Reptiles will surprise you, and they are often capable of surviving temperature extremes that "should" kill them. Consider, too, that we haven't had a really frigid Winter, with a hard, weeks-long freeze in ten years. I fully agree that an equitorial snake likely wouldn't survive here, but I wouldn't bet the farm on it. I know of one case where a man planned on tanning a large Western Diamondback, placed it in his freezer for several days, and was bitten when he thawed the snake and picked up the "dead" snake. Granted, a Western Diamondback is used to a greater temperature range than a mamba....but eyelash vipers routinely survive long refrigerated shipments of produce from Central America. I'm not sure I agree on snakes being ideal pets. They require far more knowledge and specialized care than a cat, dog, gerbil, or even fish. About 50,000 pythons and boas die every year because people over-feed them, over-heat them, under-heat them, or fail to recognize when the snake is having a health problem. Thousands more die when they are released by owners who no longer can, or want to care for them. I'm sure that you've seen the picture of the python killed when it tried to swallow too large an aligator in Florida. They are indeed beautiful animals, but they hardly qualify as domesticated, and just like big cats or any other wild animal, should be living unmolested in their native habitat.