My diamond is in bad shape.

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matty_e888

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So as you may know i bought my first python in the start of may.
as soon as i got him home he went into shed..... which lasted for 3 weeks. as soon as the skin came off .. the eyes were still milky and of course, another 2 weeks went by, he shed again. but this time one of his eyes looked infected and the eye caps in the shed were dis-coloured.
So i took him to the vet who said he had some how punctured the layer over his eye and it was leaking fluid.
He administered a 3 week course of an anti biotic injection just incase bacteria was a factor.
One thing i have noticed is that he hasnt moved from his cold side at all in about 2 weeks (constant 21 degrees C) besides getting the occasional drink, and has not eaten a thing since i got him despite feeding fine with the breeder.
Anyone got any advice?
Why could he possibly want to stay in the cold end?
 
So sorry to hear matty. Hope someone can offer some help.
 
Diamonds generally like cooler temperatures than most other snakes, double check your temperatures in the 'warm end' and make sure that they are not too high. It may have decided due to it being quite cool that it's time to switch itself off for the winter... This would explain it not feeding.
How old is the animal? And how it is housed?
 
Hey Matty! :)

Firstly, considering the animal is on antibiotics, KEEP HIM UP at all costs. As blakehose said, Diamonds do prefer their temps a little cooler than most morelia, so check the warm-end temps first.

Do you have a UVA/B in there for him? (I would assume you do...)

Anyway, in order for those antibiotics to work effectively, your animal needs to stay warm (difficult with Diamonds!) and definitely not 'brumate' just yet. The animal needs to be moving around, drinking and eating as normal, if possible, otherwise the antibiotics just won't be able to do their job.

Check the temps, get back to us here, and we'll go from there, okay?

Good luck, and we'll hear from you soon!

Best,
Carolyn
 
21C is too cold for a sick snake diamond or not. Keep it at 28 -30 until it is back to good health.The higher temperature will maximise metabolism and healing.
 
Thanks for all the input guys.
He is approx 8 months old. 2 foot long.
Yes there is a uva/uvb light on for 13 hours of the day.
The warm end is a constant 29 degrees but every time i put him in the warm end, he just goes straight back to the cool end. Tried feeding him again last night and left it in there over night and the velvet was still there when i woke up.
His eyes are definately not right though. i just took a good inspection under a lamp and there is still a brown dis-colouration under the skin of both eyes.
 
I think what Wokka was trying to say is to eliminate the cool end for the time being to keep the snake warm so it heals quicker. Your best hope is to keep it warm whilst it is sick.
 
Often sick snakes fail to thermoregulate so you need to keep them warm and not allow access to the cool end. Just to be sure check your thermometer is correct and that the hot end is no warmer than 30c in the hottest part of the day.
 
At this stage dont worry about the eyes
Fight off any infections first and that means a bit of warmth
 
He is sick, so dont even think about feeding him, his temps need to be up to around 32. Have you got him in a tub? If not, put him in a tub, with the hide on top of the heat mat, and take away any hide from the cool side, and monitor....this is what I would do...good luck!!
 
block all vents if its kept in an enclosure, making sure temperature dosent go over 32c. dont worry about trying to feed, just make sure it has fresh water daily
 
You could help him keep warmer by downsizing him into a plastic tub that is just large enough for water bowl, a hide or two, and a warm end and cool end. I don't mean getting rid of his enclosure. But temporarily put him into a "hospital" tank where temperatures will have better chance of staying up there, so he can get better.

From Big W you can get a set of five 20Litre plastic storage tubs. They are only about 25cmx34cm diameter but they are higher so you can put branches in to help them move up off heating if they want but their ambient temperature will remain sufficient so he can't get too cold.
 
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Yes with sick or injured diamonds, I keep them at a constant 30 -35 degrees. Especially if on antibiotics. This will help with metabolism and also bring on the feeding response and give it more energy. Don't worry about DPS. A few weeks at these temps will do more good then harm. In my hospital tubs I use the switching type thermostat, which switches off at 35 and on at about 27-28. Remember, its the temperature of the snake that is important not just the floor or the air temp...
 
Yea his tank is only about 50cm x 40 cm and i just eliminated all his climbs and hides from the cold end forcing him straight into the warmer end. I also upped the thermostat to about 32.
Hopefully he comes good in a few days.
i have just been stressing about him not eating after this long.
Thanks again for all the help!
 
Matty what you have read for maintaining healthy diamonds is correct. But in situations when the animal's health is compromised you need to alter its environment to give it the best chance to recover, quickly, AND survive. While you are treating your diamond's injury you need to keep him warm and the only way to do that is to raise the temperatures as you are being advised. He still has a cool and warm end, just not as low as normal. He isn't going to develop DPS issues from short-term high temperature. DPS is caused from longterm incorrect husbandry - months or years, not a few days or weeks.

Bacteria thrive in the cooler temperatures. Raising the temps speeds up the life of the bacteria so it can be killed quickly before it gets a chance to take hold of its host.

Yes with sick or injured diamonds, ......... Don't worry about DPS. A few weeks at these temps will do more good then harm. In my hospital tubs I use the switching type thermostat, which switches off at 35 and on at about 27-28. Remember, its the temperature of the snake that is important not just the floor or the air temp...
 
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