Juvie Diamond Python behaviour

[Fall guys]

If it’s woood, make sure it’s organic and hasn’t been treated with chemicals,

I know it’s a big thing with wooden boards come in to Australia with chemicals to kill any foreign bugs or other nasties

 

[AnthonyL]

@LilithLeChat If none of the reptile veterans here, reply to this thread re: specific chemicals you should and shouldn’t use, if I were you, I would do a keyword search on the forum about how to clean enclosures, what to use, how much to dilute and the actual process. Remembering that wood/branches will soak chemicals.

Maybe keyword search ‘enclosure clean’ ‘disinfect’ ‘sterilise’ 'germicide' etc - (These are all different processes and I’ve only just learned that you’ll need to know them all depending on the purpose of clean. ie: cleaning and general maintenance to put back same reptile, swapping enclosures, acquiring new reptile and homing into an existing enclosure you own, etc.) As a newer owner, I have also just recently searched the forum on this exact topic & found some very useful information that covers these topics. Will leave it for you to do instead of taking it upon myself to tell you what is safe and what is not, as I’m still learning myself and like many of the topics on the forum there are different and sometimes even opposite opinions and ideas from keepers.

Here is also a good resource I came across a few weeks ago on the subject - It's pretty wordy. Maybe try a keyword search here on the forum first.

http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Reptile-Health/Habitats-Care/Cleaning-Reptile-Cages/

 

[LilithLeChat]

Thank you
Usually when I’m looking for an answer, I Google “aussiepythons [question], but I guess my Google-fu is not that good lol!

When I went to feed Cassandra this morning, there was a definite milky-eye happening! I thought that she might refuse, but she smashed it. Luckily, it was the last fuzzy, so she’ll be able to digest it before shedding.
If I understand correctly, I should skip the next feed until she completes shedding?

 

[Fall guys]

Thank you
Usually when I’m looking for an answer, I Google “aussiepythons [question], but I guess my Google-fu is not that good lol!

When I went to feed Cassandra this morning, there was a definite milky-eye happening! I thought that she might refuse, but she smashed it. Luckily, it was the last fuzzy, so she’ll be able to digest it before shedding.
If I understand correctly, I should skip the next feed until she completes shedding?

While some snakes will happily eat during a shed, it’s best to leave them to do their thing, because if u feed right before the slough (unknowingly) you risk a bad shed

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

These are quite big questions and should possibly be in different threads as they do take quite a time to respond too and should generate several opinions.

Couple more questions: if it is better to feed a snake two small meals instead of one large one per week/fortnight/month, does it mean give both at the same time, or one at the start of the feeding period, and one in the middle?

Feeding regimes are really at the call of the keeper. Many keepers do it differently and even if you have a feeding 'plan' or regime these often fall by the wayside when you have a larger collection.
If you look at how a snake changes in both observed behaviour and metabolically it may help to decide the better course of action. Once fed the snakes metabolic rate will increase until the meal is digested. If you feed it twice in one week the metabolism is not going to reduce back to its 'resting' state so this implies that feeding frequently is going to be more taxing on the animals vital organs over an extended period. But feeding meals that are obviously on the 'large' side is no more beneficial as captive raised rodents contain a far higher fat content than they would in the wild.
typical feeding regimes are feed hatchies once a week. 6 months to 18 months old every 2 weeks, 2 to adult every 2-3 weeks. Adults every 3-4 weeks. In the case of breeding females this might change as they need to regain condition prior to being wintered the following season. All of this is of course as always MY OPINION.

what are materials/chemicals that should never ever be in the snake’s enclosure or in contact with the snake due to toxicity or being an irritant to skin/mucous membranes?

There are a few things to steer clear of but mostly sound logic and establishing a 'good' user friendly substrate will resolve most potential issues. Wood shavings including any ceder or pine should be avoided, (some chipped/oven baked pines I hear are ok but if you avoid them all the time it eliminates the risk). Some people use cyprus mulch as a substrate but please be careful it has no assed fertiliser before use if you choose this path.
Tape as mentioned above is a NEVER use. Avoid sharp edges on glass by rubbing them down with sandpaper. Uncoated wire mesh shouldn't be used.
Live plants don't do well in most cases and Im not convinced they add any benefit to the environment you are trying to maintain, (humidity fluctuations, water spills etc) but some people have made nice aestetically pleasing enclosures using live plants but I have also seen successes with silk/plastic plants too.
Cleaning materials can include the infamous F10 that everyone claims is soooo good but household disinfectant is good enough for the needs of any typical reptile keeper, (I used to use bleach years ago if doing a really big clean and just keep the snake out of the enclosure till it had aired) Never had any problems.
I use wood/bark I pick up from walking the dog, its no big issue, you will hear tales of bake it in the oven but all I have ever done is rinse it down. If its particularly dirty you can use disinfectant on it (I soak overnight sometimes) then leave it to dry on the patio in full sun.

I saw some nice ornaments on eBay, but they’re cheap and come from China, so I’m not sure whether they might be made from materials potentially harmful to the snake.

Reptile ornaments/household ornaments to be used by the animal or to be looked at by you? Should be fine but is this to your enrichment or the snakes? Do they actually serve a purpose? Can the animal be injured if it pull the 'ornazment onto itself? Stacks of rocks should be avoided unless they are secured. You will be surprised how strong these animals are.

 

[LilithLeChat]

@Pauls_Pythons, as the adult enclosure will be quite large, I want to add several hides at different spots, but I thought I might as well make them interesting to look at too.

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

@Pauls_Pythons, as the adult enclosure will be quite large, I want to add several hides at different spots, but I thought I might as well make them interesting to look at too.

I find with my adults they very rarely use hides during the day time, happy to perch near their hot spot and return to their hide, (cool end at ground level) at dusk unless they are hungry.
Whenever I have had hides at different levels they just become an ornament to be pushed off the shelf when they obstruct the animal from getting into its preferred location.

 

[GBWhite]

 

[Scutellatus]

@Bl69aze
Do you notice the head width in relation to body width on the snake in this picture?
This is a very healthy Diamond Python.
I was having a memory blank the other day and was wanting to say that your Diamond seriously reminds me of a Ball Python. Head and body sizing grossy out of proportion.

 

[Buggster]

I find with my adults they very rarely use hides during the day time, happy to perch near their hot spot and return to their hide, (cool end at ground level) at dusk unless they are hungry.
Whenever I have had hides at different levels they just become an ornament to be pushed off the shelf when they obstruct the animal from getting into its preferred location.

Would you say all your hatchies grew into the behaviour? My 2 year old spends 99% of his time in the air (he’s got several perches + 3 hanging hides). I’ve taken the ground hide out simply because he never used it. He’s starting to get a bit bigger and I’ll have to rearrange everything and find him some bigger branches to hang on to soon.

 

[LilithLeChat]

@Scutellatus , that is one beautiful snake. How old? I can’t imagine mine being that size lol, she still fits in the palm of my hand when curled up

 

[Scutellatus]

@Scutellatus , that is one beautiful snake. How old? I can’t imagine mine being that size lol, she still fits in the palm of my hand when curled up

It isn't my picture Lilith.
Credit goes to @Wally, he posted it earlier today in another thread.

 

[Pauls_Pythons]

Would you say all your hatchies grew into the behaviour?

Bit hard to say because as hatchies I used the multi hide at different levels. I think they used to stay quite high until they were around 18 months then stopped using the elevated hides.

 

[Stompsy]

Can you explain this diagram at all or even post any text related to it? I’m trying to determine how each weight would look visually as I was always under the impression that an over weight snake would not have the indentation running down the middle of its back? I’m probably wrong however...

 

[Fall guys]

Can you explain this diagram at all or even post any text related to it? I’m trying to determine how each weight would look visually as I was always under the impression that an over weight snake would not have the indentation running down the middle of its back? I’m probably wrong however...

That’s what I was taught

 

[LilithLeChat]

So last Friday Cassandra’s eyes went milky, and she ate. Since then, she became very inactive and her skin looks dull and wrinkly. So far, so good.
Going by what I’ve been reading, she should have disappeared into her hide until she has shed.
Well, she has camped out on her perch and refuses to come down. I did manage to annoy her into getting into her hide at one point - only because I provided her with a smaller, more snug hide and I though she’s not using it because she didn’t realise what it is. She was in there for an hour max, and then went back to her perch. She has also defecated last night, and I thought that won’t happen until she’s done shedding.
I’ve checked her surface temperature with an IR gun, and it’s fluctuating between 34-37 degrees (depending on whether it’s night or day).
I’ve seen her have a very long drink once, but not since.
I’ve also placed a wet tissue underneath her perch for a bit more humidity (still waiting for humidity meter to arrive, so not sure whether it’s correct humidity in there).

When I reach in her click-clack to refill the water and remove waste, she stirs, sniffs my hand and goes back to sleep.

Maybe I’m fretting needlessly, but this is my first rodeo, so to speak, so I want to make sure everything is going as normal.

 

[Fall guys]

Everything’s normal,
Some snakes will hide the whole process, some don’t care about their ugly time.. in fact my diamond has just gone thru milky eye and strutting his dull colours before shedding.
“Annoying” them however can sometimes cause problems depending how far along they are.

Make sure to show pics of her new PJs

So last Friday Cassandra’s eyes went milky, and she ate. Since then, she became very inactive and her skin looks dull and wrinkly. So far, so good.
Going by what I’ve been reading, she should have disappeared into her hide until she has shed.
Well, she has camped out on her perch and refuses to come down. I did manage to annoy her into getting into her hide at one point - only because I provided her with a smaller, more snug hide and I though she’s not using it because she didn’t realise what it is. She was in there for an hour max, and then went back to her perch. She has also defecated last night, and I thought that won’t happen until she’s done shedding.
I’ve checked her surface temperature with an IR gun, and it’s fluctuating between 34-37 degrees (depending on whether it’s night or day).
I’ve seen her have a very long drink once, but not since.
I’ve also placed a wet tissue underneath her perch for a bit more humidity (still waiting for humidity meter to arrive, so not sure whether it’s correct humidity in there).

When I reach in her click-clack to refill the water and remove waste, she stirs, sniffs my hand and goes back to sleep.

Maybe I’m fretting needlessly, but this is my first rodeo, so to speak, so I want to make sure everything is going as normal.

 

[LilithLeChat]

I only annoyed her when I changed her hide after she got milky eye, because I was concerned she wouldn’t be able to find her way in, and I pretty much left her alone since. She’s not at all bothered when I reach into the click clack to clean and change the water, as long as she smells me. It’s almost as if she goes “oh, it’s just you” and goes back to sleep.

I can’t wait to see her shiny new skin. Her first shed has been promised to my friend’s boys, her second shed to my nieces, and my nail technician wants to use her skin on my nails lol.

And there definitely will be pics!

 

[Bluetongue1]

I would not be the least bit worried about her not using the hide provided. It may be too warm or too cool for her or she jmay simply prefer the elevated perch. It might help for you to know that arboreal and semi-arboreal pythons will often seek out an elevated perch where conditions are conducive. If they are well hydrated and the temperature is good, then they will frequently coil up in an elevated position and clearly feel quite secure there.

PS: Are pics to be of the freshly shed snake, the slough or the finger nails? Or perhaps all three?

 

[LilithLeChat]

She shed overnight - and NOW she’s gone into hiding lol. It’s 4 am so not awake enough to examine properly, but looks like the slough came off in one piece.

Pics of all three coming up, but nails will have to wait until the third shed.