On February 13, D went to the pet store to buy Dennis a rat. D came home, placed the rat in the snake condo and the next day, D left for a week long business trip. That same day I went into the guest room to discover that the rat was still alive. This wasn't natural. Dennis always eats his food shortly after its delivery. I called D in a panic and he told me to keep an eye on Dennis, which I did. Four more days passed as Dennis and the rat continued to live in harmony... I'd started to wonder if the rat had convinced Dennis to become vegan.
St. Frances sleeping.
That weekend, D was home and decided that maybe Dennis wasn't comfortable. How in the world a snake can experience discomfort I will never know, but that day we bought a large and swanky new condo for Dennis... and more food for the rat. The next day, Sunday, D put the rat (dubbed St. Frances) in Dennis' new home and on Monday, I said goodbye to D for two weeks. What happens next was a bit unexpected...
By February 28, two weeks had passed since we brought St. Frances home. Friday afternoon, I left Dennis and St. Frances (both alive) to visit Virginia Beach for the weekend. I returned a two days later and upon opening the door of my apartment, I was greeted by a horrible stench.
At first, I thought it was the garbage. I had steamed broccoli and threw most of it out and assumed that I'd forgot to empty the trash before leaving for the weekend. I emptied it and returned to check on the animals. I walked into the room, saw the rat and knocked on the tank. No movement. I knocked again. He was dead. For how long? I'm not sure, but I can tell you with confidence that the decomposition process was in full swing, given that there are multiple heating elements for the tank.
I had no choice but to go in and remove the rat's corpse from the tank. Armed with rubber gloves, a red Solo cup, a box and a trash bag, I scooped up the rats body, dropped it in the box, threw it in the trash bag and shoved it down the trash chute. When I returned, the smell was just as bad as before, which left me with the task of having to physically removed Dennis from his tank, place him in a secure, temporary home, while I removed and replaced the bedding and returned Dennis to his home.
In short, if I ever have to dispose of a dead rat, touch Dennis and clean out the contents of his home again, Dennis and his tank are going to be thrown off the balcony so it's someone else's problem. And fortunately, the smell has since disappeared.
*The views expressed above do not necessarily reflect that of Dennis' owner.
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