# Mouse tail-wags during play?



## rsmiley (12 mo ago)

I have a male mouse who seems to legitimately like to play with me - he does excited hops (not suspicious/aggressive lunges) when I approach, and he lets me pick him up. He also LOVES to play with me, or so it seems. I tap/pop him on the rear, he circles around n round to get popped again (will politely chase me to keep doing this over and over again) but in between "asking" to get popped he wags his tail while he's spinning around. The game started originally by him trying to play keep-away while trying to quick catch me, but it evolved into a thing where he CLEARLY turns around & halts because the fun part is getting booty-bonked. I figure he just likes the adrenaline rush of being a "prey" ? lol 😆 I should also emphasize that it doesn't hurt him, it's just a very light/quick BOOP. 

Everything I've read says they do this out of anger- (and his brother, who lives solo, is a good example of an angry tail wagger, he has a neurotic personality and hated me ever since I gave him a bath early on) but the playful tail wagger & his other 3 brothers are always super enthusiastic toward me. 

So what's this little dude's deal?


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## aorsak (Apr 29, 2017)

The rear end is a very vulnerable area for prey animals in general. When mice fight, they often chase each other and nip the rear end or tail. The reaction to this is either to run away and/or spin around to face the aggressor. The later can lead to a head on fight. Tail wagging is always a sign of stress. It means stop.

If you have multiple males, the scent of another on your hand can also be a problem. If you've been handling another male mouse, then go to "play" with this one, he very well might think he's getting pestered by another male who wants to fight.


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