Madeleine Reports On Snakes

Madeleine has snakes on her mind.
Me: "Did you write your snake report?"
Madeleine: "It's five pages long! Want to see it Dad? Can I read it to you?"
Me: "Of course, honey - what did you write about?"
Madeleine: "Poisonous snakes, wild snakes, venomous snakes, constrictor snakes. I also wrote about shedding and a snake catching its prey."
Me: "How do they do that?"
Madeleine: "They wait in one place for a long time. About two or three days. And when their prey comes, for instance a humming bird, the snake lunges out and catches it. But, faster snakes, chase their prey. They have two long fangs for poison and holding the prey in place."
Me: "Wow. Will the cage have a lock?"
Madeleine: "Hopefully."
Me: "And how often do you feed a snake?"
Madeleine: "Well, because we're getting a smaller snake, one pinkie-mouse, which is a mouse with no fur, once a week."
Me:
Madeleine:  "You can get the frozen mice from the pet store."
Me: "Good to know."
Madeleine: "They are much cheaper than maggots."
Sonnet:
Me: "Well, at least we won't have maggots in the house."
Sonnet: "I should hope not."


"Some snakes also eat prey that is already dead. For example, animals that have been run over on roads."
--Madeleine, "Snakes"

Dad's note: the snake around Madeleine's neck a gift from Auntie Katie and comes from Nairobi, Africa, where Katie was in December.  It is made of bottle caps.