Tooth Is a Pig, not a Snake; too bad he is not a Deer in my Freezer

okay, so someone decided the snake looked hungry or something, and tossed two hoppers in his cage, and apparently they were the gourmet size, because he ate them both in less than ten minutes.  S'up with that?  He lets one live in his cage for a week, then snarfs two in just minutes? 

And speaking of food, I still haven't gotten a deer this season.  I had to watch a big ten-point trot away from me yesterday at 8AM, and didn't see anything else that day, then this morning I had to watch one tear through through the field going west, then five minutes later watch six does come tearing back the same way going east, while I sat unmoving (except for shivering) in my tree.

I'm not going out at all tomorrow, but will cut kickboxing class on Tuesday morning in one last ditch effort to get some meat in the freezer.  I hope it works.  I wonder how mad the family would be if I skipped Thanksgiving Day in favor of hanging out in my tree...

Tooth is spoiled by the Pirate

Okay, so I get back from my massage (yea!) and then the kids get back from the movie and ice cream and the pet store.  Yes, they stopped at the pet store and the Pirate bought a mouse less than half the size of the behemoth living in Tooth's cage.  She puts him in with Tooth, and five minutes and a short chase around the cage later and the mini-mouse is gone.  The Pirate was none too happy about this, because mini-mouse was "so cute."  The very fact that the snake found and snarfed mini-mouse so quickly is evidence of his hunger.  It also explains why he was so cranky.  I get like that when my blood sugar drops, too.  El Jefe will be dealing with the behemoth tonight.  Yuck.   I'm not hungry now.

Picky Snake Will Not Get Dessert

Tooth, like the Pirate Princess, is apparently a picky eater.  He has let the latest mouse live in his cage unmolested since Monday.  I do not like this, Sam-I-Am.  I cannot rescue this mouse, because Despereaux is a boy mouse, and will fight with any other boy mouse I put in his cage.  Also, rescuing any more mice sets a bad precedent;  I didn't want the pets we have, and don't want any more.  So nameless boy mouse #2 must be dinner for Tooth no matter how long it takes.  The problem is nameless boy mouse #2 is growing (I did have to feed him, lest he die of starvation) faster than Tooth, and I am wondering just how wide Tooth can unhinge his jaws to snarf up a mouse now rather larger than any hopper has a right to be.  I wish Tooth would stop chasing his food and just eat it, because it is making his cage smell of mouse, and honestly, eau de serpent is better.  I think I will go eat another gluten free pumpkin chocolate chip cookie, because I am not so picky.

Princess' Reaction to the Sight of Snake

"Maybe having a snake isn't so bad after all."

She thinks Tooth is kind of pretty.  He is a 3 foot long, 14 month old, captive bred Nelson Pueblo Milk Snake, which means he is striped red, black, white, black, repeat.  He likes to hang out in his water dish, which seems weird to me.  He is living on the counter between the dining room and the kitchen, which is NOT where I wanted him, but it will do until I can find a table long enough to support the larger aquarium he will need next year.  The Pirate is enchanted, having already drawn Tooth's picture and written a label she put on his cage that includes everything she knows about him - this from a child that generally hates to write, so I'm happy about that if nothing else.  So... this blog is now the Adventures of el Jefe, the Princess, the Pirate, the Samurai-who-smells-of-Sunflowers, Tooth the Snake, and... me, Xa Lynn. 

The Princess' Reaction to the Concept of Snake

The Princess, in discussion with the receptionist at the dentist's office..

"If she (the Pirate) gets a snake, I will NEVER SLEEP AGAIN."

The receptionist, ever helpful, says, "Neither would I."

Laugh or cry, that IS the question for the day...

Bribe vs. Reward

Something is a bribe if it is given PRIOR to the desired action... basically, if I gave the Princess a piece of candy to get her to be quiet, that would be a bribe.  Something is a reward if it is given AFTER the desired behavior.  Therefore, telling the Pirate that she could have a snake for a pet if she would let the nice dentist give her two MORE novocaine  shots without kicking him and then let him extract two of her remaining baby teeth, that is a REWARD.  Somehow I don't think I am going to get the Mommy of the Year Award for this...  I think I am going to call the snake "Toothless," no matter what she names it.

On the other hand, she will now have to do her chores, in order to earn the money to buy the crickets and pinks for the snake to eat.  There is a cool economics lesson in there... somewhere.   I'm going to go beat my head against a wall now.