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Hi,
I noticed today the all of a sudden my female bolivian ram was a very dark brown colour. When i fed them she seemed normal, then ten minutes later she was very noticeably different. She is still active but isn't defending her territory against the other male ram. Normally they have well defined and guarded territories. Now she just seems shy and is hiding in a cave at the back of the tank while the male wanders around her territory. The male hasn't been aggressive towards her. Is she sick? Is this a warm up to breeding? Any help with this would be great, as i am going away for two weeks on the 27th - so if she is sick, i need to work out how to treat her before my mum starts looking after the tank. Thanks

It could well be this is pre-breeding activity. Do you have a flat rock or log for her to lay eggs on somewhere? They're not normally cave brooders.

When my female wants to spawn, she starts picking on her mate - little nips, a wiggle dance here or there, and definitely much more colorful.

Eric

Thanks for the reply eric. She is now back to normal - more colourful and defending her territory. I put two pieces of slate in just in case and i'll keep a close eye on the two of them. Hopefully it is just breeding behaviour. Thanks