Hey Alan,
So you have a birdcage now, that's great!
Congrats Al, this usually is a great sign that your fish have either made a serious bond, or they are performing prespawning rituals as you mentioned.
I contacted J. Wilkerson(the author of "Clownfishes") a few years back as I was getting the same response from my two skunks.
Joyce advised me that this action is brought on usually after the pair has finished dating, and are either bonding or it's a behavior brought on from prespawning.
My two skunks that I have had for the last year and a half have seemed to have gone through most stages of the spawning cycle. When I first introduced them, they were always bickering and the larger female was always chasing off the smaller male.
The next stage was that they stayed close together during the day, but then at night they chose two separate sleeping quarters. Chirping was present at this time, along with other actions like shaking or twitching.
A few months back the female started barking or chirping at the male again, and now the pair are inseperable as they will always follow each other everywhere without any bickering or territorial squables. They both now sleep together, the female in her feather duster and the male right below her.
Another stage that I have been noticing over the last few weeks is prespawing for sure. Both skunks have been tending to a nearby cave in the rockwork. The pair have been cleaning a small area of rock which I'm almost 100% is there chosen spot for there clutch of eggs. The funny thing is, I have noticed that the male is not always up to doing this chore. When he slacks off, and starts to venture away the female is quick to help guide him back to his duties
I had a previous pair of 4 year old skunks do all the the same, yet I never noticed any eggs or they were simply eaten by the time the lights came back on.
Alan,
The "clownfishes" book is a great read, a must have for anyone who plans on keeping clownfish IMO. Keep me updated!
