Heating in Winter for Diamond Pythons and Outdoor Enclosure

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First comment, and I'm surprised others have not mentioned this - NEVER change the snake's thermal circumstances in mid winter. If you want to transition to a more normal basking regime, wait until late spring, when the last of the cold nights has passed, and then drop the temps, or put them outside. If you are going to put them outside (and I recommend this because they will do far better with a more normal basking regime) they need to go out when the days are warm and they have at least a day to explore and find appropriate shelters when adverse conditions prevail. If you put them outside at this time of the year, they will have an hour or two at best to look around an then get too cold to achieve the necessary familiarity with their new surroundings. In winter these snakes are largely sedentary - they find a suitable spot which provides good shelter from adverse (cold & wet) conditions, and also somewhere nearby to bask when the morning sun is warming. They are obviously very familiar with, and habituated to, the area. I live on a 100 acre bush block, and there are a couple of pythons I see routinely in the same spot on any suitable morning.

This has almost nothing to do with air temperature (as Sdaji has indicated) and everything to do with surfaces warmed by the sun. I have my intergrade pythons outside, here near Port Macquarie (admittedly a little warmer than Sydney at this time of the year, but the principle is the same). The sun hits the aviary about 8.30am on sunny days - they emerge about 30 minutes later, even if the air temps are in single digits, and bask for maybe an hour. Then they very quickly return to their hides - they don't muck around, they head for the hide entrance and go in, non-stop. This is because they have reached the critical temp, they don't want to lose body heat, and they curl up tightly and I don't see them again until the next day.

It is very important that you return your animals to the regime they are familiar with as soon as possible, and do not make any changes until at least late October. If you make the changes you wish to make now, your animals will very likely die from a cold-induced respiratory infection.

As far as aviary placement is concerned, it needs morning sun especially in winter, shelter from strong winds, and some shelter from summer extremes - the iron sheeting will act like an oven if not shaded in the afternoons on hot summer days.

A couple of other things worth mentioning - keep an eye on their respiratory health over the next month or so due to the chilling they have encountered recently, and if they show signs of discomfort, get them checked by a vet immediately. And never disturb them when they are cold and inactive, and they are in an environment which allows them to chill and bask naturally. During winter their immune systems are running less effectively, and you will almost always precipitate a respiratory infection. If they are warm after basking maybe, but definitely not when they are cold and inactive.

Jamie
 
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First comment, and I'm surprised others have not mentioned this - NEVER change the snake's thermal circumstances in mid winter.

Just to clarify, when you say 'NEVER' change the thermal circumstances in mid winter, do you mean never make them cooler or never change them at all? There are certainly times when you would want to change a snake's thermal circumstances in mid winter, for a variety of reasons. I think you meant never drastically make them colder, such as suddenly putting them outdoors in an unfamiliar enclosure, which I agree, would be a terrible idea. If they're going to go outdoors for winter it's important to put them there while the weather is still warm and let them slowly adjust as the weather cools down.

Sorry to nit pick. There's a lot of good information in your post, some information and concepts many people probably haven't thought about. The winter morning basking is a really good example of a critically important opportunity, which many people don't give them. They don't live in a thermally homogenous environment, it is extremely dynamic and what a Diamond does in winter is a great example of what they can do (and need to).
 
Yes Sdaji, I did mean that if they have been kept indoors for most of their lives, and kept warm through winter, don't just shut off the heat in mid winter, in a room that gets down to 12c, because the keeper has decided he/she wants them to live under a more natural thermal regime. Obviously minor adjustments according to circumstances are OK if you understand why you are doing it (this week I restored a female GTP to warmer night-time temps because she ovulated and needs warmer temps to help developing eggs). When preparing these snakes for the winter mating period, where the prospects of a successful mating are increased by winter cooling, I start dropping the night temps by about 1.5c a week at the start of April (when prevailing temps are still reasonably warm), eventually getting them down to about 21c - 22c for about 12hours at night, then back to about 29c for the remainder of the cycle. The change is gradual and mimics what would be seasonal changes where they live. If I suddenly dropped their night temps by 8 or 10 degrees in the middle of winter, they would develop a nasty respiratory infection within a couple of weeks. Around August - early September when the days are getting a bit longer, they will begin looking for food and the usual summer routine will establish itself again.

I guess i was suggesting that any changes in winter need to be done with insight, and sudden drastic changes (from warm to very cold) are to be avoided. The big difference between captive and wild snakes is that wild snakes have choices, and plenty of time to make them. The list of choices available to our enclosure bound captives is limited indeed.

Jamie
 
Yeah, so rather than "NEVER change temperatures in winter" it should be "Never drastically reduce temperatures very suddenly".
 
There are many out there telling people how to keep diamonds in winter, does my head in. Thank god you came on here and asked. Please read what GB, Jamie and Sdaji have posted and DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYONE ELSE!!

To all those who believe diamonds don't need heat in winter, what is the basis of your opinion? It is definitely not based on long term observation of wildlife in the wild thats for sure.

If a picture can tell 1000 words then here you go. This snake is a wild diamond. Female 8ft long and weighing approx 5-6kg.
The first photo I took at dawn just before sunrise, you can see she is 8 degrees body temp. Photo taken 28th June 2017 at 6.38am.

Second photo was taken on the 30th June 2017 at 12.30pm.

To anybody who has an interest in keeping these animals, please take note. This is not a staged photo shoot, I am a reptile relocator at Gosford and have been working with these animals (wild) for over a decade. I have used what I learnt from observation to successfully keep and breed diamonds for years, and it almost hurts to hear of the advice that some people give others regarding these reptiles. As mentioned earlier, it most definitely DOES get up and over 40degrees in certain places at certain times through winter. Diamonds are masters of their environment, they are easily (along with red bellies) the most common snake on the central coast of NSW. I have dealt with upwards of 50 in any one season.
Right now we are experiencing some very unseasonal warm weather. A false spring you could say.... birds are mating and reptiles are becoming active as I am getting calls to snakes that are starting to behave as they naturally do in spring. This behaviour is usually only seen from Sept onwards and it is the transitional period where they feel the warmer days and become active, moving out of house roofs into the yards etc beginning to look for food and mates. I get calls because people are seeing them on roofs, on their pergolas, in trees next to roofs etc. BUT..... the nights are still very cold. It is dangerous for our wildlife to have these false springs. They can get caught out when the next east coast low pushes the bitterly cold south westerlies up from the snowy mountains, and perish. Birds will mate early, laying eggs only to die in the next cold snap. If your a relocator taking calls for snakes at this time of year DONT MOVE THEM ON, unless it is into a place where they can survive the rest of winter till spring hits. In spring and summer it doesn't matter, they will sort themselves out, but how many snakes are killed by well meaning relocators at this time of year, because they are taken from their warm winter roofs and basking sites, only to be dumped in the bush where they are now at the mercy of the cold.

Keeping diamonds in outdoor aviaries is MORE DIFFICULT then keeping them in a box. Yes, they most certainly do need warmth. They need a basking site that not only generates heat in the mid to high 30's through the day, but also generates heat long enough for the size snake that you have too. ie large snake...longer heat duration.

Thankfully, you now have the right info, from enough reliable source, to understand that you have probably just saved those diamonds lives. Keep them seperated though,.... unless they are in a LARGE enclosure where each snake can bask alone in the correct temps, and can hide alone, away from the other snake. If they are forced to live on top of each other you are breaking universal law regarding these animals and sooner or later one of them will suffer.

good luck with them. Lets get the word out there about diamonds. There is no such thing as DPS. And they need heat over winter. Diamonds have long been thought of as being difficult to keep, needing special attention etc, etc . So much literature and hearsay about these snakes, passed on from one inexperienced keeper to another. To the detriment of the animal in captivity. In my opinion, diamonds are just better adapted to dealing with cooler temperatures than other pythons. They can hunt and feed at lower temps. They can absorb heat from the infra red spectrum more easily than other pythons. In other words they are better adapted to the cooler regions because of millions of years of evolving in these regions. But they still need heat like all reptiles, to raise their body temperatures so they can get blood to flow, and create all the necessary internal physiological processes to maintain a strong immunity system. If they don't get the right heating through the colder months they will contract respiratory diseases, pneumonia etc, just like any other python.

IMG_1337.JPG IMG_1357.JPG
 
There are many out there telling people how to keep diamonds in winter, does my head in. Thank god you came on here and asked. Please read what GB, Jamie and Sdaji have posted and DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYONE ELSE!!

To all those who believe diamonds don't need heat in winter, what is the basis of your opinion? It is definitely not based on long term observation of wildlife in the wild thats for sure.

If a picture can tell 1000 words then here you go. This snake is a wild diamond. Female 8ft long and weighing approx 5-6kg.
The first photo I took at dawn just before sunrise, you can see she is 8 degrees body temp. Photo taken 28th June 2017 at 6.38am.

Second photo was taken on the 30th June 2017 at 12.30pm.

To anybody who has an interest in keeping these animals, please take note. This is not a staged photo shoot, I am a reptile relocator at Gosford and have been working with these animals (wild) for over a decade. I have used what I learnt from observation to successfully keep and breed diamonds for years, and it almost hurts to hear of the advice that some people give others regarding these reptiles. As mentioned earlier, it most definitely DOES get up and over 40degrees in certain places at certain times through winter. Diamonds are masters of their environment, they are easily (along with red bellies) the most common snake on the central coast of NSW. I have dealt with upwards of 50 in any one season.
Right now we are experiencing some very unseasonal warm weather. A false spring you could say.... birds are mating and reptiles are becoming active as I am getting calls to snakes that are starting to behave as they naturally do in spring. This behaviour is usually only seen from Sept onwards and it is the transitional period where they feel the warmer days and become active, moving out of house roofs into the yards etc beginning to look for food and mates. I get calls because people are seeing them on roofs, on their pergolas, in trees next to roofs etc. BUT..... the nights are still very cold. It is dangerous for our wildlife to have these false springs. They can get caught out when the next east coast low pushes the bitterly cold south westerlies up from the snowy mountains, and perish. Birds will mate early, laying eggs only to die in the next cold snap. If your a relocator taking calls for snakes at this time of year DONT MOVE THEM ON, unless it is into a place where they can survive the rest of winter till spring hits. In spring and summer it doesn't matter, they will sort themselves out, but how many snakes are killed by well meaning relocators at this time of year, because they are taken from their warm winter roofs and basking sites, only to be dumped in the bush where they are now at the mercy of the cold.

Keeping diamonds in outdoor aviaries is MORE DIFFICULT then keeping them in a box. Yes, they most certainly do need warmth. They need a basking site that not only generates heat in the mid to high 30's through the day, but also generates heat long enough for the size snake that you have too. ie large snake...longer heat duration.

Thankfully, you now have the right info, from enough reliable source, to understand that you have probably just saved those diamonds lives. Keep them seperated though,.... unless they are in a LARGE enclosure where each snake can bask alone in the correct temps, and can hide alone, away from the other snake. If they are forced to live on top of each other you are breaking universal law regarding these animals and sooner or later one of them will suffer.

good luck with them. Lets get the word out there about diamonds. There is no such thing as DPS. And they need heat over winter. Diamonds have long been thought of as being difficult to keep, needing special attention etc, etc . So much literature and hearsay about these snakes, passed on from one inexperienced keeper to another. To the detriment of the animal in captivity. In my opinion, diamonds are just better adapted to dealing with cooler temperatures than other pythons. They can hunt and feed at lower temps. They can absorb heat from the infra red spectrum more easily than other pythons. In other words they are better adapted to the cooler regions because of millions of years of evolving in these regions. But they still need heat like all reptiles, to raise their body temperatures so they can get blood to flow, and create all the necessary internal physiological processes to maintain a strong immunity system. If they don't get the right heating through the colder months they will contract respiratory diseases, pneumonia etc, just like any other python.

View attachment 324991 View attachment 324992
Thanks @cement but my observations were based on keeping diamonds for many years in large outdoor aviaries (8m x 2.4 x 2.4) that were positioned and set up with perches, rocks etc for the diamonds to thermoregulate as they do in the wild, keeping them in small outdoor cages does not work. I even connected the aviaries with pvc pipes to allow them to move between them. I too have observed wild diamond behaviour in the wild over 50 years and recorded their temps in my aviaries. I also made the point that diamonds raised in heated enclosures do not readily adapt to outdoor aviaries, they do not have the natural instinct to bask in the right spots/times. Wild diamonds that take up long term residence in warm roof spaces can also loose this ability.
 
G'Day YT, sorry if you feel I directed any of that at you. I didn't. I should add your name to the list. Obviously you know how to set up an aviary for a snake. It takes a bit of thought to get it right doesn't it??
You know what I mean...so much wrong info being given out regarding not just diamonds but reptiles in general by people who really only have a limited experience.
Its a minefield for beginners, because it's so easy in this industry, anyone with little to no experience can sound like they know what their talking about and in the end its the animal that suffers, then the owners feel bad for the pet, and costs them money at vets etc, etc... Ive read posts on here in the past by a woman who was a moderator, giving out info about diamonds which was just plain wrong, but because she sounds like she knows, and was controlling this site, she would be believed by beginners. I seriously doubt her experience at being any more then owing a few pet snakes for a couple of years. These are the people I mean.

I don't however completely agree with your last statement, but not arguing . My reasoning is because the only reason snakes end up in roofs, is because during the seasonal cycles, rodents move in and out of our houses. They move into house roofs and walls in winter, and back out into the environment when its warm. All the snakes are doing is following the rodents into the houses, and it just so happens that they will go in, clean up, and then find its too cold to go search for more, so they stay in the house over winter. But as soon as things warm up, they vacate, hungry (they've eaten the rodents already months ago) so go in search of food. At this time of year, for a wild diamond (that will hunt at feed at temps down as low as 17-18 degrees) they are fine, and have no problem finding the temps they need. I do however agree that, they can at times get caught out, with cold snaps etc but diamonds are built to withstand this to a certain point.
Hence my point about relocaters doing the wrong thing by removing them from where they are found at this time of year.

Is it possible that the snakes you are talking about are the victims of eating baited rodents and possibly sick? The only dead diamonds I've found in houses are ones where rodents get baited by the homeowners. Occasionally, diamonds will lay eggs in roof spaces, but by the time the eggs hatch it's painfully hot for the snakes and most eggs are dead from bacteria's etc that are associated with the filth found in rodent infested roof spaces. These clutches are horribly mouldy, and just a disease hot spot.

Snakes aren't that smart, and they will die if caught out in the wrong spot at the wrong time, thats just the way it goes. But it shouldn't happen in captivity, this day and age.
 
@cement
What would you suggest is the reason behind multiple keepers having young Diamonds die on them (DPS) if you reckon DPS isn’t a real issue? Just out of curiosity
 
This has been a very informative thread and I thank all the experienced people for their input, we keep a diamond as well as several other Morelia and Antaresia and these will never be put into permanent outdoor enclosures unlike our lacies.
On a side note I'd like to add that the laser pointer on the temp gun can also be used to entertain the cat and apparently central netted dragons (although I have to wait for brumation to end to confirm it)
 
There is no such thing as DPS. And they need heat over winter. Diamonds have long been thought of as being difficult to keep, needing special attention etc, etc . So much literature and hearsay about these snakes, passed on from one inexperienced keeper to another. To the detriment of the animal in captivity. In my opinion, diamonds are just better adapted to dealing with cooler temperatures than other pythons. They can hunt and feed at lower temps. They can absorb heat from the infra red spectrum more easily than other pythons. In other words they are better adapted to the cooler regions because of millions of years of evolving in these regions. But they still need heat like all reptiles, to raise their body temperatures so they can get blood to flow, and create all the necessary internal physiological processes to maintain a strong immunity system. If they don't get the right heating through the colder months they will contract respiratory diseases, pneumonia etc, just like any other python.

Agree totally. I actually think Diamonds are easier to keep in captivity than many other species once they are set up correctly.
DPS has been used as an excuse for poor husbandry in this species.
 
I think Diamond Python Syndrome is a valid term for the whole 'Diamonds are prone to dying and getting weak in captivity' issue. The issue does exist, because they are very sensitive to prolonged high temperatures, or to prolonged periods without access to high temperatures. Their thermal requirements are fairly specific, far more complex than most pythons, it is a challenge to provide them, most people would struggle to understand let alone provide their needs, and it's no surprise that people often have problems with them.

Anything is easy once you are really good at it and understand it. The fact that it is far more difficult to understand and provide for Diamond Carpets means it is, more difficult. The symptoms they get because of this lack of ideal care is called DPS. That's fair enough.

Yes, it's possible to look after them properly. Yes, if you're really good at what you do, it's not that difficult, though still, far more difficult than for other forms of Carpet Python. It requires a more elaborate setup, it more or less requires a spotlight (not necessary for other forms, and not even something I'd bother with for most other forms). Most Carpets will thrive in a tub, plenty of people breed them in racks, but Diamonds are unlikely to thrive long term in those same setups. That, surely, means they're more difficult.

Having requirements most people will struggle to provide and understand makes them something which should be considered a difficult python to keep, something I've been saying for over 20 years, and something which for over 20 years some people have been angry about, often because they are calling them ideal for beginners and trying to sell them to beginners, which really isn't a great idea. Most people can't get their head around a snake requiring really hot and cold temperatures in the same day or different forms of providing heating, or how it can be possible for a snake to suffer from both a lack of heat and cold at the same time of year, or many other aspects of a thermally complex taxon like this.

Yes, a beginner can usually keep one in a basic python setup and will probably get 4-5 years out of them, much like a person can eat nothing but junk food and beer and smoke frequently and not exercise and will probably be healthy enough until they're well into their 20s. Yes, as someone who worked as a biologist researching animals' interactions with temperatures, I personally understand it better than almost anyone and would have no trouble designing an ideal enclosure (which would still be a lot of work and money to build compared to what would be required for most pythons), but that doesn't mean even I think it's 'easy' for most people, or that DPS doesn't exist. All those sick and dead Diamonds are testament to its existence.
 
Thanks for all the great information. You guys should write a book on diamond pythons. I have not found a book nor any reliable source of information, apart from this forum.

I will take photos of the outdoor setup. Hubby is not moving them til spring now.
 
@cement
What would you suggest is the reason behind multiple keepers having young Diamonds die on them (DPS) if you reckon DPS isn’t a real issue? Just out of curiosity

I don't know, but if that is true I bet there is a reason. How long is a piece of string? I have no idea how others keep their snakes, but I can tell you why young diamonds in my collection have died though, and every single one has had a legitimate health issue. Blocked nasolacrimal duct, under developed organs, swollen or enlarged heart. Ive lost eggs to mould because the F10 was a year out of date. Problems with the gut...... Just two days ago I had the horrible job of euthanising the best looking diamond in my collection due to prolapsing issues.
I have had a few neo-natal deaths, not many considering how many I've bred though. But anyone who breeds snakes in quantity and says they never have deformities probably shouldn't be believed.

Sunshine virus isn't the only virus going around here in Australia, there are many forms of OPMV, I would suggest that a lot of diamonds succumb to this without the keeper ever knowing cause of death, but will put it down to the so called DPS. The symptoms I have read about in reptile magazine publications years ago regarding DPS, and the symptoms I have witnessed in one particular diamond personally were the same. The keeper was worried that the diamond had the dreaded DPS, and was quite sure of it, angry at himself for not keeping the snake a lot colder etc but a vet autopsy revealed it had a form of OPMV. When the article was written, testing for OPMV in Australia was not available.

I asked a local breeder here on the coast (well known person here, has been breeding snakes for probably close to 40 years +) what he thought DPS was, and his reply was very simple. " I have no idea what that is." He had never seen a diamond with the symptoms that others have written about. Occasionally I pick up sick or unhealthy diamonds from the wild, but its rare. 99% of the wild diamonds I catch are very healthy and robust, the big females that are down on condition because they have just come off a clutch of eggs may be thin and odd looking, because they are so long and skinny but have large heads, aren't really lacking anything but normal loss of body weight due to maternal incubation. But wild snakes have to deal with a host of issues that captive ones should never see.
Like the ticks on this large female. She probably would have died if the home owner hadn't called me out. The story here is that I removed over 200 ticks from this poor girl. How did she pick up so many ticks? She in the wild, she can go wherever she wants. She could go find a creek and drown them off her. But she didn't. She let literally hundreds of ticks take complete liberty with her. Why? Because she was on eggs. She unfortunately laid her eggs in an obviously tick infested place. I don't know where,fullsizeoutput_2c8.jpeg but I would assume the ticks probably got all over the hatchies as they emerged too. But, though she was down on condition due to eggs, and weakened from ticks, by simply removing them, getting her on heat (she did get a vet check up too) she bounced back and was released about a week later, refusing to feed while in care. I have no problem thinking she will be fine now.
I just put this up to show how strong these snakes can be. Diamonds aren't a weaker or problematic animal. I would suggest that if your diamonds are dying in captivity then get an autopsy done on the snake and get the truth rather then ask on here. IMG_0885.JPG

So I'm sorry, I can't speak for any other keepers diamonds that die. Here on a forum, it can never be anything more then speculation regarding that. But I have seen the way some keepers keep, and that in itself can be a problem regardless of species.
 
I don't know, but if that is true I bet there is a reason. How long is a piece of string? I have no idea how others keep their snakes, but I can tell you why young diamonds in my collection have died though, and every single one has had a legitimate health issue. Blocked nasolacrimal duct, under developed organs, swollen or enlarged heart. Ive lost eggs to mould because the F10 was a year out of date. Problems with the gut...... Just two days ago I had the horrible job of euthanising the best looking diamond in my collection due to prolapsing issues.
I have had a few neo-natal deaths, not many considering how many I've bred though. But anyone who breeds snakes in quantity and says they never have deformities probably shouldn't be believed.

Sunshine virus isn't the only virus going around here in Australia, there are many forms of OPMV, I would suggest that a lot of diamonds succumb to this without the keeper ever knowing cause of death, but will put it down to the so called DPS. The symptoms I have read about in reptile magazine publications years ago regarding DPS, and the symptoms I have witnessed in one particular diamond personally were the same. The keeper was worried that the diamond had the dreaded DPS, and was quite sure of it, angry at himself for not keeping the snake a lot colder etc but a vet autopsy revealed it had a form of OPMV. When the article was written, testing for OPMV in Australia was not available.

I asked a local breeder here on the coast (well known person here, has been breeding snakes for probably close to 40 years +) what he thought DPS was, and his reply was very simple. " I have no idea what that is." He had never seen a diamond with the symptoms that others have written about. Occasionally I pick up sick or unhealthy diamonds from the wild, but its rare. 99% of the wild diamonds I catch are very healthy and robust, the big females that are down on condition because they have just come off a clutch of eggs may be thin and odd looking, because they are so long and skinny but have large heads, aren't really lacking anything but normal loss of body weight due to maternal incubation. But wild snakes have to deal with a host of issues that captive ones should never see.
Like the ticks on this large female. She probably would have died if the home owner hadn't called me out. The story here is that I removed over 200 ticks from this poor girl. How did she pick up so many ticks? She in the wild, she can go wherever she wants. She could go find a creek and drown them off her. But she didn't. She let literally hundreds of ticks take complete liberty with her. Why? Because she was on eggs. She unfortunately laid her eggs in an obviously tick infested place. I don't know where,View attachment 324998 but I would assume the ticks probably got all over the hatchies as they emerged too. But, though she was down on condition due to eggs, and weakened from ticks, by simply removing them, getting her on heat (she did get a vet check up too) she bounced back and was released about a week later, refusing to feed while in care. I have no problem thinking she will be fine now.
I just put this up to show how strong these snakes can be. Diamonds aren't a weaker or problematic animal. I would suggest that if your diamonds are dying in captivity then get an autopsy done on the snake and get the truth rather then ask on here. View attachment 324999

So I'm sorry, I can't speak for any other keepers diamonds that die. Here on a forum, it can never be anything more then speculation regarding that. But I have seen the way some keepers keep, and that in itself can be a problem regardless of species.
WOW! That picture gave me the shivers the way the ticks crawl under the scales and almost look like a scale *shivers*
 
@cemet
Thank you very much for the response!
I still do find it strange as to why there is a ‘Diamond’PS as a opposed to say... ‘Jungle’PS or ‘Coastal’PS.

If it is down to a virus, wouldn’t you expect to see more or less the same prevalence in each species?

And in being more Southern pythons who have evolved to tolerate colder climates, wouldn’t it be fair enough to say that excessive heat could be deterimental to their health? Although I guess the same could be said for any snake kept on a 24hr hotspot...

Would I be understanding it correctly in saying ‘DPS’ is a bit of a misnomer and it’s more of an issue with incorrect husbandry?


And that tick photo is going to give me nightmares for the next week or two... I’ve had to pull a couple off the dogs + cats + myself and yikes.
Some people are deathly afraid of spiders, some of snakes. Ticks are what get me.

Those greys are paralysis ticks aren’t they? I’d have to assume that snakes react differently to them?
 
I still do find it strange as to why there is a ‘Diamond’PS as a opposed to say... ‘Jungle’PS or ‘Coastal’PS.

If it is down to a virus, wouldn’t you expect to see more or less the same prevalence in each species?

This sums it up.

No one is saying DPS is a virus or unavoidable congenital condition (or if they are, feel free to say so and I'll say you're wrong and surprised anyone is saying that, because I was pretty sure no one was making that mistake). It's more or less just acknowledging that whatever causes it, Diamonds in captivity are prone to illness and early death, compared to their very close relatives (all the other Carpet Pythons, and most other pythons/snakes in general). Obviously *something* causes that, and most people these days agree that it is temperature related. 10-20 years ago everyone was saying it was UV deficiency, and the few people (including myself) daring to say that was stupid were ridiculed, but these days most people seem to have woken up to the UV story being a myth.

Something worth considering is that when things are weakened and sickly their immune systems are usually down, which can allow infection from pathogens which would normally not be a problem, or the proliferation of pathogens which are not usually a problem, or the proliferation of microbes which aren't really pathogens in general circumstances. This phenomenon is one of the things which causes vets to wrongly diagnose normal microbes as pathogens, and to give incorrect diagnoses for causes of deaths.

Extremely little is known about snake viruses, and far to many big conclusions are made from very limited data. Absolutely no doubt, some of them are relatively harmless, but snakes die with these viruses in heavy concentrations in their body. Imagine it in an example you can more easily understand, like aliens keeping humans. Not a likely example, but we understand humans much better. If aliens were keeping humans far too cold or with the wrong food or whatever, and their immune systems were retarded by this problem, they would often at the time of death have high levels of cold or flu virus, which may make the aliens think this was the primary cause of the problem. In reality, the real problem is the bad conditions, which allow the usually harmless pathogens to flourish. Most people continually get colds and other minor pathogens throughout their lives, and generally these aren't a big deal. If we are in good conditions, generally we don't have to worry about normal pathogens. But if something goes wrong with a person, these normal pathogens will often take advantage of a weak host and be in very high concentration at the time of death.

Don't get me wrong, diseases like ebola and meningococcal and AIDS etc do exist, and presumably equivalents in snakes do too. In humans we are familiar with the differences, but in snakes we don't yet have the ability to tell the difference between them, we haven't identified which ones do which, and often we are fooled into thinking something equivalent to a cold is equivalent to ebola.

Sorry for getting a little off topic, this more applies to the misinformation generally spread about snake pathogens rather than Diamonds/DPS specifically.
 
Well put Sdaji, and a very good way to describe dis-ease (aliens!)
Its pretty common knowledge these days that doctors have been for way to long treating symptoms rather then cause.
So good husbandry is paramount to a snakes health. Hygene, cleanliness and correct temps. In the past, (and I may be out of date now because I really don't follow the hobby in any way other then a look here now and again) DPS or Diamond Python Syndrome was supposedly caused by "metabolic burn out" or in other words keeping the snake too warm for too long. This is the only reason I have ever heard for the cause of DPS. The general consensus was that by being kept too warm the snakes metabolism is "switched on " for dangerously long periods, resulting in sickness and death.
But what we do know is that snakes should be given a temperature gradient. Its important to give it a range of varying temperatures with a basking site being the hottest spot and the further away from the basking site the cooler it gets, so the snake can simply find the temp it needs when it wants it. I've recorded body temperatures of wild diamonds ranging from 4 degrees to 40degrees. I disbelieve that if given a choice of temperatures that a snake (captive or not) will not thermoregulate. Other things must be considered too like security and the ability to hide away unseen from the outside world, fresh water etc, etc.
I do or did keep my captive breeding adults exactly the same as any other python but for the exception that they would get cooler periods more often. It isn't uncommon in winter for a wild diamond to remain in the one spot for a week or two especially during cold weather where the diamond will for 2 weeks straight not get over 14-15 degrees, but they are built to withstand these periods, better then other northern species I would hazard to say. But sooner or later the sun comes out and they will receive a higher body temp, which as Sdaji says re-boots the immunity system.
I would basically follow the local weather. If we got cold snaps here where I live then I would turn off the diamonds heat until it warmed up again, but in saying that my shed would rarely drop below 10 degrees, so my diamonds were never exposed to to temps quite as low as I have recorded outside, but they were getting cycles of different temps. I would watch them to monitor there movement (or lack of). If they were curled up tight for a few days or a week in winter (three - four times through winter) I saw this as being good, but I was always careful to make sure they would come out of these periods and have access to temps of 35+ so they could soak it up until they were at optimum body temp, which is best known by the snake alone.
I just don't like hearing things like "don't let your diamonds get over 27 degrees", or "diamonds don't need any heat". Because it would take a 2 minute search to find cases of diamonds with RI, so obviously they are kept to cold for too long.
 
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