Siam's bubble nest.. *pics*

[K9soul]

Not necessarily Gina, not all male bettas make bubblenests , and it doesn't necessarily mean they are unhappy if they don't. Does Drapples have long flowing fins? If so he's probably a boy .

I'd judge happiness more on how active they are, how enthusiastic they are about eating and exploring and so on . I don't know how much I'd purely associate the human emotion of happiness on a breeding behavior done as a result of instincts. I wouldn't judge Tommy's (my dog) happiness purely on if he marks bushes on walks (instinctual territoriality), but more on his overall behavior. I think the same is true of all animals really. If Tommy is marking territory, he's probably feeling fairly comfortable, not sick or terrified. Of course, some male dogs just don't mark at all, Tommy really marks pretty seldom compared to some males. This is just an analogy of two instinctual behaviors (territorial marking, and territorial bubblenesting).

The behavior will vary from individual to individual, and you can't use the same gauge for one individual as you do for another. You have to take their overall behavior and what is normal for them as a gauge to how well they are doing.

Orion is always bubblenesting, daily, but he's also super territorial and aggressive, he even flares his food when I feed him . If he suddenly stopped nesting after he's been doing it continuously week after week, I'd worry about him. Draco is less territorial and generally only bubblenests when there has been some change to his territory. So if he didn't nest for a week or two, I wouldn't worry about it as it's normal for him. They are both active, curious, have good appetites, good color, and seem quite content and I do not think one is happier than the other. I just think they are two different fishies with different personalities and different behaviors. Some people's betta boys never bubblenest but are quite healthy and happy. I do enjoy seeing my guys work on their nests though, they are very cute!