Fascinating development in the artificial den yesterday! Three of the adults had been removed from the den for a couple of days to be fed. Yesterday they were returned to the group. Two of them slipped back into the den happily, but Fitzpatrick objected to the handling. When she was returned to the den, she rattled continuously and wouldn’t settle down. Tickler lowered himself down from the shelf above her twice to stare at her, putting his nose near her rattle, but he had to lift himself back up twice to make room for incoming snakes. Finally, when everyone was in and the door was shut, Tickler came down from his ledge and approached his still rattling friend, nuzzling her, and tongue flicking on her, nudging her rattle with his nose and finally winding himself around her in a way that gently restrained her tail. To the two of us watching the interaction play out, it seemed clear that he was trying to calm her, or at the very least, trying to make her stop rattling. We can never know what he was thinking, but if Tickler were a mammal, most people would have no problem with the idea that he simply wanted to comfort his companion.
Here’s a video clip of part of the interaction, so you can form your own opinion: