I wouldn't know from experience or anything... but from the looks of it, that rat had to be either VERY big i would think, or the rat had to have been placed in the tank and left there for days!!! Like i said i have never just dropped a live mouse/rat that there eyes were opened and just walked away, i have done it with pinkies, when there eyes are still shut. BUT NEVER have i placed anything with the eyes open in there cages. I feed my snakes out of there cages though, except when there de-stressing after being moved in.