Question: Bump and weird behavior?

My Rosa has been acting sort of weird lately. I have another post on here because she scared me by swimming around a lot more than usual. She's not showing any signs of stress, and she's not thrashing around, she's just a lot more active than usual. Her water conditions and temperature are fine. She's also pushing around her sand into piles, and she barely goes into her hidey hole anymore, which is odd because that's her favorite spot to sleep during the day.

On top of all of this, today I came back to my room after being gone in classes all day, and she has a big bump on her cloaca (butt). The tips of her toes have been a greyish black color for at least two to three months, so I just assumed she was a girl since she was sexually mature and did not have a bump.

I guess my question is, what the heck is going on? Is she a boy? Is she just being a weirdo? Or is she trying to lay eggs? I have no idea.

Update::

I just checked her this morning and the bump is completely gone. She's back to looking like normal. There is no sign that she pooped or anything..? Has this ever happened to anyone else?

Hi Laulen,

I noticed my lotl recently has been moving his sand into piles. He sort of makes himself a little fort out of the stuff with a bare bit for him to lie in and the sides all piled up around him. He almost completely ignores his log now which was his favourite hide as a baby. His toe tips are also darker but he's almost 2 years old. His level of activity depends really. Sometimes he will swim about when he catches sight of us in the room (this morning he was scampering around the tank until I fed him) but for the past few months he's been content to hide in his sand hole or float in the plants and ignore us apart from getting fed. He goes through phases of floating. It worried me initially but not anymore as he's eating fine and is showing no signs of stress.

As for the sex of your lotl, I'm not sure. I refer to my axie as male but as yet I haven't seen anything that I consider eggs lying around the tank, but he could be a she. Sometimes his cloaca is extended and sometimes not so I really can't tell, but I don't intend on breeding him so it doesn't worry me. It's hard to tell on here without a photo though.

Also, I rarely manage to see any poo in my lotl's tank. I think what he's been doing is stamping on it and breaking it up. The filter is grubby when I do the water change so I'm sure going to the toilet ok, but I rarely see anything that I'm able to scoop out from the water.

It sounds like your lotl is acting quite similar to mine but if she is eating fine, not stressed and the parameters are in line then she's maybe just varying her day up a little bit :happy:

My male Axxie digs in his sand and then lays on the pile. I think that's typically "normal" behavior. Not sure about the "bump" or what it was or why it's gone now.

That's actually really cute that they do that too. Rosa mainly pushes the sand into piles around her hidey hole, so the edges are clear of sand. It's weird.

I dont think i want to breed her, i was just curious. I was going to rename her Brosa if she turned out to be a he, lol.

Thank you for your replys, though!