Ever cried when you fed off a rat to your snake?

Last week, Kisasa was in shed, so she refused to eat the rat I bought her. No problem...I keep them in a nice little cage for a week and then feed them off the next week.

Only this rat was different. She was never scared of me. She'd come right up to my hand and let me pick her up. She seemed to enjoy being petted. When I was in my daughter's room (where her cage is) she would climb up on the bars of the cage and poke her little nose between them and squeak at us. Ohmygosh, she's SO cute!

But we can't keep a rat. If we wanted a pet rat...we'd have to get another one, because they need a companion...so that's two new pets instead of one. And we've got a very long, complicated move ahead of us in just a few weeks. Definitely NOT a time to be adding new pets.

So today is Kisasa's dinner time. I considered taking this little rat back to the store and exchange it for another...but if I did, it would just get eaten by some other snake, most likely. And this is, after all, what rats are for. There'll be other cute rats that come along, and I can't keep them all for pets.....right?

Kisasa was so ready to eat that she struck the side of the tub when I was removing the clamps, which she's never done before. She took the little rat right away...but the poor little thing didn't go nearly as quickly or quietly as they usually do. I feel so terrible.

Thanks for letting me get this off my chest....