MLAARE -When to Feed

So within our department we have a coworker, who is rather obsessed with the reptiles.
Especially the snakes.
They love to feed them, love to spend quality time holding them.
And can basically tune out everything else, or neglect other tasks in favor of caring for them.

Only....the care, it was felt, was a bit....stressful for the snakes.
Others had noticed that the snakes weren't eating as well, when this coworker was in charge of feeding them.

So we decided to switch things up a bit.
Change the snakes from being fed in the mornings, or on only one day, to throughout the week, in the evenings. So that they could have the whole night to digest their food without being stressed out by customers wanting to hold them.
And so that involved a different coworker being put in charge of the snakes.

Which, our first coworker did not like. And they tried to take every opportunity to feed the snakes when there was time. Even if they weren't scheduled to work a closing shift.
This coworker had even been told by the manager, to not feed the snakes unless they were put on a closing shift.

But....this coworker doesn't trust the actual coworker in charge of feeding the snakes.
Why?
Due to the isolated incident of feeding two snakes in the same cage.
Remember that? It had happened months ago. Hadn't happened again that I'm aware of.
And so wasn't a concern.

But for some reason, it was still a concern for this particular reptile obsessed coworker.
Which is odd, as I hadn't really heard it being a concern before a day or so ago.
Why hark back onto what was already discussed and fixed?

Obvious.
Obsessed coworker wanted to feed the snakes.

And I caught them this morning.
With a snake in the back, prepared to feed it.

So I asked them bluntly.
"What are you doing?"
"Feeding the snake."
"You're not supposed to be feeding the snakes now. The snakes are fed on the evening shifts.: (It was like 10am!! and guess what...other tasks hadn't been finished yet.)
"I know, but I don't trust that Coworker to do the job."
"Why not?"
"Because of when they put the two snakes in the cage, they're not supposed to do that."
"That was 6 months ago! And they haven't done it since!"
"I know but"
"But, the snake feedings are for Evening shifts only. Unless you are working a shift that starts after 3pm, you do not feed the snakes. And since it is still morning, you are not supposed to be doing this. It could mess up the snake's feeding schedule to feed them at the wrong time, it could stress them out. Besides. We feed them at night so they can relax without customers bothering them and digest their food."
"I hear you, I understand...but I already defrosted this mouse."
Silent exhale. We didn't want to waste mice after all... "Fine, feed the snake, but after this, no more. It's an evening shift thing only."
"I hear you."
And it seems like the coworker did. Because they opted out of feeding the snake. (I have no idea what happened to the thawed mouse they were going to feed the snake though...) And had like a minute later put the snake back into its cage to await the proper time for feeding.
When I asked them if they'd already fed the snake, they said they had not.
That they remembered that they also fed their own snakes when the coworker had them, at night, and that we really shouldn't throw off the schedule.

Ah. ^^
It's a good feeling to actually be able to get through to this coworker for once.
Often I feel like when I tell them things they go in one ear and out the other.

Hopefully our little talk will keep them from attempting to feed the snakes at other times in the future. :)

-Sarnic Dirchi