This was a nice read, If it makes someone feel better to add a piece of kibble or not then that is their prerogative. In my experience, the rats reaction is just as quick as the snakes strike; eating or not. The rats senses are beyond are my understanding but I know they can smell that they are not in a place conducive to their well being and they are constantly on the alert. I will say that if they are eating it keeps the rat in one spot; kind of like baiting bears for hunting, but I have not seen it make the rat any slower at defending itself. It is beneficial to the hobby to have people think outside the box and try new things, that is how it has evolved over the years, but going back and fourth over something that has been done for years is just another "F/T vs live feeding debate", one is not better then the other IMO.