamonds are a strictly solitary animal. The only times they come together in the wild is for mating, or sharing a winter retreat (which is common). They may also be found sharing the same hunting sites around March, but this would only be in areas where there's an abundance of prey (such as hay sheds, old barns etc).

 

[Sezzzzzzzzz]

My main point for this thread was that i hear diamonds are better than other pythons. There seems to be a very strong difference in opinion between diamonds and every other python. Also feeding would be done separately for obvious reasons.

sorry for the hijack! i've been wondering the same thing

 

[serpenttongue]

Perhaps due to sharing winter retreats, diamonds have evolved with a tolerance to each other?

Indeed, diamonds housed in aviaries have a tendancy to share hide boxes when they have the option of separating themselves (within the confines of an aviary).

 

[Hamalicious]

Alright well i am by no means in a rush to get another diamond, Its just a thought at the moment. If i do decide to get a second one, ill assess the situation at the time and decided whether an out door aviary or a second enclosure will work best. They seem to be the most accepted options from everything i've just read and other research i'm doing at the moment.

Feel free to keep discussing this though, id be interested to see what more people have to say, thanks for all the help

 

[saintanger]

i use to keep my diamonds together till i lost my female but i will buy another female and will house them again together. never had a problem, always feed separate.

with strong feeders that stay in feed mode for a while, i just leave them in their feeding click clack for 24 hours and they are fine after that.