# First snake question



## JayRad84 (Jul 31, 2017)

Hi everyone
I'm looking to get a diamond python as my first snake. I'm just a bit confused on how to regulate the cool area for the snake? Where I live can get to below zero overnight during winter and can stay hot during summer. I was wondering how I keep it around 20 degrees. Or is that just a Max temperature for the cool spot? Sorry if this a stupid question I'm just very new to it all.
Thanks a lot


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## Pauls_Pythons (Jul 31, 2017)

Are you keeping indoors or out? 
Mine are indoors and cool end is controlled by ambient temp. 

Plenty of people keep Diamonds outdoors in appropriate areas but here are different things to consider.


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## Iguana (Jul 31, 2017)

If you are keeping it indoors, i'd say that ambient temp is more than enough, the cold side doesn't have to be 20 degree's necessarily, just around that number, lower is fine as well. Having the right heating setup will usually ensure a good 'cool' side temp too.


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## JayRad84 (Jul 31, 2017)

I plan on keeping it inside. Also the reptile store said keep the heat on 24/7 and the snake will move when it's had enough is that right? I've heard most people have the heat on for a few hours a day? Thanks alot for your help!


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## Bl69aze (Jul 31, 2017)

JayRad84 said:


> I plan on keeping it inside. Also the reptile store said keep the heat on 24/7 and the snake will move when it's had enough is that right? I've heard most people have the heat on for a few hours a day? Thanks alot for your help!


You can do either however the best option for a new snake is to keep it on all the time as the other option is for more complex stuff (such as getting ready for breeding(i think*)) yes the snake will move when it's had enough, but it's still very important to keep the right heat temperature 30-34°c


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## Pauls_Pythons (Jul 31, 2017)

Bl69aze said:


> You can do either however the best option for a new snake is to keep it on all the time as the other option is for more complex stuff (such as getting ready for breeding(i think*)) yes the snake will move when it's had enough, but it's still very important to keep the right heat temperature 30-34°c



Please be careful when giving advice when you don't have good experience with the species being discussed or have the full details required to give accurate opinions.


JayRad84 said:


> I plan on keeping it inside. Also the reptile store said keep the heat on 24/7 and the snake will move when it's had enough is that right? I've heard most people have the heat on for a few hours a day? Thanks alot for your help!



How old is the animal we are talking about?


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## Yellowtail (Jul 31, 2017)

I have kept my Diamonds in aviaries (Sydney) for years and it is interesting to observe their natural behaviour which matches my observations of wild ones. The biggest problem I have is keeping them cool in summer, I cover the aviaries with shade cloth (they are also shaded by trees) and I had to provide insulated hides and sub-floor hides. No way will they stay out in temperatures of over 28, only basking in morning sun for brief periods and on hot days you never see them. During winter they come out mid morning to bask and will stay in the sun for hours, I have no heating and they seem to adjust to early morning cold.
To keep adult Diamonds indoors ideally you need a large enclosure (or 2 connected) with a seperate insulated cool section accessible via a pvc pipe and provide hides at the cooler end of the heated area and in the cool section.
Have the thermostat sensor close to the heat source and the cool area will be at ambient.
Young ones are ok without a cool escape but not as hot as for northern species, you will need make sure they learn to thermo regulate as Diamonds raised from hatchlings in constant heat do not automatically adjust to larger enclosures. 
Diamonds are probably not a good idea for a first snake.


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## JayRad84 (Jul 31, 2017)

Pauls_Pythons said:


> Please be careful when giving advice when you don't have good experience with the species being discussed or have the full details required to give accurate opinions.
> 
> 
> How old is the animal we are talking about?



I havnt got the animal yet I was just after some information. If any I'd say around the time the snake has to goto a bigger enclosure


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## Pauls_Pythons (Jul 31, 2017)

Care requirements of Diamonds can be quite different depending upon age.
As suggested earlier hatchies will require 24/7 heating till around a year old. An older more established animal will require less heating. And you will find many differing ideas on the subject depending on peoples experiences. My adults have only 4hrs of heat per day with a hot spot of around 35 and have a fairly large enclosure where they can choose the preferred temperature for their needs. Ambient is controlled by the ambient in house temp so I doubt your snakes would be experiencing temps of near zero you mention though they can cope with such extremes. Mine can experience lows of 14-18 in winter which is not a problem at all for this species.
They can be easy to keep once the set up is established but better to try and find a mentor you can turn too if you are looking to have a diamond as your first snake.


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## JayRad84 (Jul 31, 2017)

Pauls_Pythons said:


> Care requirements of Diamonds can be quite different depending upon age.
> As suggested earlier hatchies will require 24/7 heating till around a year old. An older more established animal will require less heating. And you will find many differing ideas on the subject depending on peoples experiences. My adults have only 4hrs of heat per day with a hot spot of around 35 and have a fairly large enclosure where they can choose the preferred temperature for their needs. Ambient is controlled by the ambient in house temp so I doubt your snakes would be experiencing temps of near zero you mention though they can cope with such extremes. Mine can experience lows of 14-18 in winter which is not a problem at all for this species.
> They can be easy to keep once the set up is established but better to try and find a mentor you can turn too if you are looking to have a diamond as your first snake.


Thanks a lot for your help


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## Yellowtail (Jul 31, 2017)

Pauls_Pythons said:


> Care requirements of Diamonds can be quite different depending upon age.
> As suggested earlier hatchies will require 24/7 heating till around a year old. An older more established animal will require less heating. And you will find many differing ideas on the subject depending on peoples experiences. My adults have only 4hrs of heat per day with a hot spot of around 35 and have a fairly large enclosure where they can choose the preferred temperature for their needs. Ambient is controlled by the ambient in house temp so I doubt your snakes would be experiencing temps of near zero you mention though they can cope with such extremes. Mine can experience lows of 14-18 in winter which is not a problem at all for this species.
> They can be easy to keep once the set up is established but better to try and find a mentor you can turn too if you are looking to have a diamond as your first snake.



Mine have snug insulated hides to try to duplicate their winter lairs of rock crevices, they warm up in any winters day sun and retain a lot of that heat overnight but their body temp gets down to under 10. They are interesting to watch when they emerge very slowly on cold mornings and I have observed this in the wild where I have camped. I imagine they cope with very low temps in Southern NSW or the Blue Mountains.
They have evolved over millions of years to cope with cold winters as have other low latitude species like Tasmanian and Victorian Tigers, Copperheads and SW carpets.


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## Pauls_Pythons (Jul 31, 2017)

I would love to keep mine outdoors but not really a good option unless I build a 20ft fence around the place first.


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## dragonlover1 (Jul 31, 2017)

Pauls_Pythons said:


> I would love to keep mine outdoors but not really a good option unless I build a 20ft fence around the place first.


20' high ELECTRIFIED fences


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## Yellowtail (Jul 31, 2017)

Thats the aviaries when I set them up, the floors are pebbles over weld mesh with a pit underneath so I can hose them out, they are mouse proof and I added shade cloth and sails to regulate temperature plus trees keep off most summer afternoon sun. The foam boxes are lined with thick foam pieces to create snug super insulated hides.


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## Pauls_Pythons (Jul 31, 2017)

Awesome set up YT


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## JayRad84 (Aug 15, 2017)

Hey everyone another quick question. You may think it's stupid but I need to comfort my wife.
I'm trying to convince her that snakes make good pets. She is worried about 1. The snake escaping and 2. It escaping and hurting our you young children.
I plan on having a well made enclosure with key locks. What's the likely hood of this happening?


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## Pauls_Pythons (Aug 15, 2017)

It would be awesome if anyone could convince me differently but it has to be said that snakes are escape artists and I see an increasing number of posts from new keepers on fb starting with those words "My snake has escaped, how do I find it"?
Truth is you can make your enclosure snake proof but can you 100% guarantee that you will never forget to lock the glass? I've done it myself but found mine very quickly. With large animals it's easy to find them (just follow the trail of destruction), with a hatchling childrens python or even a diamond its a different matter.

One of my son's has had 2 escapes in the past year.......a young diamond that took 5 mins to find and a older childrens python that decided it was more comfortable in the enclosure and returned after a quick walk around the lounge. (Both escapes due to his inattention I might add). Though this is not the norm.......it can take days/weeks to find an escapee if EVER.

Your baby diamond python is not going to eat your children if it escapes though, (some might see this as a positive).


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## Bl69aze (Aug 15, 2017)

My snakes only ever escape once and that's because I didn't realise I slid both glass doors to one side and assumed they were both on different sides due to habit, found him going into a paper bag on my door ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


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