Grumpy, dry skin, and won't eat

[gameonpython]

What ever happened to the BP you had that was run on an unregulated UTH? At least I think that was it. Your tag seems really familiar.

As for that python and cage, you need a fogger. That is a pretty tall cage and its gonna take some effort to keep that humidity up. Also like said, plug off that screen on the bottom. Most snakes wont eat if their husbandry isn't right and with his skin being all dry, i'm gonna guess he is dehydrated first and foremost which will put snakes off food as well which goes back to husbandry issues. And a 60 watt bulb to heat a 4' tall cage? I use 100 watt CHEs on Herpstats to maintain 40 gallon tanks for my babies. I cant imagine a 60 watt heating a huge cage like that. like Gio mentioned, you need to review the guidelines for husbandry and then completely rework your set up to match. Best of luck getting it all straightened out.

My bp Marshall is doing great. I upgraded his cage due to his apparent love for climbing. His heat source is now a regulated CHE.

If you would have read the other comments, you would notice that I'm going with mistking. The screen on the bottom has since been covered. I agree with you at he is dehydrated, he is making improvements with the daily misting though. If it gets any worse, I will look into other options. You do realize that diamonds are cold weather pythons? As you can see in the pic of his enclosure, I built a big basking ledge for him where he gets the recommended temperature of 85. You'd be surprised how how a 60w bulb can get. I have a 100w for my uro and that heats her basking spot to 130.


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[gameonpython]

Also as for dehydration, I have heard people soaking snakes in unflavored Pedialyte. But like mentioned, they don't soak up liquids through their skin. they need to drink and/or soak it in through their vent to an extent. The problem is even if he is drinking, if the environment is bone dry, hes going to just "sweat" the fluids out per say. I know in my house atm with it being cold, my humidity is only around 30%. no amount of drinking is going to compensate for a humidity like that on a tropical reptile.

As for heating, you need to get it to around 90F with a cool spot of 70ish. They still need heat available though at all times. It's like saying "during the day I give my boa 90F hot spot and at night it drops to 70F". That's just not gonna work. You need to provide him with a CHE at night if you plan to keep that set up you got so he can sit at be warm if wanted.

That cage is pretty nice in size but personally if it was me, I would sell it online and order a PVC cage from someone like Animal Plastics or Constrictors NW. Those cages are much easier to maintain humidity and temps with. Anyways, hope that helps some.

I've heard of using pedialyte. It's been hard keeping the humidity up this winter, I live in Alberta so it's very very dry! Like I said before, his basking spot is at 85 and the rest of his cage does not get any colder than 70. Diamond pythons actually do really well with a temp drop at night. Please remember that this is a diamond carpet python, not a boa or a bp.


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[Reinz]

While a lot of well meaning folks are trying their best, they don't realize that Diamond Pythons play by a whole set of different rules. That's why you don't see very many.

The husbandry is not just like all of the other constrictors. For example, they need more ventilation in many set ups to get the heat/cool/basking spot right. So that screen of yours may actually be a benefit. Humidity is not as important as having a moist spot available, as read in the references that Gio posted. If you do follow the standard practices of the other constrictors you will end up with a dead snake eventually.

Gio posted some excellent references. Another one is Nick Mutton's book- a must have for Carpet owners.Amazon, for around $40,






While there may be several Diamond keepers here, the only one I know of is DennisM, and he has 25 years of experience. If he does not post soon, you may want to send him a PM. You really need to talk to someone with experience rather than us "General constrictor keepers" (for lack of better term) to be sure that you are doing things correctly.

[Sauzo]

My bp Marshall is doing great. I upgraded his cage due to his apparent love for climbing. His heat source is now a regulated CHE.

If you would have read the other comments, you would notice that I'm going with mistking. The screen on the bottom has since been covered. I agree with you at he is dehydrated, he is making improvements with the daily misting though. If it gets any worse, I will look into other options. You do realize that diamonds are cold weather pythons? As you can see in the pic of his enclosure, I built a big basking ledge for him where he gets the recommended temperature of 85. You'd be surprised how how a 60w bulb can get. I have a 100w for my uro and that heats her basking spot to 130.


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Good to hear about Marshall. And yes I realize diamonds are "cold weather" pythons but cold weather is a relative term. They still need a 90F hot spot at all times to regulate their temps. They are still ectothermic and especially after eating, they need to digest the food. now yes you do need a cooler spot than for say a boa or BP but regardless, they still need a nice warm spot. Of course your biggest issue is the hydration. Another thing is to maybe looking into a radiant heat panel. They don't dry the air like a bulb will. Anyways good luck and like mentioned, a vet visit might be a good idea too if he doesn't hydrate up.

[gameonpython]

While a lot of well meaning folks are trying their best, they don't realize that Diamond Pythons play by a whole set of different rules. That's why you don't see very many.

The husbandry is not just like all of the other constrictors. For example, they need more ventilation in many set ups to get the heat/cool/basking spot right. So that screen of yours may actually be a benefit. Humidity is not as important as having a moist spot available, as read in the references that Gio posted. If you do follow the standard practices of the other constrictors you will end up with a dead snake eventually.

Gio posted some excellent references. Another one is Nick Mutton's book- a must have for Carpet owners.Amazon, for around $40,






While there may be several Diamond keepers here, the only one I know of is DennisM, and he has 25 years of experience. If he does not post soon, you may want to send him a PM. You really need to talk to someone with experience rather than us "General constrictor keepers" (for lack of better term) to be sure that you are doing things correctly.

He does have a humid hide available, but I'm finding that with most of the screen covered his skin is improving. I think I will keep it that way for the winter; Alberta winters are terribly dry and cold! He was doing quite well in the fall when he was purchased, so maybe in the summer I'll allow more ventilation. I do understand that diamonds are quite different care wise. I'm pretty new to diamonds as this wasn't even my snake to begin with! But I'm reading a lot of different Caresheets and learning a lot. As far as I can tell, my sister was doing a good job with him. I will keep tweaking his environment and researching until i find what works best for him.


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[gameonpython]

Good to hear about Marshall. And yes I realize diamonds are "cold weather" pythons but cold weather is a relative term. They still need a 90F hot spot at all times to regulate their temps. They are still ectothermic and especially after eating, they need to digest the food. now yes you do need a cooler spot than for say a boa or BP but regardless, they still need a nice warm spot. Of course your biggest issue is the hydration. Another thing is to maybe looking into a radiant heat panel. They don't dry the air like a bulb will. Anyways good luck and like mentioned, a vet visit might be a good idea too if he doesn't hydrate up.

I actually have not seen a Caresheets suggesting a hot spot of 90 for diamonds, But 85 is popular. Diamond pythons in the wild do experience a temperature drop, and in order to maintain their body heat they curl up in a tight coil.


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[JTA]

When I got my Baby Diamond (Desmond), he was grumpy, and what I did was took him out often and he became super chill. Just kinda put them around your neck, or stroke them.

[DennisM]

While there may be several Diamond keepers here, the only one I know of is DennisM, and he has 25 years of experience. If he does not post soon, you may want to send him a PM. You really need to talk to someone with experience rather than us "General constrictor keepers" (for lack of better term) to be sure that you are doing things correctly.

Unfortunately I have not kept pure diamonds because their unique needs do not fit the parameters of my snake room climate. I have kept many diamond intergrades including 75% diamond. The truth is I keep these in the same conditions as jungles and coastals and have done so with great success (luck?).

Here’s a link to a diamond care sheet.
http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Snak...Python-Basics/

Of course, all care sheets have their own opinion, but this one is authored by Stan Chiras the first to reproduce diamonds in captivity outside of Australia. He goes into detail about the trials and tribulations of the early m.s.spilota keepers/breeders here in the U.S. I believe the care sheet is rather dated, but the experiences that Stan and others had in the 70’s remains unchanged. Of note is that it was found that a winter brumation period of 2-3 months at 50-60F with no hot spot was found to be very beneficial whether breeding or not. Year round warmer temps were found to have a negative effect on the overall health and longevity of the species.

[CantHelpIt]

If you do decide to get a pvc cage I highly recommend cornels world. I am also in alberta and got custom sized pvc cages built and here in under 2 weeks. So far they've been doing well and holding humidity immaculately, great quality and they look amazing.

[gameonpython]

When I got my Baby Diamond (Desmond), he was grumpy, and what I did was took him out often and he became super chill. Just kinda put them around your neck, or stroke them.

Dexter had never been handled until my sister got him. At 4-5 years old, he had never been handled. He's not aggressive, but he does bluff quite a bit he's more awkward than anything. When I take him out of the enclosure he throws himself around like a slippery noodle, but we're working on it! If I try to stroke him, he usually gives me a big huff lol. It's rare for him to relax enough to stay still. He's more of a belt than a scarf. I think if Dexter was handled as a baby he would be a lot more chilled out. He does become quite placid when I take him outside in the summer though. He's a character, I love it!


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