I watched him while the rat was still alive then left him alone to swallow in peace once I was sure it was dead. I checked in briefly maybe half an hour later to confirm that he'd finished and he seemed fine. It's the first time I've fed him live but I know that's what he was given before I got him.

I've had Simon for 4 years and two other ball pythons for 3 years. Their thermostats are set to turn off at 98F and as far as I know there haven't been any power outages. I didn't notice a smell from the dead rat but I don't have a great sense of smell to begin with.