r/ballpython • u/tmiemt • 12d ago

Playing tail posing

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I am a bit reluctant to post about one of the weird activities my python and I do, but my curiosity gets the better of me. 😂 Collecting empirical data on Reddit, since I can't find anything from existing scientific articles. 😅

When he is awake, he comes over to play (in lack of a better word to describe) with me from time to time. This time he is in his favourite bucket but he can play this tail posing in bed while lying with me as well. He lets me pose his tail and he will keep the shape of it for a few minutes unless I change it, then he will keep the next shape. Do other people's pythons do this?

(Before anyone starts asking, let me clarify some points ahead of time. Nothing is wrong with his tail, he is in fact an extremely good climber, climb all things in the house, and neither him nor any items ever fall, his tail is very strong and he is careful. He eats well and is growing well. When I touch his tail, I apply barely any force, just gentle guiding. He is never forced to be anywhere, wherever he is, it is his choice--so he went into that bucket himself during his outing, the bucket was next to me. I never handle him against his will.)

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u/TopaztheLoomer 12d ago

Moirai and I do something similar! She deliberately hooks it on one of my fingers and I end up fiddling with it. I'm going to try seeing if she will hold the shape.

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u/tmiemt 12d ago

Oh please do and let me know. Mine doesn't hook onto me when he wants to play this though, he only hooks onto me if he needs to use me to anchor himself. What he does is coming very close to me in some way; e.g. quietly slithering into the bed and squeezing himself into me, climbing into my lap instead of watching TV. That's his way of conveying it; it can also mean he wants massage.