Newbie herp awaits diamond pythons

[McMonty]

Hello every one,
I'm just a few weeks away from getting my first ever hatchlings. I've read a few books but I still feel under-prepared. Are there any golden rules I need to know that are perhaps not covered by many books? I guess I'm just a bit excited and nervous.
I noticed that the majority of members are from the northern hemisphere, which would explain why there aren't many people online at the same time as me. I'm from Australia but I imagine there are quite a few people around the world with diamond pythons. Anyhow - any tips would be apprecited.

[marvelfreak]

Mark - Diamond Pythons (http://www.mark.org.au/pages/cs_diamondpython.htm) Also you can check out a site called Aussie Python .com There're tons of people with diamonds on this site. But be warned some of them will talk down to you or like your dumb. Just ignored them. There's also a lot of helpful people on there to. Also when you get your snake let us see some pictures.Australian Snakes - Aussie Pythons & Snakes (http://www.aussiepythons.com/forum/australian-snakes-37) here's the link I hope this help plus i am sure there's some people here that can help. P.S. Hello and welcome!

[seann]

Make sure you read up all you can about humidity levels, heat, and bedding. spaughnum moss works really well, and is a mold retardent. have the incubator ready and tested for the eggs.make sure you got humidity guages and a thermometer.
Patients leave the eggs alone, dont worry about them or obsess.
The less you open the incubator the better.

[gonesnakee]

So do you already have eggs incubating waiting to hatch or are you getting some babies from someone else?
As for basic care its the same as all other Carpets pretty much except that they can take much cooler temps than the rest of the bunch.
If you are actually hathcing some out what I do is keep them together in a rubbermaid on damp papertowels until they have shed out & then set them all up individually.
Wait until a week or 2 after first shed prior trying to feed any of them & do so in their tubs they live in which should be small (shoebox size rubbermaids at the largest).
You will find that not many will eat right off & if you wait a week or 2 as I stated the success first time will be higher as well.
Some of them take anywhere from 2-4 months prior taking any food.
DO NOT FORCE FEED THEM!!! They will eat when they are ready to eat!
I find that once they start there is no looking back & if started on mice they switch to rats super easy.
If you are getting hatchlings from someone else they should already be well established on FT prey prior you obtaining them.
I currently have 3.3 of them & have bred them now for the past 3 years, Mark

[countryboy666]

hey mate

good to see that some one will be on when i am on, as u said time difference an all that, i am new to all this but am keen to learn and have found some really excellent info from this site. i am as we speak waiting to pick up an inland and dimond, both yearlings and cant wait, it would be cool to see a pic of your dimonds when u get the chance, take it easy

jay

[gonesnakee]

Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket (http://s398.photobucket.com/albums/pp67/GONESNAKEE/Diamond%20Pythons/?albumview=slideshow) is a link to a slideshow of some of my Diamond pics.
All my albums on that site are open to check out if ou like THX Mark

[countryboy666]

thanks mate i just had a look through your pics, my 7 yr old neice was fasinated with the pics of the eggs and babies ( so was i ) she is now asking me when she can get a baby snake, nice snakes cool pics

cheers

jay

[McMonty]

Thankyou to everyone who replied - I've been off-line for a couple of days. I'll try to respond to everyone with this one reply. Thanks Marvelfreak for useful link - Seann I am not incubating - I'm waiting to buy them from the breeder (These will be my first ever snakes) - Gonesnakee - should get I them once they have hatched or wait until they are feeding? (And what is a rubbermaid)? G'day Jay - where are you getting your yearlings and where in Aus do you live? I'm in Sydney.

[gonesnakee]

Rubbermaid = plastic tote containers Mark

[marvelfreak]

Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket (http://s398.photobucket.com/albums/pp67/GONESNAKEE/Diamond%20Pythons/?albumview=slideshow) is a link to a slideshow of some of my Diamond pics.
All my albums on that site are open to check out if ou like THX Mark
Some really sweet snake you got . Diamonds have always been my favorites. I always wanted to get one but their so high price, but maybe some day.

[gonesnakee]

Oh & if they are your first snakes get them from the breeder once they are well established feeders.
This may take anywhere from 1-4 months depending on how well they start to feed for him. In my experience it takes a good couple months on average & sometimes 3 or 4 months.
If you get one that is feeding well you will not have the frustrations of having to deal with a finicky or non feeder, THX Mark

[McMonty]

There are about eighty eggs incubating (probably just hatched) I wanted to get in early to have first pick as I will be breeding them. About 15 of them will be high yellow and I wanted a breeding pair. So I thought I should just swoop in and grab them. I suppose if I could choose them first and pick them up later it would be ideal, but if I have to take them with me after I have selected them - I guess I'll have to become a patient and persistant parent.
Is there a high mortality rate for stuborn feeding hatchlings?
How acurately will the breeder be able to sex them at that age?
How much will colours and markings change from hatchling to adult?
What am looking for besides regular feeding?

[gonesnakee]

There are about eighty eggs incubating (probably just hatched) I wanted to get in early to have first pick as I will be breeding them. About 15 of them will be high yellow and I wanted a breeding pair. So I thought I should just swoop in and grab them. I suppose if I could choose them first and pick them up later it would be ideal, but if I have to take them with me after I have selected them - I guess I'll have to become a patient and persistant parent.
Is there a high mortality rate for stuborn feeding hatchlings?
How acurately will the breeder be able to sex them at that age?
How much will colours and markings change from hatchling to adult?
What am looking for besides regular feeding?

Newbies & unestablished snakes are a bad combo yep.

As for sexing males 100% & females close to 100% depending on ho is doing the sexing. If it pops male (you see hemipenes) its 100% females don't pop & are or should be also determined by probing in case it was a male that didn;t "pop".

All hatchlings look almost exactly alike & it you go look at my link & look at all the other Diamond albums there of hatchlings etc. you will see exactly what I mean ;)
None of the colors really start to come in until around the first year or so.
From out of the egg to subadult they change with every single shed.
Once they hit around a year things happen fast & the yellows etc. start to come in.

Established feeders will make the best breeding stock specially if you get on top of the "list" & get ones that establish right away & pick of them.
Sometimes the smaller ones will feed better right off & in my experience they tend to end up catching up to the others in size pretty fast as they start sooner.
Basically something thats feeding well on FT prey, look for "tight" "rosettes" (the "diamonds on them) as pattern can be seen but not really yet appreciated LOL color will change HUGE in a year for sure.
When folks picked mine I had breeders of high end snakes by checking them all out & in the end they just took whichever ones were the biggest with the most meals in them. a bout 1/2 dozen customers choose this way LOL
Check out the other albums in my PB account & you'll see what I mean.
Diamonds/Carpets etc are "ugly ducklings" but turn out reall wicked, Mark

[countryboy666]

mate im in the country, in orange im getting the inland and dimond yearlings from stephen at dolittle farm, he is a breeder based at molong, very pro setup and really experienced, so you dont know what age you will be taking the snakes home?? i have a mate, more a mate of a mate that purchased a hatchling that had not yet began feeding as the breeder told him that it was easy to get them going, he had that many dramas trying to get it to start that he ended up taking it back to the breeder and leaving it with him till it was an established feeder than went and picked it up and had no probs at all. you might find it easy i just thought i,d tell you his story just so you had another opinion, were bouts in the city are you??

jay

[McMonty]

I live in Glenfield (near liverpool) - my mum has a townhouse in Orange. Would make a trip out there to get a good deal on snakes (I haven't paid a deposit yet or anything) how much do they charge for their Diamonds and do they have any high yellows? When are you getting your yearlings? Are you still waiting for your licence?

mick

[countryboy666]

hey mick

he doesnt have any high yellows left, but has so many other snakes , lizards, frogs and all that, he breeds every year and will be doing it again, his high yellow dimonds are absolutly amazing, he showed me a full grown one that is the full sister to the one i will be getting and to see how bright the yellow is on her its beautiful, looks like someone took to her with a highlighter, just so healthy and well looked after, the price on his dimonds are about $600,depending on the indervidual snake, i am still waiting for my licence , i rang them yesterday but they said they have a heap of applications to go through so it will be at least another week.

jay

[shaunyboy]

a good book to get is keeping and breeding australian pythons,edited by mike swan.it has a great chapter on diamonds.all the best when you get your new diamond.
cheers shaun

[Hillsberry]

Hey I think books are the best. Yes this site is nice. But books always help me. Wish you the best of luck with your new Diamond baby! Would love to see pictures when you get he/she! :P

[emseeKAY]

i love to read anything and everything lol im a nerd like that but i definitely find this site very helpful as well as others, but im not sure if im allowed to link haha