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[craig23]

Just one other thing. When a snake is "hibernating" yes its immune system is barely active (internal immune system). However a snake with a very low core body temp like below 15 degrees for example, is a very unatractive host for most pathogens and the snake is safe from most disease and parisites. Infact a very prominent herp professional we all are familiar with gave a talk at a herp meeting and said he belives (from experiments) cooling in tigersnakes in southern areas where body temps got below 4 degrees, proved to act as natural worming as the internal parasites could not survive at these low tempurates.
Perhaps without the server cold period in winter these tigersnakes are subject to, the parasitic worms would become fatal in the majority of cases.
The same person has seen tiger snakes out in the middle of winter in frost covered grass at near zero degrees... dont tell me they are trying to sunbask and get warm!!! He thinks they may deliberatly get cold, to rid themselves of parasites. ( I will not mention the persons name incase I have in some way portrayed the information incorrectly and discredit them)

Yes when a snake is at ideal temps its immune system is running full steam ahead and the snake is safe. When the snake is cold, it is however not attractive to pathogens and is also safe, even tho its immune system is running slowly. When a snake is kept for a long period of time at a temp where by the snakes immune system is not running at full strength, but yet it is still within the range of temperaturs pathogens will be attracted too.and thrive in.. you are putting your snake at risk. I belive these temps are the high teens, low 20's for most of our pythons.

We always think of snakes using behavioral techniques in the wild to keep warm, well some professionals think they use those same techiques in winter to keep cold, or at least cold enough to be safe from disease and parasites. This may only apply to species in areas where maintaning a high body temp in winter is not possible, so they opt for the other safe option, keep cold, too cold for disease.
Maybe in Sydney or Newcastle, diamond pythons sunbask in winter and manage to get a high body temp and be safe from disease using there immune system, but in colder areas, no matter how much the snake sunbasks, it wont get warm enough... so we all think they just hibernate somewhere as warm as they can find????? Well maybe not. Some reaserch suggest they find a nice cold place to remain totally dormant. This is the snakes other defence mechanism against disease.

Just something for everyone to comment about.. It all makes overwhelming scence to me, both with my limited scientific knowledge, and common scence. We all seem to forget that snakes have evolved as ectotherms for a reason. Its a biological defence against harsh cold climates that would otherwise take large amounts of effort to survive. Why do so many think snakes cant handle the cold????????????????????? they are perfectly adapted for it! and may even use it to there benifite.

craig