my new diamond tank

[gonesnakee]

Looks like a nice setup.
So why was the Diamond being cooled?
IMHO there is no reason to cool them ever other than for breeding purposes & I don't even do that myself to breed.
The slightly cooler room temps here in winter & the reduced light cycle due to the window is the only "cooling" I have ever required.
I am mentioning this as I think this whole having to cool Diamonds way down "concept" is somewhat of a myth & puts more snakes at risk than anything.
Specially if it is not for breeding, there is then zero reason to do so IMHO
Not trying to be anal, but I'm going with the assumption that someone likely told you to do so or it was read about as I have read & been asked about it plenty.
I have successfully bred my Diamonds every year I have tried with no intentional cooling periods, just the natural weather outside affecting their room inside.
Curious as to what you have been told or heard Cheers Mark
P.S. I'm sure the snake will love its new condo LOL

[crackedcorn]

Originally Posted by gonesnakee

Looks like a nice setup.
So why was the Diamond being cooled?
IMHO there is no reason to cool them ever other than for breeding purposes & I don't even do that myself to breed.
The slightly cooler room temps here in winter & the reduced light cycle due to the window is the only "cooling" I have ever required.
I am mentioning this as I think this whole having to cool Diamonds way down "concept" is somewhat of a myth & puts more snakes at risk than anything.
Specially if it is not for breeding, there is then zero reason to do so IMHO
Not trying to be anal, but I'm going with the assumption that someone likely told you to do so or it was read about as I have read & been asked about it plenty.
I have successfully bred my Diamonds every year I have tried with no intentional cooling periods, just the natural weather outside affecting their room inside.
Curious as to what you have been told or heard Cheers Mark
P.S. I'm sure the snake will love its new condo LOL

Interesting...i was always wondering about diamond hybernation. Mark do u think the info in the article copied not to be accurate? Maybe this is where many are getting their info as this comes up when googled?
"http://sthcoastherpsociety.bizland.com/diamondpaper.chtml"

[shaunyboy]

i have done a lot of research on diamonds NONE OF IT ON GOOGLE.i have dave and tracey barkers pythons of the world volume 1 australia,keeping and breeding australian pythons edited by mike swan,russel grant has worked a lot with diamonds,so ive read his stuff.i also read slip & shine 1988,thermoregulation of free ranging diamonds.slip & shine,thermophilic response to the feeding of the diamond python.slip & shine,the reproductive biology & mating system of diamond pythons.dr richard shine also tagged and tracked diamonds in the wild for a 5 year study.all of these people are of the opinion,that it is benificial to cool diamonds as they WOULD experience in the wild.i try to keep my snakes in as near to their wild conditions as i can replicate.also they say there may be problems with cooling when they reach adult breeding size,if it has not been done from the start.all my other carpets i keep with ceramic set ups.the diamond i use a basking light and a 2.0 natural light uvb (nothings been prooved to be benificial on uvb,but it wont do them any harm).i vary the legnth of basking and uv according to their natural seasons.just now i have a 2 hour bask with 2 hour uvb.next month it will be 4 hr bask & 6 hr uv.then in may it goes up to 4 hr bask & 8 hr uv.that will remain the same right up to november,when i will start cutting it back to 4 hr bask & 4 hr uv.december cool to 3 hr bask & 3 hr uv.jan,feb,march 2 hr bask & 2 hr uv.april4hr bask & 6 hr uv.THIS IS JUST MY PREFERED WAY OF DOING IT.the peoples papers i have read on the subject share this view.gonesnakee,you have been lucky enough to own diamonds and you obviously have the skill to successfully breed these beautiful snakes.your way has worked for you as i'm sure mines will for me.the diamond python is a true cold weather python and as said i try my best to replicate their wild conditions.
cheers shaun

[shaunyboy]

Originally Posted by crackedcorn

Interesting...i was always wondering about diamond hybernation. Mark do u think the info in the article copied not to be accurate? Maybe this is where many are getting their info as this comes up when googled?
"http://sthcoastherpsociety.bizland.com/diamondpaper.chtml"

IMHO,there is a massive difference between hibernation and cooling.you do not hibernate diamonds.stan chiras wrote an artical on diamond hibernation but it has been discredited by a lot of highly ranked members of the herp world.please believe me when i say i put a lot of work into reading up on diamonds before i went out and bought one.i do not doubt people keep diamonds in many different ways,some successfull & some are not.i choose to do it by replicating their natural seasons and cycles as if they were in the wild.what gonesnakee has done has worked with his diamonds.all the proof you need of that is to look at all the beautifull hatchlings he's produced.many breeders have successfully produced hatchlings from my prefered method.which i hope to do as soon as my females up to adult size.so its down to peoples preffered methods on both how to keep their snake and where they get the information on how to keep said snake.
cheers shaun

[shaunyboy]

my thanks to everyone for their nice comments on my new tank.i'll try and get some pic's of my diamond when i move her.
cheers shaun

[shaunyboy]

one last thing on the cooling cycle.if you read up on where diamonds live you will find in the wild they experience temps as low as 50f (it causes them no harm),they are truely exceptional snakes.they also experience 4 seasons.diamonds have been living this way in the wild from the begining.i personally do not think that 30 years of captive breeding has bred out the wild needs of these snakes (hence why i try to replicate their needs in the wild).all this is just my humble opinion.i gained my opinion by studying reputable scientists published papers (slip & shine) and reputable herpers who have kept diamonds (barker & barker,russell grant).i have also listened to what has worked for individual breeders like gonesnakee,who provide invalueable knowledge from their own experiences.we would be lost without people like him sharing with us.i must admit along the way i have read conflicting views,like anyone all i can do is form my own opinion,then take it from there.from what ive read imho cooling is benificial to diamonds and lack of it can be harmfull (not always,but it has been known to cause problems).obviously what you do works for your diamonds gonesnakee,but i have read of cases where diamonds have not been cooled until their first breeding season (as adults) and said diamonds drooped dead a week after coming out the cooling cycle.i am just trying to play it safe and do what a lot of highly rated herpers have wrote has worked for them.
cheers shaun

[shaunyboy]

i have done a lot of research on diamonds NONE OF IT ON GOOGLE.i have dave and tracey barkers pythons of the world volume 1,keping and breeding australian pythons edited by mike swan,russel grant has worked a lot with diamonds,so ive read his stuff.i also read slip & shine 1988,thermoregulation of free ranging diamonds.slip & shine,thermophilic response to the feeding of the diamond python.slip & shine,the reproductive biology & mating system of diamond pythons.dr richard shine also tagged and tracked diamonds in the wild for a 5 year study.all of these people are of the opinion,that it is benificial to cool diamonds as they would experience in the wild.i try to keep my snakes in as near to their wild conditions as i can replicate.also they say there may be problems with cooling when they reach adult breeding size,if it has not been done from the start.all my other carpets i keep with ceramic set ups.the diamond i use a basking light and a 2.0 natural light uvb.i vary the legnth of basking and uv according to their natural seasons.just now i have a 2 hour bask with 2 hour uvb.next month it will be 4 hr bask & 6 hr uv.then in may it goes up to 4 hr bask & 8 hr uv.that will remain the same right up to november,when i will start cutting it back to 4 hr bask & 4 hr uv.december cool to 3 hr bask & 3 hr uv.jan,feb,march 2 hr bask & 2 hr uv.april4hr bask & 6 hr uv.THIS IS JUST MY PREFERED WAY OF DOING IT.the peoples papers i have read on the subject share this view.gonesnakee,you have been lucky enoughto breed these beautiful snakes.your way has worked for you as i'm sure mines will for me.the diamond python is a true cold weather python and as said i try my best to replicate their wild conditions.
cheers shaun

COULD A MODERATOR PLEASE REMOVE THIS POST AS I HAVE NO CLUE AS TO WHY ITS POSTED ITSELF TWICE,many thanks shaun