Advise Please - Diamond Python

[miss01]

Hi Everyone, I am reasonably new to being a snake owner, my ex used to have them and I have just gotten a little diamond girl of my own.

She is spending a lot of her time in her water bowl, and doesnt seem to be "poo-ing" very often. She eats two pinky mice a week, but is lucky to poo once every two weeks. She spends at least 4 or 5 days in her water bowl.

Is this normal? Could she be constipated? She does appear a little lumpy above the butt....

I could just be a little over zealous here but I am worried about the beautiful girl....​

 

[Bez84]

Check your temps maybe..

 

[pythoncrazy]

first of all where do you live QLD,NSW ect... Then where do you have her housed (Location?)
well i think the pooing is fine. but do check temps

 

[miss01]

i am about 50km north of Brisbane. Between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast. I am conerned it might be getting too hot for her here. We are getting around 30-35 degree days. I have her still in a container inside her enclosure as she is still a hatchie. She wasnt eating until i put her in the smaller container.

I am actually thinking of moving to Townsville, will she cope with the heat or am I best to keep her in air conditioning during the Summer? Pls understand, I love this girl, I will do anything for her well being.

She did actually do a HUGE poo on me today and her bum has gone down a bit. But she's straight back in her water bowl

 

[melissagalea2]

some snakes enjoy soaking in there water bowl.
check the water bowel to make sure there is not black spots in there, just to make sure she doesnt have mites.
do u know the temps in the enclosure at all.

 

[miss01]

There are no black spots. atm the enclosure is 26 degrees but its also 9.30pm and there is no heating in there. I fret to think what it might get up to during the day. I think I might need to move the enclosure into a cooler room, my bedroom has thermal blinds, it might help keep her a bit cooler. However, I do like the idea of a water baby snake lol

OOOOOHHHHH..... One thing I forget to ask that worries me too, she hasnt shed yet. I have had her for 8 weeks, no shedding. The scales around her tail look a bit translucent, but nothing else. Should i be worried about that???

 

[melissagalea2]

snakes are generally pretty hardy hun. but i have to admit. after keeping reptiles for over 10 years i still freak out when one hasnt crapped after eating. i guess it just comes with the motherly instinct.
i wouldnt worry that it hasnt shed in 8 weeks. wat is the size of its food like. is it taking a good 5 - 10 mins to get its food down? if not then u might wanna up the size of its feed. i think i read before that it has been a bit of a problem feeder...... offer it food once a week. sometimes with mine if they dont eat it straight away, i just sorta wiggle it in front of them with the tweezers. or u could even brain the rat/mouse. which means, u get a pin and stab the skull so that the brains sorta ooze a little. works a treat.
personlly i would keep ur python in ur bedroom if u feel its a lot cooler. at the moment i aint keeping my pythons on any heat cause its getting hot enough in general. and today i took my olives outside and let them swim in the bird bath for awhile which they really enjoyed.
hope some of that helps at all.
oh, check ur bathroom temp...sometimes bathrooms are quite cool cause of the tiles. my husky often sleeps on the shower floor cause its alot cooler for her.

 

[Dippy]

Just thought I'd add that maybe you should consider heating at night too? Maybe have it running on a thermo. Just incase it gets really cold in the early morning. I was told that snakes generally need to be heated the full 24/7.

 

[cement]

Continual soaking is definatly not normal behavior. Neither is feeding two pinkies a week a proper diet. Feed it nothing smaller them fuzzies or weaner mice, and 26 degrees at 9pm tells me that the day time temps are probably too hot.

Diamonds aren't tropical snakes, they will suffer if kept at temperatures that are constantly too warm, and too wet. They are a cold tolerant species and only need 35 degrees once a day for about about 2-4 hrs. The rest of the enclosure shouldn't really get over 27 in the day.

I think you are keeping her too warm and not enough food, especially food with fur. I start feeding hatchling diamonds on fuzzies never pinkies, and try to get them up onto weaners and hoppers as soon as quick as possible.

 

[mysnakesau]

I have 4 diamonds and they spend lots of time in their water. They seem to enjoy it. It doesn't always mean there is a problem - as I am trying to tell myself. I know it looks odd, to see them practically living in their water, but in the middle of winter on rainy days they are out in the rain. They should have been called water pythons....lol....

If you run your fingers along the length of their underside, you would be able to feel hard lumps if they were suffering blockage or contipation. Quite often, giving them a nice 20minute soak in water water, take them out for stroll on the grass is all it takes to get them moving. Another treatment you can try is holding them so that the last half of their body is dangling in the air and wiggle them. Movement, and the warm bath usually works every time. Might not be an instant cure, but usually the next morning you may be sighing with relief that they are fine.