I'd agree that it could be trying to split, but I would definitely keep an eye on it. The BTA's that I had split generally completed the act in 24-48 hours. However, if it doesn't split and the mouth closes up some, I would try to feed it. I highly doubt it will feed at the state it looks in the pics. Any time I've had a BTA go behind the rocks, I've tried to keep their health up until they figure out they need to relocate.