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snakegirlie

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I'm really interested in getting a diamond Python but I don't want to get one without knowing every thing about them. I'm really concerned about the diamond Python syndrome. So if there is any body that lives in South East Queensland it would be greatly appreciated if you could tell me how you keep your diamonds and help me with mine when I get it.
Cheers.


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Treat it like you would any other snake and have good husbandry practices and it won't get DPS.
If you're super paranoid about it, get a UV light for it... can't hurt I guess...
 
UV lights won't do anything to address the DPS issue. From what I've seen over the years, Diamonds do best in well placed outdoor aviaries, where they can manage their basking regimes themselves, and they can brumate in the proper temperatures for the appropriate times. This 4-5 month cooling period seems to be the key to long healthy lives. As long as they are well protected they can tolerate frosty mornings without harm.

Jamie
 
Thats what I was alluding to... A lot of people believe UV from natural light has something to do with it, there's no real evidence to prove or disprove this, but UV is certainly not going to do any harm.
As for basking regimes, a correctly set up enclosure with adequate room and temp gradients, with a basking heat source for a few hours in the morning, then room temps for the rest of the day(24-28 max) and no heating at night has worked well for me for years...
Through winter months its just a basking light for 2-3 hours in the morning and kept in a room that doesn't rise above about 17-18 the whole time...

Outdoor enclosures most places in Oz are great for them as it's the easiest way to provide exactly what they need, being so far south(south of Melbourne) keeping them outdoors in winter for me runs the risk of RI(had it once or twice in the beginning of owning them).
 
Yeah I have heard about the uv and that it hasn't been proved to work all I have heard is the heat thing and if they are too hot for long periods of time. So how much heat do they need and how long for ?


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Normal basking spot temps are fine, 32-34 in summer, you can drop it to around 28-29, and supply heat for around 3 hours during winter (early morning is best), and no heat for the rest of the time. In the wild, they often bask in the winter from quite early in the morning, (I've seen Intergrades around here out in the sun from as early as 7-7.30am on cold, sunny mornings, but they're usually gone by 9) even if the weather seems very cold to us. Their dark bodies absorb the heat very efficiently, then when they've reached optimum temps, they go back into their secure places and curl up tight to retain heat for as long as possible.

Jamie
 
Normal basking spot temps are fine, 32-34 in summer, you can drop it to around 28-29, and supply heat for around 3 hours during winter (early morning is best), and no heat for the rest of the time. In the wild, they often bask in the winter from quite early in the morning, (I've seen Intergrades around here out in the sun from as early as 7-7.30am on cold, sunny mornings, but they're usually gone by 9) even if the weather seems very cold to us. Their dark bodies absorb the heat very efficiently, then when they've reached optimum temps, they go back into their secure places and curl up tight to retain heat for as long as possible.

Jamie

Does this apply to hatchies as well or after they reach a certain age ?


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Hatchies are best kept in smaller plastic tubs with bottom heat under one end of the tub, and increasing the tub size over about 2 years until they are big enough to go into an adult sized enclosure. Baby snakes in the wild do not bask in the same way as larger animals, they would be sitting targets for predators like kookaburras if they exposed themselves in this way, so they tend to be almost exclusively nocturnal, and probably rely on radiated warmth from their surroundings after it heats up during the day. They also don't have the body mass to store heat in the way larger animals do.

You can keep them active and feeding year-round for the first couple of years without any harm being done - this will fairly quickly get them up to a size where they are less vulnerable.

Jamie
 
Hatchies are best kept in smaller plastic tubs with bottom heat under one end of the tub, and increasing the tub size over about 2 years until they are big enough to go into an adult sized enclosure. Baby snakes in the wild do not bask in the same way as larger animals, they would be sitting targets for predators like kookaburras if they exposed themselves in this way, so they tend to be almost exclusively nocturnal, and probably rely on radiated warmth from their surroundings after it heats up during the day. They also don't have the body mass to store heat in the way larger animals do.

You can keep them active and feeding year-round for the first couple of years without any harm being done - this will fairly quickly get them up to a size where they are less vulnerable.

Jamie

Ok thank you so much for your help Jamie.

Cheers, Kaitlin


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