Everything is wrong and messed up

[Liccy]

Ok,

so i get my lil diamond python from a long-time breeder in the area and get told not to worry about heating etc..he has had them for 30 yrs and no probs, they r bred here, adjusted here etc... then i get a heat rock etc... come on here...and everyone comments on how the damn thing is lucky to be alive.... no i dont have uv..and im getting a repti-glo light (unless someone else wants to comment on that).... his heat rock is always on, and he has a cool area to get away...he is sometimes in his trees, sometimes on his heat rock...or over in a cooler area of the enclosure. i have an exo-terra terrarium that has the really good venting for a roof and a strip under the doors. of course...that must be the wrong thing as well?

and yes...he isnt eating....he is striking but not eating...and all i can do i wait patiently for live baby rats to see if he will take them (at least i can leave them in his cage) and he gets distracted if anything else moves wen there is food in the cage.....some person tells me "he prob isnt eating cause of the light" another "he is cooling for winter" and then there is me who thinks that everything is all messed up and not to bother anymore....just do my best to give it away or something.

and then the whole deal with sunlight....1/2 his cage gets some...like i said in another post...only some..not alot...and i do handle him alot..and take him outside etc...and everyone seems to contradict each other..leaving newby's like me feeling useless and helpless.

my lil snake is muscly and healthy looking, even tho he hasnt eaten for over a month.... to me...he is happy...to alot of other ppl on here..he is lucky to b alive

 

[NoOne]

Whats your point? If you don't want peoples help why do you post here asking questions?
I'm glad you think everyone here is wrong, you want be keeping long if that is the case.
I think it's pretty rich that someone who has just got a snake comes on here and starts a thread saying everyone is wrong :roll:

 

[Liccy]

im not saying that at all! i said that everyone contradicts each other! making ppl like me so unsure about everything! if i didnt want help i wouldnt be concerned about wat ppl say!

i am doing my best to describe the situation in detail so nothing is missed out...so other ppl can comment on where i should go from here...isnt that the idea of having these forums??

 

[craig.a.c]

Stop handling him for a while. What size enclosure is he in? My snakes have gone off eating even though the enclosures are still heated. Have you tried braining a pinkie rat for him?

 

[Nome]

You kept your snake for 4 or so months without a hot spot in the cage for your snake to digest it's food. Then you only have a heat rock because your brother bought it for your birthday later on. I think it was because you were only feeding your diamond pinkie mice that it was able to digest it's food without heat for all that time.

Too many people get a snake and don't want to put the money into paying for a proper setup. You said you didn't bother with those 'fancy' things, and I said heating isn't a fancy thing, it's a basic need for a reptile. It really bothers me when people buy a snake on the spur of the moment, and can't or won't provide the proper requirements for it. Now you are having a go at us for telling you that, you were the one that posted up that you did it without anything for all those months, and only have a heat rock because someone bought it for you.

You were told it needs a hot spot, and also a few people didn't recommend a heat rock because of the amount of animals that have been burnt by them, that's why it was suggested that you use a thermostat with the rock.

People need to research requirements for snakes before buying them. If you had done this, you would have known all that you were told. I think it's neglectful when people don't do that, they are a special need pet in that way, you can't just chuck it in a tank with nothing and expect it to live to long.

 

[Liccy]

yeah...tried braining..like i said..he is striking etc...but if in his tree...he drops it....if on the ground...he couldnt care less :S he watches every move around him.. so i put him in a lil click clack over night...no difference :S

the cage is tall...rather than long...and it is 18 x 18 x 24" - the largest one that exo-terra makes.

 

[craig.a.c]

My stimmie did not eat for almost 4 months when I bought it, just keep offering food. The will eat when they get hungry. (mine did anyway)

 

[Liccy]

i was told by the breeder not to worry about heat at all....but if i wanted to i could and it wouldnt matter? money isnt a concern....wateva i need...i will get it for him...

Nome - so after all the theories about thermostats..and them turning on and off etc...wat do u suggest? in YOUR opinion? i live in a sub-tropical area (taree..nsw) ...and am seriously thinking about a thermostat but then other ppl seem against them...it is obviously a matter of circumstance?

 

[craig.a.c]

IMO, no matter where you live you will still need to give them a heat source. Heat lamps would be the way to go.

 

[NoOne]

Myself and Nome also live in a subtropical area North coast of NSW, we still use heating for all our animals.
As far as the thermostat debate goes most people use them and have no problems, one person here doesn't thats their way of doing it and thats great.
No one here has told you to do this do that, people have said try this and that.
What you have to do is work out how you can set your snake up so that it feeds and is healthy.
Theres been plently of suggestions why not try some?

 

[celticskull]

ok what i suggest you do is ..... get a plastic escape proof tub large enough for the snake to streach at least 2/3 of its body lengh (not to high). make sure its not see through . use the recycled paper type kitty litter on the floor .place a heat matt on one end (under the tub not in it ) place some water in it and a hide only . put it all in a quiet place . leave it alone for at least 4 days then drop in a thawed mouse (not sure of the age of this snake so cant say what size food) one evening without making a fuss . check it in 2 hours if the mouse is still there take it out and try again in anouther 4 days. when it does eat give it anouther thawed mouse ( i like to keep them going once thay have eaten) . i would also leave him in there till he is eating every week for 3 weeks befour putting him back on display i hope this helps ...... good luck

 

[OuZo]

I think I've only heard one person say they have a prob with stats! Try a skink tail inside a dead mouses mouth...worked wonders for our non-feeding coastal.

Liccy, the problem with owning a snake is that everyone will tell you something different about keeping and feeding etc, but most of the time all the opinions work well. I found it really difficult when I first started keeping with people telling me 500 diff things about feed sizes and intervals between meals etc. In the end you have to pick one that you find works for you but that doesn't mean ignore when people say something's not right. You may live in an area where Diamonds naturally occur but in the wild they have a lot more choices as to where they hide/bask and how they regulate their temperature. They're not just sitting out there in the open accepting whatever weather nature throws at them. That's why we use stats to give them warm spots and keep one end at room temp or colder if you can. You'll find he probably doesn't leave the warm spot after eating but will spread himself around the cage at other times.

 

[Jason]

i agree with OuZo, everyone has their own methods and all would work in their own ways, but it doesn't matter where you live or even if that breed of snake lives in the wild outside your door and are thriving, you should always offer them a heating source even if a thirty year breeder says otherwise and i think the best thing you could do is just give it heat, eg heat mat and heat lamp also i reckon two hides one on the heat mat at the warm end and one at the opposite end, this gives it a good gradient and it can hide at several temps. i think the tank sounds fine for a hatchling, but maby be carfull with the amount of ventilation as it mite create a cold draft sometimes. If you increase the temp you may find that it will eat, and with a little handling it will stop striking

 

[nuthn2do]

in the wild they have a lot more choices as to where they hide/bask and how they regulate their temperature

Bingo!

Liccy, it's known as a thermal gradient and it will allow your little bloke to thermoregulate as needed. There's plenty of info out there on the subject.

 

[serpenttongue]

Liccy, did the breeder ever say if he keeps his diamonds indoors or outside? If its outside, then yes he will say not to worry about heating(sunlight will take care of that). Perhaps he/she was under the impression you were going to keep your snake outside where you wont need to provide it with a "controlled" heat source.
If he's keeping them inside he should have gone into some detail about providing a thermal gradient for the snake. Room temperature(wether its 20, 28, 31 degrees or whatever) isn't satisfactory. The snake needs to choose its temps, get warm when it wants or cool when it wants.
Get rid of the heat rock, your snake will get burnt especially when its opaque. Its better for air temps to heat the snake, rather than a warm surface.
Forget the Repti-glo light. Normal reflector globes from a supermarket do the job and are much cheaper.
The fact that its striking at prey but not eating tells me its striking out of fear/aggression rather than a feeding response. If it does strike and grab, remain very still and see if it decides to start consuming. The slightest movement from you may cause the snake to drop the prey.
Thermostats that click on/off are fine. I use them without any problems. These are the thermostats that keepers used before the more improved microclimate thermostats came along.

 

[Liccy]

Thanks guy,

Lots to think about :S:S I will get a thermostat asap...and see how we go. The breeder actually had his in a shed, with a concrete floor...i think the shed was fibro? and he had LOTS of snakes...30 odd i think? thats why i didnt worry about heating...

thanks again,
Liccy