Scrub pythons outdoors in Sydney?

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I think you will find there is a significant difference between Sydney’s climate and that of the Atherton tableland. Scrub pythons naturally occur about as far south as Townsville and all the way to New Guinea. The climate in this region is categorised as tropical, with a typical wet/dry season and monthly average temperatures that are 20oC or more. Sydney has a temperate climate with only 4 months where the average temperature is above 20, dropping to 12 in winter time, and with a significant amount of rainfall throughout the year. It is also given to experiencing extreme temperatures at times, which you do not get in rainforest.

I’d reckon that these are the sorts of factors that would need to be take into account in setting up an outside enclosure. Personally, I don’t know of anyone who has kept Olives outdoors in Sydney or Perth, but it would be interesting to know how they have set up the enclosure where this has happened.

PS Herptology posted while I was composing this response. We are essentially saying the same thing. I guess it gets down whether or not the extra effort and expense required for controlling the microclimate for a tropical reptile in an outdoor enclosure is worth the benefits. I have seen a couple of set ups where the basic enclosure was indoors and the reptiles were given access to an ‘outdoor run, and that seemed to work really well. However, that was done as part of an airconditioned reptile shed and not attached to the house or dwelling.

EDIT: In the original post I incorrectly stated the southern limit as Cooktown. The relevance of Cooktown is that somewhat north of there they gradually occur more inland and eventually right across Cape York Peninsula. To the south of this they are limited to the coast and hinterland.
 
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Lovely animals and a great choice, as diamonds tend to do better in outside enclosures as they can access cooler conditions on an on-going basis. They are totally suited to the Sydney climate. They also are a generally docile species. Those who keep scrubbies say they have to be continually aware as these animals will often strike if you come within range. Apparently a bite from a larger specimen is a most unpleasant experience.
 
I think you will find there is a significant difference between Sydney’s climate and that of the Atherton tableland. Scrub pythons naturally occur about as far south as Cooktown, all the way to New Guinea. The climate in this region is categorised as tropical, with a typical wet/dry season and monthly average temperatures that are 20oC or more.
Not that it makes any difference to your explanation of climate conditions , but Scrub pythons occur naturally a long way further south than Cooktown. Tully Gorge is famous for them .
 
Not that it makes any difference to your explanation of climate conditions , but Scrub pythons occur naturally a long way further south than Cooktown. Tully Gorge is famous for them .
They occur a long way south of Tully too.
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Not that it makes any difference to your explanation of climate conditions , but Scrub pythons occur naturally a long way further south than Cooktown. Tully Gorge is famous for them .

Although I definitely still wouldn't keep them outdoors in Sydney, at least not without a lot of supplemental heating etc, which isn't exactly keeping them 'outdoors' anyway. With enough climate control you can keep anything outdoors anywhere, but generally speaking I'd say you can keep something outdoors in an area if you can keep it outside with a reasonably well designed enclosure without supplemental heating. Otherwise, hey, you can keep them outside in Melbourne if you want to, and the question is meaningless.
 
There is a significant difference between temps on the NQ coast and the Atherton Tablelands considering that the tablelands are some 700-900 metres above sea level. It is not unusual with frost in July.
I don't think ambient temps are too important as a microhabitat would have a more narrow range than day/night temps where a hide would provide cool relief on a hot day The same hide would have residual warmth from the day during a cold night.
I have bred SA Womas and Bredl's here in Cairns. A clutch of Diamond eggs are in the incubator. Cairns would not be the ideal spot if you look at annual day/night temps only.
Scrubbies are found as far south as Airlie Beach.
 
@benc63. Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I was feeling a bit the worse for wear having recently had teeth extracted. That is not to say I could not make the same mistake under normal circumstances, LOL. My fingers are so far behind my mind when I am typing that the mind often wanders and I make silly mistakes. It’s embarrassing but it happens.
There is a significant difference between temps on the NQ coast and the Atherton Tablelands considering that the tablelands are some 700-900 metres above sea level. It is not unusual with frost in July.
I don't think ambient temps are too important as a microhabitat would have a more narrow range than day/night temps where a hide would provide cool relief on a hot day The same hide would have residual warmth from the day during a cold night.
I have bred SA Womas and Bredl's here in Cairns. A clutch of Diamond eggs are in the incubator. Cairns would not be the ideal spot if you look at annual day/night temps only.
Scrubbies are found as far south as Airlie Beach.
Sorry, but I fail to see how a few chilly nights is more important than the overall temperatures throughout the year. We are talking about putting a tropical animal outside into a temperate climate. You gave the reverse examples. BTW, am I correct in assuming that your animals are housed entirely outdoors? Have you done anything special with their enclosures to assist them to cope? How long have you had them there?

A 5oC lower average daily temperature through the cooler months means that, on average, every day, throughout this period, the ambient air temperature for a given day, including the maximum temperature reached, would be 5 degrees colder. This will affect micro-climates, such as sheltered basking spots, as well. We know during the cooler weather that scrubbies leave the shady jungle for open, rocky gorges. They seek shelter under large boulder at night, to avoid the cold of the evenings and early mornings, and then sun bask during the day in protected places on top of these boulders. I cannot see Sydney weather alone providing sufficient heat to enable them to avoid having to brumate, which they do not do in the wild. But that is just my considered opinion

As I understand it, the few recorded occurrences of scrubbies in the Whitsunday region are considered very doubtful. They are isolated and not continuous, with no evidence of breeding, and therefore thought to have resulted from either deliberate release or accidental escapes, or translocations.
 

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