Care Sheet
Diamond Pythons (Morelia spilota spilota)
 Diamond
pythons are cold weather pythons, as evidenced by their dark coloration
- an adaptation of animals in colder climates, enabling them to absorb
heat from the sun quickly and efficiently. They are found exclusively
in Southeast Australia where the weather gets cold during the winter
months and accordingly these snakes are accustomed to hibernating. The
colder the winter, the more complete their hibernation. During periods
of mild winter weather, diamonds are frequently seen basking on rock
ledges, apparently attempting to gain whatever solar radiation they
can.
Diamonds are medium-sized pythons. Adult females generally attain an
adult length of 2 metres, while most males average about a 30 cm shorter.
Their color and pattern are somewhat variable, ranging from black
and white to black and gold. A diamond’s pattern (spots, or rosettes),
should ideally should be small, measured in scales, and not interconnected.
Ideally, rosettes should be between three to seven scales across. The
perfect diamond has evenly spaced, small rosettes. The belly is ivory
or yellow and marbled with black, specially on the posterior margins
of the ventral and paraventral scales. The chin is white, ivory, or
yellow and immaculate. Those with significant variations from this theme
are oftentimes referred to as intergrades - which occur naturally where
the diamond python range extends North and West into the carpet python’s
range.
Caging:
Diamond pythons, when fully grown will require considerable space. If
kept indoors, these snakes will not only need adequate floor space but
also suitable height for climbing. As a minimum, an aquarium measuring
1.2 metres (4 feet) long by 35 cm (14 inches) wide and at least 45 cm
(18 inches) high is required. However, a 2 metres (6 feet) long, by
70 cm (28 inches) wide, by 60cm to 1 metre (24 - 42 inches) high is
ideal. A cage of this size should be adequate for up to two pythons.
If a glass aquarium is used for the vivarium then the top should be
constructed in such a way as to make it escape proof. Diamond pythons
are very active, and if given enough room will exercise on a regular
basis. One common syndrome of diamonds is obesity (this is often a result
of overfeeding) and resultant flaccid muscular development. One way
of encouraging your diamond to exercise is to set you cage up so it
has two distinct temperature zones, via two heat lamps. Using a timer
have them alternate (one go ON and the other OFF) every
couple of hours. By placing the lamps at opposite ends of the tank,
this will encourage your diamond to exercise and move from one warm
spot to the other spot.
 Diamonds
are quite arboreal, especially when young. Some diamonds love to spend
all their time in the fork of a tree. Providing diamonds with limbs
and shelves for basking is a good idea as well. They will use them a
LOT, and especially for the young. By providing them with elevated areas
they’ll feel more secure. Therefore, it is important to supply a large
branch for this purpose. A simple method of doing this is to place a
"Y" shaped fork in the centre of the cage and lay a long piece
of branch from one corner of the cage through the "Y". A hide
box is required for when the python wants a bit of piece and quiet,
and can easily be provided by constructing a wooden box with a large
hole in one end. This can either be placed on the floor or more ideally
can be designed to form one half of the lid for the cage. Alternatively,
a hide box that can easily be obtained is a hollow log / branch or a
few cork bark hiding places. While they love to hide, being opportunistic
feeders they'll typically pose as sentries, ready just inside the hide
box entrance for any passing food item. This includes hands picking
up cage litter, or the water bowl.
The substrate (floor) can be covered with several cm of soil, which
should first be treated to ensure that it is clean and free of any parasites
that could attack the snakes. If the appearance of the cage is not overly
important, then the procedure followed by many herpetologists can be
used. Instead of soil on the floor of the vivarium newspaper can be
used. This has the advantage of being easily removed and replaced and
is hygienic and simple. Several layers of paper should be used. This
method avoids the need to remove the substrate at regular intervals
for cleaning.
A large bowl of water should be placed at the end of the cage opposite
to that which the heating lamp is placed and embedded into the soil.
Because of their physical size they are quite capable of moving lightweight
water containers so they should be made of waterproof cement or some
other heavy material. Pythons will spend quite some time soaking in
water, especially when they are getting ready to shed their skins. Alternatively,
a smaller bowl of water can be used and the pythons sprayed with water
when they exhibit signs that they are getting ready to shed their skins.
Temperature:
The most common type of heat source is a light globe of sufficient wattage
to keep the temperature at the required level. Heat lamps, heat rocks,
heat mats or heat strips / cables are often used to supply a localised
heat area as would be found in the wild where reptiles will lay on a
warm rock to absorb heat. A thermostat is required with any heat source
to ensure that the cage does not overheat. In the wild, while they might
be seen basking in the sun for short periods of time, diamonds will
normally seek shelter if the temperature exceeds 30-32 Deg C (86-90
Deg F).
The preferred temperature for diamond pythons is around 28-30 Deg C
(82-86 deg F). At this temperature they will be quite comfortable all
year round. The night time temperature should be allowed to drop by
several degrees to simulate the normal night time variations that would
be found by the reptile in the wild.
In nature most reptiles require large amounts of vitamin D for their
survival. It is especially essential in their growth patterns and for
bone development. In captivity where the reptile is maintained in an
indoor environment the natural vitamin D absorption which is obtained
by basking in the sun is missing. To overcome this problem an ultra-violet
light source is required. Both fluorescent and incandescent ultra-violet
lights are available from most pet supply stores. For most reptiles,
a vitamin D supplement can be added to their food on a regular basis.
Hibernation
Diamond pythons normally hibernate during winter, it is therefore adviseable
that they should be allowed to do so in captivity, as well. As an example,
the average winter temperature in Sydney is around 15-16 deg C (59-60
deg F). The key to not only breeding, but to successfully maintaining
HEALTHY diamonds is to give them time off each year, to duplicate
the natural seasonal cycles they expect from nature.
Just prior to the onset of winter lower the temperature a few degrees.
Quit feeding and allow they python a couple of weeks for the python
to empty the gut and ward off the bacteria. Then turn the temperature
down even more to around 12-16 deg C (50-60 deg F) and provide a nice
comfortable hide box for the python to hibernate in. Do the opposite
at the beginning of Spring to wake them from hibernation. After a week
of enjoying the warmth, and a week of fully getting its body ready for
action, feeding can be resumed.
Feeding:
The Diamond Pythons are strictly carnivorous. In the wild they feed
mainly on marsupials and will also take smaller reptiles. In captivity
they are generally fed on mice and rats. Newly born pythons will usually
take small "pink" mice. As they grow they will graduate to
larger mice and finally rats. Vitamin supplements are not as essential
with pythons as with other reptiles as a large amount is obtained from
heir food. Day old chickens are also a good source of food for fully
grown pythons and can usually be obtained from chicken farms at reasonable
prices.
Fully-grown Diamond Pythons should only be fed once every seven to
ten days and allowed to consume as much as they require. Juveniles should
be fed a little more frequently than adults. Allow juveniles to eat
as much as they can at each feed.
Breeding:
Female Diamond Pythons in the wide, normally breed every third year.
This is most likely related to a female’s ability to build sufficient
body mass to enable her to successfully lay a clutch of eggs and survive
the rigors of pregnancy and incubation. Captive female Diamond Pythons
should be given at least a year off between breeding cycles in order
to ensure they are in good condition. As with many pythons, hibernation
temperatures are necessary for production of viable sperm in the males
and ovum in the females. In the wide, winter temperatures around the
Sydney region can vary from a night time temperature of 4°C
- 7°C (40°F - 45°F)
to 18°C - 21°C (65°F
- 70°F) during the day. In captivity, both male
and female Diamond Pythons should be allowed to go through a cooling
off period over the winter months. A temperature of 15°C
- 18°C (65°F - 70°F)
is suggested as being adequate.
Within a week to a month after hibernation, the female will have a
small meal or two and shed, it will be time for breeding. In the wide,
mating normally occurs between August and October. Quite often the male
will begin pacing his cage, assumedly because he smells the pheromones
of the female, who should be reproductively ready. Introduce the male
to the female at this time. Introducing the female to the male oftentimes
results in a female exploring the new cage while the male is frantically
trying to breed. Breeding usually lasts four to six weeks, when the
males lose interest in the females they should be separated. Shortly
afterwards the males usually resume feeding.Females oftentimes feed
right up to egg laying.
Approximately two months (65 days) after breeding, (normally around
December or January) and 21 to 28 days after shedding, the female will
have a clutch of anything from 15 to 40 eggs, the norm being around
20 - 25 eggs. The eggs of morelia spilota spilota average 55mm in length,
35.5 mm in diameter and 41.1 g in weight. The eggs are white or off-white
and typically are adhered in a clutch. Their eggs can be hatched like
any python egg - high humidity and somewhere around 32 Deg C (90 Deg
F).
End Note:
Keep them muscular, active, and hungry and you’ll end up with perfect
specimens of this python. Just remember, a fat diamond python is ultimately
a dead diamond python.
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