# 6 month old Diamond Python - how much to feed?



## bobby-van (Jul 2, 2012)

I bought my first snake on the weekend, a 6 month old Diamond Python. AWESOME animal, very timid and gave her first feed yesterday morning of a pinky mouse. She's about 40cm long.

My boss has a diamond python as well and I showed him a photo of mine feeding and he told me the pinky was way too small. I'll be feeding her once a week on Sundays. 

I want her to grow slowly and not get huge in a short period of time as I heard you can control their growth by rationing their meals, but I don't want to underfeed my snake. 

ADVICE PLEASE!! Thanks 

Photos of Karona (her name) feeding:


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## Venomous1111 (Jul 2, 2012)

I'd be offering her hopper mice or rat fuzzies once a week, you want something with a bit of fur to help with digestion.


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## bobby-van (Jul 2, 2012)

She'll be able to handle the size fine? My boss said they can easily smash 2-3 times their body diameter


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## Grogshla (Jul 2, 2012)

Yeah I would say Hopper Mice


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## Skelhorn (Jul 2, 2012)

Yeah 6 months old def up her food size. My Stimson's at 8 months were eating Hopper Rats (they are a lot smaller breed then a diamond. Enjoy tho


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## Venomous1111 (Jul 2, 2012)

bobby-van said:


> She'll be able to handle the size fine? My boss said they can easily smash 2-3 times their body diameter



yeah she will be fine mate.


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## Icarus (Jul 2, 2012)

i second the hopper mouse suggestion


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## bobby-van (Jul 16, 2012)

So ahh I skipped past the hopper mice suggestion and decided to go for something a little bigger... a fuzzy rat. Too big? So I thought...

I was told to feed her weekly being a 7 month old python.. but will she still need weekly feedings with meals this size? She LOVED it. Bit of an up-size from the pinky mice...


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## Pythoninfinite (Jul 16, 2012)

That's probably about as big as you need to go at this stage, and make sure you leave her for a few days until the bulge disappears before handling.

Just for your info, that's a juvie Coastal Carpet, not a Diamond Python.

Jamie


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## wokka (Jul 16, 2012)

Pythoninfinite said:


> That's probably about as big as you need to go at this stage, and make sure you leave her for a few days until the bulge disappears before handling.
> 
> Just for your info, that's a juvie Coastal Carpet, not a Diamond Python.
> 
> Jamie


And if you are going to feed larger food items you need to make sure the animal has access to temperatures at the higher end of the range, like about 30-32C .


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## bobby-van (Jul 16, 2012)

Pythoninfinite said:


> That's probably about as big as you need to go at this stage, and make sure you leave her for a few days until the bulge disappears before handling.
> 
> Just for your info, that's a juvie Coastal Carpet, not a Diamond Python.
> 
> Jamie



Yep I won't go any bigger, I've got a few at this size. 

It's definitely a Diamond Python.. I got it from Shire Snakes who is a reputable breeder and member on this site (Home Page). I googled Diamond Python hatchlings and they all look the same as mine does?



wokka said:


> And if you are going to feed larger food items you need to make sure the animal has access to temperatures at the higher end of the range, like about 30-32C .



I won't go any larger than this, but yes the temps are averaging 31 degrees at the warm end, 20 degrees at the cool end.


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## Jacknifejimmy (Jul 16, 2012)

+1 that's definitely a coastal not a diamond python you have.


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## bobby-van (Jul 16, 2012)

Jacknifejimmy said:


> +1 that's definitely a coastal not a diamond python you have.



Seriously? Can you be 100% sure at such a young age? I was assured that it was a Diamond Python from (Shire Snakes) the breeder...


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## Norm (Jul 16, 2012)

Seems to be a very popular thing to do on this site...tell people their diamonds not a diamond, that is.

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## Venomous1111 (Jul 16, 2012)

What makes you think it's a coastal? Looks like a normal juvi diamond to me.


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## animal805 (Jul 16, 2012)

You can see the difference between Carpets and Diamonds in these pics, first are my 2 Coastal Carpets and second is my High Yellow female Diamond. Way different markings. I can just about garantee you have a Coastal or at the very most, an intergrade.


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## Venomous1111 (Jul 16, 2012)

They are mature snakes not juvie's yeah the rosettes may not be the best but still doesn't make it a 100% positive coastal IMO. 




What would you say that is?


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## chase77 (Jul 16, 2012)

I think I got one of these from the same clutch and was told it was a diamond integrate by the breeder. And by the way I have her on hopper mice with no probs


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## Rissi (Jul 16, 2012)

Venomous1111 said:


> They are mature snakes not juvie's yeah the rosettes may not be the best but still doesn't make it a 100% positive coastal IMO.
> 
> View attachment 259231
> 
> ...



I'd think some kind of coastal x darwin. BUT looking at the head shape throws me off a bit. what is it???


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## bobby-van (Jul 16, 2012)

Venomous1111 said:


> What makes you think it's a coastal? Looks like a normal juvi diamond to me.



Mine looks like a juvie Diamond to me too. My boss just showed me photos of his Diamond (who is 8 years old now, high yellow) when it was a hatchie and they look identical.


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## Venomous1111 (Jul 16, 2012)

Going of the shiresnakes site there do seem to be pure diamonds and intergrade looking snakes that are listed as diamonds.. To the op what was it sold to you as? 

Apparently these are "Gosford" diamonds..


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## bobby-van (Jul 16, 2012)

Another random Diamond hatchling.. looks identical to mine.









Venomous1111 said:


> Going of the shiresnakes site there do seem to be pure diamonds and intergrade looking snakes that are listed as diamonds.. To the op what was it sold to you as?
> 
> Apparently these are "Gosford" diamonds..
> 
> ...



Sold to me as a pure Diamond.


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## Venomous1111 (Jul 16, 2012)

Rissi said:


> I'd think some kind of coastal x darwin. BUT looking at the head shape throws me off a bit. what is it???



Apparently a diamond, but IMO it's not. 

Available Diamonds

If you check that out that's what my interpretation of a pure diamond hatchling/juvi should look like..



bobby-van said:


> Another random Diamond hatchling.. looks identical to mine.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



the old pure diamond/intergrade/coastal debate this is why people breeding coastals and diamond together and calling them intergrades piss me off.


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## Norm (Jul 16, 2012)

Yeah maybe not the best example of what some call a "true diamond" but striped jungles don't look much like "true jungles" to me. Just my opinion. 

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## bobby-van (Jul 16, 2012)

Venomous1111 said:


> the old pure diamond/intergrade/coastal debate this is why people breeding coastals and diamond together and calling them intergrades piss me off.



So wth have I got?? The breeder told me that judging by it's colours at this age, it will look somewhat similar to another one of their Diamonds, this one:


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## Norm (Jul 16, 2012)

You've got a beaut little hatchie that should grow into a nice looking snake!

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## Rissi (Jul 16, 2012)

bobby-van said:


> So wth have I got?? The breeder told me that judging by it's colours at this age, it will look somewhat similar to another one of their Diamonds, this one:



Now this DEF looks like a diamond.

Can't believe it will colour up like that , amazing.



Venomous1111 said:


> Apparently a diamond, but IMO it's not.



I guess the lines are blurred these days ey?
Personally I'd like to know my coastal is a coastal and my diamond is a diamond. 
I bought my coastal to get big i'd be disappointed if it wasn't a giant haha


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## bobby-van (Jul 16, 2012)

Norm said:


> You've got a beaut little hatchie that should grow into a nice looking snake!



Haha yeah I know, I won't be disappointed no matter what she is.. would just really like to know for sure. Now I'm even questioning whether it's a female or not...?


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## Rissi (Jul 16, 2012)

bobby-van said:


> Haha yeah I know, I won't be disappointed no matter what she is.. would just really like to know for sure. Now I'm even questioning whether it's a female or not...?



Mine was sold as a male and is most definitely female (had her checked after doubting it). Wait till it grows a little then get it sexed just to be sure?


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## Norm (Jul 16, 2012)

bobby-van said:


> Haha yeah I know, I won't be disappointed no matter what she is.. would just really like to know for sure. Now I'm even questioning whether it's a female or not...?



I had the same thing happen to me when i bought my second snake a few years ago. Bought it as a diamond, saw both diamond parents but was told it wasn't by "experts" on here. I am the first to admit he doesn't look like a typical diamond...but he's Cracker of a snake. The breeder got involved in that thread and put everyone straight but i still yielded and now refer to that snake as an intergrade. Look on the diamond threads and you'll see plenty of questionable diamonds but people prefer to knock the newbies. In the end shrug your shoulders and be happy with what will be a very nice snake and learn from this experience.

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## moreliamanic (Jul 16, 2012)

Glad to see you've up'd her feeding size, you were definitely underfeeding her. My diamond hatchy went on to fuzzies every five days as soon as she came out of the egg. Underfeeding her has definitely affected her appearance and size, as she still has a very large amount of browns and blacks in her! By 7 months she should be showing whites and yellows. This has probably affected peoples opinions on what species she is. She'll just be a slow starter! Good luck 

Jaye


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## notechistiger (Jul 16, 2012)

I'd hate to think of the poor young snakes in the wild that aren't fed large feeds every five days. Obviously underfed.

It's relevant while the snake is young since they use the food to grow, but I'd be inclined to be slow on feeding a diamond and control the heat to help combat DPS. I don't see the point in making a snake grow as fast as it can.

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-snakes-37/experiences-dps-65233/
http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-snakes-37/experiences-dps-part-2-a-135920/


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## Pythoninfinite (Jul 16, 2012)

Norm said:


> I had the same thing happen to me when i bought my second snake a few years ago. Bought it as a diamond, saw both diamond parents but was told it wasn't by "experts" on here. I am the first to admit he doesn't look like a typical diamond...but he's Cracker of a snake. The breeder got involved in that thread and put everyone straight but i still yielded and now refer to that snake as an intergrade. Look on the diamond threads and you'll see plenty of questionable diamonds but people prefer to knock the newbies. In the end shrug your shoulders and be happy with what will be a very nice snake and learn from this experience.
> 
> Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk 2



I don't think telling a newbie that the snake they've been sold is not a Diamond, but a Coastal, is knocking the OP at all, it's simply putting them on the correct path. It's of no concern to me one way or the other. These things change dramatically in the first 6-12 months of life, but by 6 months you'll know basically what it will look like as it develops, and it will have the characteristic pale or yellow dot on each scale, typical of Diamonds. This one does not exhibit that characteristic. My bet is that it will develop into a classic brownish Coastal pattern, as seen from around Coffs Harbour to Brisbane. I would never say that one is better than the other, if that's what you're suggesting Norm, but in the interests of the OP, it's fair enough to point out a misidentification. I live smack in the middle of the range between Coastal in the north to Diamonds in the south, in intergrade country. I see them all the time in summer, around the house and on the roads at night, maybe 30 a year in an average summer.

The snakes shown as Shire snakes adults are far more Intergrade influenced than Diamond influenced, and just because it shows bright yellow does not indicate that it's a Diamond - we sometimes get incredible yellows in the intergrades up here, but... they always have the "Coastal" influenced patterning to a greater or lesser extent. However, I've NEVER seen one which is a perfect example of either a Diamond or Coastal, they always have some characteristics of both.

But hey, in the end who cares, it's someone's proudly owned pet, and that's all that matters.

Jamie


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## Venomous_RBB (Jul 16, 2012)

Looks like a Intergrade to me, however whatever he/she is, you have a nice looking little snake 
Be happy with what you have


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## Norm (Jul 16, 2012)

Jamie, sounds like you've got a fair bit of experience as far as intergrades go. Certainly more than me. Im simply pointing out that newbies seem to got told "that's not a diamond" more than people who have been on here a while. Honestly look at some of the "show me" threads and see how many of those diamonds don't show any coastal characteristics at all, and then tell those owners/breeders they have an intergrade not a diamond. Its a very blurred area (what makes a diamond a diamond) and maybe there's breeders out there who consider their snakes diamonds that others would call an intergrade.

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## Skelhorn (Jul 16, 2012)

either way its a pretty snake and its awesome watching them nail food that big ay 

Enjoy mate!


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## Pythoninfinite (Jul 16, 2012)

Norm said:


> Jamie, sounds like you've got a fair bit of experience as far as intergrades go. Certainly more than me. Im simply pointing out that newbies seem to got told "that's not a diamond" more than people who have been on here a while. Honestly look at some of the "show me" threads and see how many of those diamonds don't show any coastal characteristics at all, and then tell those owners/breeders they have an intergrade not a diamond. Its a very blurred area (what makes a diamond a diamond) and maybe there's breeders out there who consider their snakes diamonds that others would call an intergrade.
> 
> Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk 2



Indeed you're right Norm, and maybe the definitions are pretty subjective anyway. The snakes in question - Diamonds, Intergrades and Coastals - are so closely related that the differences are fairly arbitary. Even up here many of the locals call any python they see a "Diamond," so I guess my long association with all pythons (I love 'em ) makes me a bit picky. I don't bother now, but I've had endless dicussions/arguments on here over the years about this very subject...

Having said that, there are clearly some distinctive characteristics of the "truer" Diamonds which seem reluctant to overlap the other carpets in husbandry terms - the need for generally cooler temps overall, and a predisposition to DPS, one of those mysteries that everyone has a theory about but which no one has yet proved, although notechistiger has cast more clear light on this subject than anyone else I've seen write about it.

With Tim Hyndman's increasingly sophisticated work on the viral issues affecting our snakes, it may just be something else that can be attributed to a pathogen rather than simply husbandry issues. Fingers crossed!

Jamie


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## notechistiger (Jul 16, 2012)

If you're referring to the threads I included in my post, they were made by serpenttongue. I'm more then happy to pass around his knowledge on the subject since he seems to have dealt with it far more then the average keeper.


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## bobby-van (Jul 16, 2012)

To be honest, it doesn't phase me if it's not a pure Diamond as I'm no breeder, just an enthusiast. I was just thinking a high yellow would look awesome next to my high orange Hypo Bredli I'm picking up next weekend in their split enclosure..


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## Norm (Jul 16, 2012)

bobby-van said:


> To be honest, it doesn't phase me if it's not a pure Diamond as I'm no breeder, just an enthusiast. I was just thinking a high yellow would look awesome next to my high orange Hypo Bredli I'm picking up next weekend in their split enclosure..



Sounds good! I don't know why i get involved in some threads
Note to self: look but don't touch!
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## Shiresnakes (Jul 17, 2012)

Hi All, Im sorry for not responding sooner, I didnt realise it was in discussion or I would have provided clarity earlier.

The hatchling in question was from a Gosford Integrade Diamond, 'Princess' on my website. I also have traditional Diamonds, "Marty" on my website. 
(pics attached for reference)

I have hatchlings of both types and both of these were offered to choose from - the integrade was the one chosen and ate a fuzzie on 23/6 and I provided a care sheet, offered post sale support and explained that I could not guarantee its colour, however if it turns out like last years hatchling (one of my fav's) then it might have yellow, but no I could not guarantee. 

I can understand the confusion especially at a young age due to some breeders crossing breeds, but its definately not a coastal and my policy is not to cross bred my snakes.

I hope this helps clear up some confusion and sorry again for the late response. 

If anybody wants to PM me any questions please do so.

Bobby-van / Robert, Thanks again for contacting me yesterday to help you with the questions you had and If I can assist you with anything else please dont hesitate to contact me. Thanks


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## Wrightpython (Jul 17, 2012)

When you say gosford inter grade are you suggesting it's a wild caught inter grade or just an inter grade that was bred in gosford. What did you notify licencing authority inter grade or diamond because my understanding from reading the ops thread was that it is a diamond and as such upon receiving should have filled out an animal movement advise to licensing authority recording what species etc


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## Shiresnakes (Jul 17, 2012)

No its not a wild caught snake, all my snakes have been purchased and recorded accordingly .... It was bred from the Gosford area and is a Gosford Integrade Diamond. I also have traditional Diamond - as per pictures provided. Sorry for the confusion. Cheers


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## bobby-van (Jul 18, 2012)

Thanks Mark - champion!


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## wokka (Jul 18, 2012)

I had always considered Port Stephens as the "Line" where diamonds changed into intergrades.ie diamonds to the south intergrades north. In the past, I have always heard Gosford animals referred to as Diamonds. Perhaps as animals get moved around more, with the inevitable escapes the intergrade area has increased. I guess it is difficult to classify animals at the extremes of the intergrade range, to being either diamond or carpet.


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## animal805 (Jul 18, 2012)

So basically, intergrade it is then?


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## Norm (Jul 18, 2012)

I agree wokka, I've never heard of anyone refer to gosford diamonds as intergrades. Rather they quite proudly say they are pure diamonds. Calling them gosford intergrades is very confusing and to me goes against everything that was previously accepted by most.

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## Danni_1488 (Jul 18, 2012)

Its colours and pattern look a lot like my coastal. But im new to the reptile scene too so am not one to judge. A very beautiful snake though, congratulations on your new addition


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## Pythoninfinite (Jul 18, 2012)

Yeah look, just to put the record straight, I think whatever we appreciate in the appearance/personality of a snake is very subjective. My earliest post in this thread where I suggested it was a Coastal implied no criticism of the animal at all, because I don't think that one is "better" than the other at all. I grew up with only bush animals as a reference, so the turning of snakes into some sort of designer fashion commodity is still something that I'm uneasy about, and I'm not remotely interested in owning the latest morphs of anything.

There is something fantastic about seeing a normal coloured python curled up in the sun in the bush - cryptic colouration, discreet location - and this thrills me far more than seeing the latest high-priced,washed-out or lollipop coloured, polka dotted fabrication of doubtful heritage. (I'm making a very subjective assessment here - some people love 'em... I don't...)

One of the problems which is a natural flow-on from the ease we have in breeding these things now, is that after a generation or two, unless you know the breeder and their ethics, you never know what genetics you are buying when you make a transaction, and often they don't even know what genetics they are selling. This is especially true when it comes to the east coast carpets - we are now possibly 4 or five generations into the captive breeding thing - you buy what looks like a Diamond... and low & behold... it produces some babies that are identical to Coastals... This can ONLY be because it has had the Coastal influence added in previous breedings unless, and correct me if I'm wrong, we DON'T get Coastals, or anything that looks like them, in Diamond country...

I spent hundreds of hours on APS & other sites debating whether crossbreeding of Carpets (in particular) is a bad thing, and my ultimate opinion is still the same - it's like putting all the primary colours together - you end up with crap brown. It may take a while, but eventually the genetics will be so mixed up that no one will be able to guarantee the heritage of any animal they sell, especially if the species has many closely related geographic variations. If you want to breed Diamonds, even your perfectly Diamond looking breeding stock, unless you caught it yourself, will not necessarily produce baby Diamonds.

This has to be the eventual outcome of all the indiscriminate, poorly documented breeding that's going on at the moment. I'm not for one minute suggesting that Shiresnakes was deceitful or dishonest in any way, it's just a fact that despite the best of intentions, these days no breeder can guarantee the heritage of their animals if the breeding stock they purchased themselves was captive bred itself. It's all very well to say that this is OK as long as the breeder acknowledges the mixed heritage of their animals. This only works until the animals find their way into the collections of those who don't keep records of such things, then all history is lost...

Not a criticism or a lament... just a comment 

Jamie


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## Irbz_27 (Jul 18, 2012)

so completely off topic, and i know this isnt the place to ask but cant work out whats happened... since upgrading my membership on this site so im able to sell, ive lost the ability to post new threads. obviously i havent, but it appears i have. has the site changed the last couple of weeks? i cant even find my previous threads... can someone possibly direct me to where i need to go to access


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## Pythoninfinite (Jul 18, 2012)

Go to Forums and at the top you should see Post New Thread in the category of your choice...

Jamie


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## Irbz_27 (Jul 18, 2012)

yeah, cool that worked... for some reason didnt before. but still cant find my previous threads???


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## Norm (Jul 18, 2012)

Jamie, I pretty much agree with everything you have to say in that last post. I too much prefer a natural looking python over these shmancy looking morphs, again as you said, just my preference. Thats where I would ultimatley like to go with my breeding (when & if it happens), pythons that closely as possible represent what you would find in the bush. To me they`re perfect as they are. I also see that we need morphs to progress and promote the hobby. I don`t knock anyone who does like or breeds them, good on you for taking herptoculture to new heights.

I am also not trying to degrade any breeders, just pointing out that the line in the sand between whats called a diamond and whats called an intergrade is very blurry. I mean really, exactly what is a "Gosford Intergrade Diamond"? This is what I was banging on about in the early part of this thread, instead of telling a newbie that they`ve bought the wrong thing, why don`t we ask the breeders the tough questions?

I have 4 intergrades and embarrassingly can`t tell you anything about them. This is partly from my niave, indiscriminent purchasing when I first got into the hobby. I love those snakes though and can`t part with them, but if I breed them I am already wrestling with the problem of what to advertise them as because they were sold to me as intergrades but I really wouldn`t have a clue what bloods in there. I think there is an incredible number of "intergrades" out there that are simply diamond cross carpet but because they are undesirable ( though very beautiful a lot of the time) they are sold as intergrades.

I commented on another thread some time back the term intergrade should be replaced with something else, maybe more locality based such as Port Mac, Coffs Coast, Northern Diamond, Port Stephens Diamond etc. I`m no expert so I would love some others who are more qualified to give some input, maybe its a stupid idea that will blur things more! 

Can I leave you with some pics to show how hard it can be for newcomers purchasing snakes. This fellow was sold to me as a diamond, I agree that if I was more knowledgable I would have had reservations about his pedigree due to him and his parents displaying a lot of carpet/coastal influence.



Now some shots of his parents that I was told were Port Stephens locality diamonds.



Of course looking at them now I can see they have a strong carpet influence and would by most people be called intergrades but my point is that the guy who bred him, and I mean no ill toward him, very experienced breeder, extremely helpful before, during and after the sale and I still chat with him occasionally, is very strong in his opinion that they are pure diamond and not intergrades.

There are a couple other examples on APS recently where people have posted there young "pure" diamonds that look more like intergrades. But it seems in some of those cases because the OP is a long time member no one questions them.

I know some people are sick of this diamond/intergrade debate but it needs to continue to try to properly define what makes a diamond and what makes an intergrade.

Thats my rant!


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## Trench (Jul 18, 2012)

Shiresnakes said:


> View attachment 259404



is this snake yours?
she is stunning 
you could see about breeding it with spilotatim's black and white - http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-snakes-37/show-us-northern-rainforest-diamonds-189193/


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## Norm (Jul 18, 2012)

Totally agree. Shiresnakes diamonds are gorgeous, so are his gosford diamond intergrades, id just like some clarification on that name is all.
But yeah those diamonds are good!

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## Pythoninfinite (Jul 19, 2012)

Hi Norm, thanks for the post. I should clarify though, and I can see where the impression came from, that I wasn't for a moment suggesting that the OP "bought the wrong thing..." he/she probably bought what was appealing, therefore it was "the right thing...!" But it just came with the wrong name... I fully understand the dilemma with regard to heritage... as I've seen in another thread - Diamonds in the US going for near $1000, GTPs for $300+ - this is because "true" Diamonds are almost impossible to find OS due to the fetish they have for cross-breeding. Probably the only way you can guarantee getting a true Diamond over there is to order a wild-caught one from a smuggler in Gosford. Sadly, that's the way it's going here too... I've seen Murray Darlings for sale on websites over there for several thousand dollars each as well...

Until this thread, I had never heard of "Gosford diamond intergrades" - Gosford is smack in the middle of classic Diamond country, and I haven't seen one example of a wild snake from that area which exhibits intergrade characteristics. Maybe they exist, and if anyone has photos I'd love to see them, but in my experience all the snakes I've seen from that area have the classic small rosettes (4-5 scales) and a white to golden yellow spot on every scale. This patterning can be either bold or reduced to almost black, but it is always there to some extent. That's what I call a Diamond. The further north you go, the larger the rosettes get, until the pattern begins to resemble that of a Carpet and the individually dotted scales become duller and more brownish. That's what I call an Intergrade. 

Here in the Port Macquarie region we get snakes with both Diamond and Carpet characteristics, but they ALWAYS have both to some extent - never fully classic Diamond and never fully Coastal Carpet, and they can range in colour from vivid yellow-gold to dull brown.

I've been a poor recorder of the animals we see around here, and usually I don't carry my pocket Digi cam with me, but will endeavour to photograph a few when they start moving again in the warmer weather so you can see the variation.

Jamie


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## Norm (Jul 19, 2012)

Cheers Jamie, "bought the wrong snake" was perhaps a bad choice of words. I meant...argh you know what i meant. 
Sounds like you & i are on the same wavelength when it comes to diamonds& intergrades. Id really love to see some pics of some if you get the chance, as you can probably tell by my involvement in similar debates, its something Im very interested/enthusiastic about. Diamonds & intergrades are my favourite snakes and i simply want to learn more about them.

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## Pythoninfinite (Jul 19, 2012)

No worries Norm - I share your enthusiasm for these pythons! Like Eastern Water Dragons, a truly majestic reptile and as handsome as any lizard on the planet, on the east coast Diamonds and Intergrade pythons are very much taken for granted. Coming from WA a few years ago, where encounters with large reptiles are a rarity in the SW unless you know where to look, being on the mid-north coast makes me feel like a kid in a toyshop - the common fare around our house consists of the pythons, Lacies, RBBs and down the road, large numbers of Water Dragons. Some of the Lacies & pythons we see almost daily - I think I'm a lucky man!

Jamie


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## Norm (Jul 19, 2012)

Yeah your very lucky. I have it on good authority that the bush around my place used to be full of pythons, this would be back in the 40's/50's by the age of the guy who told me this. Sadly I've never seen one. Interestingly i live in what i would say is diamond country but he told me they were "carpet snakes"...intergrades?

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## Pythoninfinite (Jul 19, 2012)

Norm said:


> Yeah your very lucky. I have it on good authority that the bush around my place used to be full of pythons, this would be back in the 40's/50's by the age of the guy who told me this. Sadly I've never seen one. Interestingly i live in what i would say is diamond country but he told me they were "carpet snakes"...intergrades?
> 
> Sent from my GT-S5830 using Tapatalk 2



The local and colloquial names for these things can never be taken as fact - the people who use them have often never seen anything else to compare them with, and the names just get passed on through the generations. One of the problems we have now is the inventing of new names such as "northern rainforest diamonds" and now "Gosford intergrade diamonds" etc... which are simply marketing ploys to make them seem more exclusive - all it does is confuse newcomers to the hobby and cause disharmony when old and cynical blokes like myself dispute them.

But I guess it's what happens when these things become saleable commodities - people are on the lookout for a marketing edge.

Jamie


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## Wally (Jul 19, 2012)

Shiresnakes said:


> View attachment 259405



This one must be good on the tooth or is it just imitating a Death Adder?


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## animal805 (Jul 19, 2012)

Wally76 said:


> This one must be good on the tooth or is it just imitating a Death Adder?



Does look like it is on the chubby side. I thought a thin Diamond was a healthy Diamond but that one is a fatty boom bah


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## KaotikJezta (Jul 19, 2012)

Comment deleted, I need to read properly, lol


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