Yeah... the only snake I have that I put the mouse in first is my LTR... She gets so ANGRY when I remove her from her enclosure, but doesn't really get hyped up until I put her down. So, with the mouse in there first, I just set her down, put the cover on and she's set. If I try to put the mouse in after she's down, she'll spend the next hour all "coiled up and hissing". LOL!