Today was the second time I've fed Monty a live rat (boy he was fiesty) and Monty's true primordial instincts revealed themselves and he killed the rat. What I saw next was as beautiful as it was puzzling:

I noticed that once he released the rat he didn't proceed to eat it right away, in fact it was about 15 minutes before he started consumption. During this 15 minute period he would smell and crawl around and on the prey almost as if he were basking in the glory of his battle. At times it looked as if her were going to try to devour the rat but he wasn't starting at the head, he seemed a little confused. At other times it seemed as if he were sniffing himself or checking himself out to make sure he hadn't sustained any injuried during the apprehension of his victual. At times he moved with a sort of grace. I'm new to the live feeding side of things so I don't know if this is normal behaviour or not. Please tell me.


Chris