OK, my knee is so goddamn swollen I can hardly walk, I'm absolutely exhausted, Slay is sulking because I don't want to cook him dinner (WTF?!) and I'm grinning like a fucking idiot.

Why?

Zico has his appetite back.

:D

He ate a sparrow yesterday (cat kill, lovingly abandoned under my computer chair, waste not want not), and as I was defrosting some mice for some of the others tonight I thought I'd give him a go...

Barely had I the viv door open and held the mouse toward him (using tongs, thank fuck!) and WALLOP, he snatches it from the tongs and retreats, hissing at me through a mouthful of mouse to warn me against the idea of trying to steal his dinner back.

:D

The very first time I met Zico - before I was even sure what species he was, before I handled him, before I met the band whose name he was to bear! - I'd been told to feed the snakes in the tubs at the shop, and knew only that he needed a large mouse. Tossed one in and promptly jumped almost out of my skin when he hit it like a freight train and growled and hissed at me the whole time he was eating it.

He ended up getting three that day, just for the absolute delight I took in watching this snake eat so ferociously.

And there's more than a glimmer of that tonight.

:D

Zico's getting better.

( And in other, related news... )

And now I'm going to give in to exhaustion, and maybe go and find some food. Catch y'all later.