Been a rough journey ....

[matty_e888]

Hey all just thought i would send a bit of an update.
Back in the start of May this year i purchased my first python (diamond) .... after not very long i realised something was not right. His sheds became so regular that it got to the stage of when one skin came off, the skin under neath was already dry and lifting. This went on for about 6 weeks, he would not feed and his droppings became bright green in colour. After a few trips to the VET and a course of anti-biotics nothing seemed to get better. I took him back to the breeder and was lucky enough that the breeder said he will care for him and happily exchanged him for another diamond from the same clutch.
This one was amazing. fed well grew quite substantially and i put him in a different room of the house with better sunlight, ventilation and less traffic so he could have some privacy. I would only get him out 2 -3 times a week and he was kept at around 27 degrees hot end, 23 degrees cooler end.
Again, after about 3 months he started showing the same symptoms. Extremely regular sloughing, Eyes were always covered with that milky appearance, Stopped eating, lost size dramatically and i noticed towards the end that when i held him i could slightly feel his bones in his back "cracking" as he moved across my hand.

Unfortunately just on sunday he passed away. He was laying extremely limp on the bottom of the tank (unusual for him as he was always on the branches) and when i picked him up i could see he struggled to turn his head. So i presumed the best way to put him out of his misery was to cool him down.

Anyway only yesterday i managed to acquire a 2.5 year old female Water Python off a friend. Extremely healthy looking, Nice solid body with beautiful colours when presented in the sun. Im Stoked
So my question to you all is, Does anyone seem to have care sheets or even advice on how i should keep this one differently? I dont know if what i was doing was wrong or whether my first two were just a bad clutch (the breeder wont disclose that info).
I have done a bit of a search around but cant find too much.
I have in fact moved the viv to a much better place in the house where much more natural sunlight is apparent. And most specifically what temps should she be kept? im guessing it would be quite different to the diamond?
Lastly are they climbers? i have quite a few branches and vines which the diamond used to love climbing but as soon as i put the water python in she moved around the bottom a fair bit then straight into a hide until now.

Cheers for all advice in advance

 

[saximus]

Those temps sound quite low to me even for a Diamond. However, it sounds like possible DPS from that description. As far as I'm aware, not much is known about the exact cause of DPS but it seems to have a lot to do with heating and possibly UV. So if that's what it was then you can rest a little easier knowing Water Pythons don't suffer this issue.
Waters definitely need hotter hot ends than Diamonds. (30-32 should be good) They will happily climb if you give them something to climb on. They don't really have any specific requirements so you can pretty much look after them like most carpets.

ADD: I just found this with a quick Google search. There's some good info in there. I also just remembered mine had a very bad shed because her humidity was low. So you need to make sure you up it when they go blue.

 

[ingie]

Sounds like you have had a tough time Matty! I believe Diamonds enjoy a hot end of 32 just like any other carpet, but it is important to cool them over winter, and ensure that they have access to a cool end in summer (harder for people living up north!). It still gets very hot in the warmer months of the year in areas where Diamonds are found, however the winters are quite cold. You would be surprised how much heat a black animal sitting in direct sun can absorb on a cool day though.

What you described doesn't sound heat related to me, and if it was DPS it has come on unusually fast seeing as people who experience it report it in older snakes. Hopefully someone else has some insight on what the issue may have been.

As for your new snake, I would have aired on the side of caution and sterilized everything before bringing him home, just in case there was something contagious going on. This includes enclosure and everything inside, as well as all feeding utensils and handling tools etc. It is good practice to do this when getting any new reptile, even in the absence of visible illness, because there are some nasty nasty diseases that stay hidden for a long time.

In terms of temperatures for a water python, a hot end of 32 and a cool end of room temperature is good. feeding every 2 or so weeks at that age. I haven't personally kept a water python so i'm not sure if they climb much. It might be a good idea for you to post a photo of your enclosure how it is now, and invite people to make suggestions on how to perfect it for your water python.

Good luck!

 

[Pythoninfinite]

Too young for DPS. Water Pythons are great snakes - very hardy, beautiful, and with a fantastic feeding response which you'll learn about soon enough ! As Ingie says, warmer, and they do like a big waterbowl, although it isn't essential. I wouldn't use ANYTHING from your previously kept animals - enclosures, decorations, hides etc... brand new stuff, as Ingie says, just in case...

Jamie

 

[Nighthawk]

Did the vet have a specific surmise as to what was going on? Are they experienced with reps? Just out of curiosity, because I know a good vet is hard to find and those are some pretty specific symptoms.
I would ring around a few recommended reptile vets, relay the symptoms and see what they said. What happened with the first diamond? Did the breeder say if it recovered fine or passed? That alone would give you a good idea as to whether it was a bad clutch or misguided husbandry.