Diones,
In 1998, we expand our snake collection with a couple Elaphe Dione. Because that are very nice snakes to keep. They are rare, but not (yet) to expensive. We started in 2001 to make special breeding groups. We have now locality- and morph breeding groups. On this site we show our collection and give information about our experience with these snakes. We have since may 2004 a scientific coöperation with Tula Regional Exotarium in the Russian Federation . It is strange that there are not much snake-holders who has this kind of species. We think that the nice colouration is very special. Only three people in the world has these red/orange specimens. One of our targets is to promote these interesting, beautiful and "easy to keep" snake. We want to give them the attention they deserve. In October 2004 and 2005 we were able to get a lot of new specimens from Tula Regional Exotarium. So we want to express our gratitude to the director of Tula Regional Exotarium, Mr. Sergei Ryabov. In february 2006 Gidi visit the Exotarium by himself. He wants to learn all about the different kind of snakes they keep there, especially the Elaphe diones. They have one of the largest snake-collection of the world.
Diones are intelligent snakes, atleast .... if you can say that about snakes. If the window of the cage is opened, they come directly to the opening. If you put them back then in the corner of the cage, they return directly to the opening, they “know” it. They are day-active and always interested in movement, for example, when you are in front of the cage. The Diones are our only snakes ever escaped. Fortunately, they always have been found, the cages are in a closed room. The Diones are also day-active, and easy "eaters".
In the Netherlands are few Diones. Only five snake holders got some species
(morph or locality). The last two years there are some new Dione-bloodlines,
but some species are F4. The Chinese “subspecie” is now the most
common Dione in the Netherlands.
Our goal is to bring this interesting snake under the attention of more
snake holders.
Special about the Diones is that these coloured specimens are more rare then for example the Oreophis porphyraceus coxi and Oreophis porphyraceus laticinctus or the Rhynchophis Boulengeri (also in our collection). The O. P. laticinctus is very famous and is on many "wishlists", but the Elaphe Dione Cherskyi high red is unknown, and ........... more expensive. There are at most 8 high-red Diones in the world.
We want to try to breed specifically on locality and (later) on morph, both pattern and colour. Undoubtedly, the breeding of morph will last a large number of years. One reason we don't like to cross localities, is because it will lead to a generic dione with no locality data. There are natural crosses in the wild also, probably where China and North Korea meet. These would have characteristics of both the Chinese and Korean dione. And of course in alle different regions all over the Russia republic.
Generally the Diones are offered as Russian steppe or rat snakes. But more (sub)species are known and are classified. The distribution area is enormous, the largest of all Elaphe types. They are living in a wide area, a large part of Asia. From West-Russia/on the border of Europe to the east, in Korea. In such a wide area there are all kinds of habitats. They also lives on different altitudes, from 0 up to 3500 meters, this is highest of all Elaphe types. There is still a lot to discover about the Diones. The number of documented seeings is limited, one of the reasons is the wide area and the inhospitablity of some regions where these animals occur.
Klaus Dieter Schulz spends in his book "A Monograph or Colubrid Snakes or the genus Elaphe Fitzinger" (page 37, 109-115 with 18 photographs) a lot of attention to the Dione. In a number of countries the Dione are “normale” snakes, in: Uzbekistan, Tadzikistan, Kirgizië, Mongolia, Noord-China (at south of Sichuan [ in the west ] of and Jiangsu [ in the east ]; Kiangsu, Shantung, Shansi, Shensi, Gansu; at north of the Chang Jiang river), North and south Korea. But there are observations also from: Afganistan, Armenia, Azerbaydzhan, Georgia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kirgisia, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan, Turcmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan,
In the Netherlands mainly
two “subspecies” are kept, the normal grey (normal) variety and
Chinese one. This last one has a different colour and pattern, yellow or green
(North Chinese) blotches and lines, frequently with deep red in the pattern.
More snake holders are becoming interested in the Diones.
The Dione is not a large snake, the maximum is about 120 cm for the female,
generally about 90-100 cm. The male becomes less large, approximately 75 cm.
The North-east China become more large, sometimes up to 160 cm (according to dr. Rainer Fesser). Of course there is a difference between the “sub”species, this
is logically because the large distribution area. The colour and pattern is
also different. For example the Striped or the black Nigrita (=melanistic).
In 1997, these black variant Nigrita have been discovered in the North Caucasus
in the surroundings of the city Mozdok. In the first appearance of this black
snake, it is very similar to the Zamenis persicus (Elaphe Persica), although it is a rather
distant relative of this Zamenis persicus. It seems that this Dione Nigrita is an endemic population. The most common Dione colours are
nevertheless grey, with dark spots or blotches that sometimes tends to saddles
or lines.
Care,
In the wild they eating nearly everything: mice, birds, bird-eggs, frogs,
lizards, snakes and insects. We feed them (frozen) mice, they prefer a smaller
prey. We feed them dead/frozen mice. That is no problem. Especially one moth after the hibernation they eat like crazy one’s. The
temperature is in hibernation 8-15 °C, the Southern types, for example
the China's 10-15 °C. The northern types or the snakes who lives in a
higher altitude prever 8-12 °C. In the summer the temperature is 21-25
°C and in the night it can drop to 17 °C. If the temperature is above 25 °C they are lying in their waterbowl to cool down .The size of the cage is 125x60x40
cm. We keep the offsprings in smaller plastic cages, up till two years, then they move to the bigger cages.
Eating,
The eating is normally not a problem. We feed them dead mice. But there is a difference in eating, the China 's prefer to ambush their prey. Otherwise they don't eat at all. They are attacking from a hiding place. When feeding the Tenebrosa's and the Nigrita's we have to move the mouse a little and its preferable that the rodent is still warm. We heat the frozen mice with warm water, so we feed them directly. The Diones eat the most a month after they are out of hibernation. Some time they eat four times a week a big rodent. Normally they prefer smaller ones. We give them all they want, they don't become fat.
Behaviour,
The China's and Korea's are clearly much more “speedy”. When you remove the
shelter they move fast to find a new one. This is a distinction
with the other Dione "sub"species, they are more slowly and gentle. The colourpattern of the China and
the Korea are very simalar. When a Dione feels threatened, they rattle their
tail and making a lot of fuss. Just the same some other Elaphe species do. Our China's like to climb to the highest level in their cage. So they can climb a bit.
Breeding
The 3th year you already can breed with the Dione. But some species from the South (China, Kazachstan, Oezbekistan) are sexually mature in the second year. But for all animals it is better to wait till the 3th year. Then the female have the right size. The incubation is at daytime 26-27 C and drops to 22-24 at night time. It is important that it is not the same temperature, in their natural habitat the temperature is not constant. It seems that a higher incubator temperature is influence the sexratio, higher temperature produce more males. We are now trying to examine this issue together with the Exotarium in Tula. It is important that the males and females are not together in hibernation. Directly after the warming up they have to put together for mating. When they don't mate in one week then we remove the male and try it one week later again. The mating is in the autumn and spring. When they mate in autumn the laying of the eggs is in april/may also, just the same time when the mate in february. In 2004 we have offsprings from the Chersky in may (5,2) and october (2,3). Schulz refer to that phenomenon also. They offspring in october are more large then the ones in may. When they copulate is longing a long time, up to 27 ours for the China. As we know it is one of the longest copulations of all the snakes. Normaly it last about 15-20 ours.
After the hibernation the female eats a lot, almost every day a full grown mouse. In the beginning of march they stop eating, then on the end of march they shed. Mostly two-three weeks after shedding the are laying eggs, clutching. About three to eight, depending of the size of the female.
Types, locality
and morph (colours/patterns),
Formally no subspecies
have been taxonomic registered. A number of locality’s is now assumed.
Altai, China, North-Korean, South-Korean, Caucasus.
Maybe in a few years
from now the Elaphe Dione Chersky (Primorskyi Kray) and the Elaphe Dione
China (North China) are excepted as subspecies.
If you want to see something
special, you have to go to Tula Exotarium.
Mr. Sergei Ryabov is the director and Mr. Ivan Arinin is the special herpetologist who knows everything about Diones. They got 54 specimens of Elaphe diones.
This is really “the place to be” for the Elaphe diones. They breed
mostly on morphs, pattern and colour, for example:
Blotched Tenebrosa: Russia, Altai
Patternless Tenebrosa: Eastern parts of Kasakhstan
Striped: all forms, yellow, brown, grey, ....
Normal (greenish-grey): East of Russia (Vladivostok)
Cherskyi high red and yellow
See the article in Litteratura Serpentium volume 25 in 2005 from us and from Ivan Arinin
See our collection.
Literature and more information.