I also tend to let the scent linger before I place the rat in, by sitting the box on top of the screen for a few minutes. Before I get near the cage with the rat, however, I go in and remove the water dish, the hide Osiris is not using, the 1/2 log, and the acurite. I've had too many feeds where the rat decides to make himself at home in the other hide or behind the water bowl, leaving Osiris to look at me like "Well, fine, but I'm charging him rent."

Removing the extra pieces may disturb Osiris for a minute, but leaving him the hide he's currently in also gives him a chance to wake up and pop his head out on his own. When he looks interested, I drop the rat on the other side of the cage, giving him plenty of readying distance/time.

More likely than not, Osiris strikes before the rat gets a real sense of his surroundings. Once Osiris has swallowed and starts moving towards his hide, I replace the water dish and the other hide. Later, once he's settled back down I'll slip the wood piece and thermometer back in.

I've seen him strike 'wrong' before, but by leaving him alone for a few seconds, I saw he quickly doubled his constricting efforts, completely cutting off the airflow of the rat so he didn't have the energy to fight back. If I'd interrupted, it would have taken Osiris that much longer to get back with the program. (Please note, of course, I would interfere if I saw the rat was actually getting a tooth in, but the little struggling scratches and attempts to bite are usually quickly handled by Osiris' strength.)