Heat Rock temp for Diamond python (newbi)

[jimbo_jones]

Hi every one Im new to the forum and to keeping reptiles I have been doing alot of reading here and on another site.
I just recently got my reptile licence and bought a Diamond Python.
I am still building a enclosure for him so I have him in a glass tank.

I bought a heat rock of ebay but when I put it in the tank he wants nothing to do with it the rock. It felt really hot when turned on so I put a digital temp gauge under it and it went up between 40 deg - 45 deg I have turned it of I just wanted to make sure its not to hot for him I dont want to burn him also I was thinking of using a external thermostat to control the temp and bring it down.
Can somone please point me in the right direction.
Thanks

 

[Bez84]

How old is the diamond?
Until your enclosure is built, loss the tank.
Setup a tub with a heat mat plugged into a thermostat and throw the heat rock in the bin lol.
Temps should be about 28 degrees for a diamond
40 - 45 is extremly hot.

 

[thomasssss]

just a tip ditch the heat rock , there known to cause burns

40 45 is way to hot for diamonds , its actually a little hot for alot of snakes , i dont keep diamonds ( yet ) but i know they like it a little cooler than most morelia (carpets) , i seem to remember 29 to 30 being recommended(always with a cool end around the low 20's) but wait for others who do keep them to chime in

 

[jimbo_jones]

thanks for the fast and informative reply I thought it was to hot.

 

[Chris1]

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/warning-heat-rocks-graphic-196704/

please cut the cord off your heat rock,.....and use it as a rock,...

 

[animal805]

Get rid of the heat rock and do some propper research. I do not heat my Diamond at all, you will end up killing it from DPS, google "Diamond Python Syndrome". At the very most you should have a small heat mat on a thermostat under the tank at one end with a tile in the tank above it. You do not want to heat your Diamond over 30C ever and especially not for an extended period. Sorry if I sound rude but you really need to do more research before taking on such a beautiful animal. All you guys beat me to it I must learn to type quicker, lol.

 

[saintanger]

don't use heat rocks, mine burnt my blue tongue and was smoking. it was to hot for me to pick up and could of killed my bluey. use a ceramic heat emitter with light cage and i set mine to 28-29. heat rocks are only good for cutting the cord and using as an ornament.

 

[jimbo_jones]

Sorry if I sound rude but you really need to do more research before taking on such a beautiful animal.

dont worry Im taking all this in and this is the reason I have joined this forum to get good advice so my diamond will be a happy one.

 

[GeckoJosh]

http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/general-reptile-discussion-42/warning-heat-rocks-graphic-196704/

please cut the cord off your heat rock,.....and use it as a rock,...

Thanks for posting that, saved me from doing it

 

[Burnerism]

"Do not heat your diamond at all you will end up killing it". What a load of bs. While they really don't need much heat I have my diamond's hot end (in melbourne) between 24-28 depending on the time of year. And as far as dps goes the reasons are still some what controversial. Maybe you need to do some more reaserch before passing off missinformation as fact. Agree with everyone else tho cut the cord on the hot rock and use it purely as decoration.

 

[GeckoJosh]

edit

 

[Burnerism]

It is fair to say that you should do your own reaserch into dps as their is enough information out there regarding it and draw your own conclusions from it.

 

[Jessie_James]

I heat my diamond via lamp for 3 to 4 hours each morning at 28 to 30 deg. Make sure you have a cool end in the enclosure as well. I don't use heat rocks at all. Do as much research as you can to understand what they need as they are a little different to other pythons.

 

[animal805]

"Do not heat your diamond at all you will end up killing it". What a load of bs. While they really don't need much heat I have my diamond's hot end (in melbourne) between 24-28 depending on the time of year. And as far as dps goes the reasons are still some what controversial. Maybe you need to do some more reaserch before passing off missinformation as fact. Agree with everyone else tho cut the cord on the hot rock and use it purely as decoration.

You need to read a bit closer mate, I said I dont heat mine at all as in artificially, Learn to read I have mine in an outdoor enclosure and gets naturally heated.

 

[Gruni]

You need to read a bit closer mate, I said I dont heat mine at all as in artificially, Learn to read I have mine in an outdoor enclosure and gets naturally heated.

Actually you didn't say that at all in your original post, I went back and read it carefully. Also that works for you because you are in the right climate zone for Diamonds if I did that when I get my Diamond it would be dead within the year. The key info the OP needed was what temps to setup for rather than the keyboard lashing some of these posts have verged on. It is one thing to point out that heat rocks are questionable and have had some bad effects but some of the other jabs were harsh at best as he is doing the research, he noticed something that concerned him and he wanted to rectify it.

So what have we actually said that helps the OP... yes your heat rock is too hot, no they don't recommend using a thermostat on the heat rock to control the temp, keep the warm end of your enclosure around 28*.

Where do you live Jimbo? You may find the other way to go about it is get some natural rock or some thicker tiles which you can put under a heat lamp/emitter that will soak in some heat and has a good thermal mass for your snake to curl up on after a feed. My current Mac enclosure will be used for a diamond later this year as Skittles has out grown her tank and I have built her a new enclosure. My average temp sits around 28* with a halogen down light that runs off and on during the day from about 9:00am until 7:30pm and in winter I have a heat mat to help maintain night time temps.

Congrats on getting a great snake and enjoy. How about posting a pic of your snake and your set up?

 

[thomasssss]

gruni coffs isnt the "right " temperature zone for diamonds that why we dont find them naturally , coffs is actually a little on the warm side most of the time

i dont know why your diamond (when you get it ) would die of that same regime (no heating except maybe a bit help digest) as your in northern nsw , so further up than coffs ?

- - - Updated - - -

Actually you didn't say that at all in your original post, I went back and read it carefully.

obviously not carefully enough as you missed this part , been there since last night when i originally read his post

. I do not heat my Diamond at all,

sounds pretty clear to me , combining what he said with a bit of common sense and anyone should be able to work out what his saying

 

[Gruni]

Sorry Thomas but Coffs is maybe not ideal but it is warm enough to be able to keep the snake in an outdoor enclosure without heating. Inverell gets temps of -10* which is a temp I would not be willing to risk my Diamond in and I would be VERY worried of it at least developing severe RI.

My point in the post was that the post I was refering to was unnecessarily harsh on the OP and could have been explained in a much more helpful and encouraging manner.

 

[thomasssss]

Sorry Thomas but Coffs is maybe not ideal but it is warm enough to be able to keep the snake in an outdoor enclosure without heating. Inverell gets temps of -10* which is a temp I would not be willing to risk my Diamond in and I would be VERY worried of it at least developing severe RI.

My point in the post was that the post I was refering to was unnecessarily harsh on the OP and could have been explained in a much more helpful and encouraging manner.

i think you will find its gets pretty darn cold through out the diamonds range , ive heard of keepers having frost on their OUTDOOR aviaries in the morning and the diamonds do fine , they would have to be more cold tolerant to survive the climates they come from , they dont have a nice heat matt to cuddle up to in the bush ( they do have rocks but they will go cold after certain amount of time with no sun )

 

[Gruni]

Fair enough Thomas, I still wouldn't risk the investment in an outdoor enclosure locally and if the OP is from Victoria or Sth NSW he would be well ouut of their range too.

Also I didn't miss his comment about not heating but nowhere in the post does he say he keeps it outdoors.

This is also becomeing a bit of a nit picking session and I still stand by my earlier point which was, give the OP the info he needs to care for his Diamond and don't tell him to research more as he is clearly researching by asking here about someting he already recognised as a threat to his snakes wellbeing ie the temp the heat rock was hitting.

 

[thomasssss]

Fair enough Thomas, I still wouldn't risk the investment in an outdoor enclosure locally and if the OP is from Victoria or Sth NSW he would be well ouut of their range too.

Also I didn't miss his comment about not heating but nowhere in the post does he say he keeps it outdoors.

This is also becomeing a bit of a nit picking session and I still stand by my earlier point which was, give the OP the info he needs to care for his Diamond and don't tell him to research more as he is clearly researching by asking here about someting he already recognised as a threat to his snakes wellbeing ie the temp the heat rock was hitting.

have a look at the diamonds range quickly on the net , there all a little different but they all stretch well into victoria and starts around southern NSW

im not saying that we should all push our snakes to their limits regarding temperature im just saying that to think your diamond will die in the first year if its exposed to the temps you've mentioned is a little over the top , they live in areas where temperatures like that are regular through out the winter , they have to be able to cope in some way or they would of died off as a subspecies many years ago