Near death experience

[shayfish]

I just turned around from my desk to see my 2 cats almost nose to nose looking at something.

It was a shrimp. An amano shrimp. I just bought 3 amano shrimp this afternoon....

I have no idea how it happened! So obviously... I panicked. I jumped up and tried to pick it up to rush it to the tank, which is completely sealed by the way. About 15 minutes ago, I lifted up the lid to have a look at something on the filter. But that was it.

The shrimpey wriggled out of my grip twice, so I rushed for a net and tried to get him in there without crushing him. It was looking bad... he barely even wriggled when I pushed him in. I dunked the net into the tank and my heart sank at the sight of a completely motionless shrimpey. I sighed... and began to ponder how that could have happened. And why the cats didn't eat him...

But then... movement... and more movement, and all of a sudden, it's like nothing ever happened. Life is back to normal for the shrimp and he's safely back in his new home.

And I am totally confused!

 

[tropicfishman]

WOW you got LUCKY!!!!! my cats would have ate it on site! lol thank goodness he survived!!! just outta curiosity, what did you give for the amano shrimp..a peice?

 

[plecoperson]

Ha! Our cats would have done the same. "Let's stare at it!." Only one of the 12 shoves the rest of the losers out of the way and kills a victim (bug, mouse, bat).

How DID he get out of there? Maybe took a ride out on your arm?

 

[hsherman1986]

I was moving all of my amano shrimp from one tank to another, and had to remove a piece of driftwood to do so. We put the wood in the sink, and began to hunt down all the shrimp to move them. Hubby gets all of them rounded up, so I go to sit at the computer. A few seconds later, I hear a noise coming from the sink. Thinking it was the faucet, I turn around to turn it off, and see an amano shrimp flopping around in the sink!! I grabbed a net, picked up the shrimp, and immediately dipped the net into the tank. He twitched, then nothing. Then the same thing happened. He twitched a little more, then began to act like nothing happened. We let him out into the tank, and he kinda sunk to the bottom like he was dead, then a few minutes later, twitched once last time, and started swimming about the tank with everyone else. Still alive to this day.

We have also had a cherry shrimp stay out of the tank for 24 hours, and is still alive to tell the tale. We had to take all of the shrimp out of the tank, and somehow, one of them missed the 2.5 that they were getting moved into, and ended up wrapped in the towel we were using to catch the drips. We were cleaning up the next day, and hubby found this shrimp curled up in the towel. He was about to throw it away, hen it twitched, so he put it back in the tank. Good as new, just a little freaked out. She is still alive, and currently holding eggs.

 

[shayfish]

Unfortunately this is not the first time I've had shrimp on my floor I had a similar experience with moving driftwood but that one got lucky too since I saw it mid-move!
I can't even imagine how this little guy got out. I didn't even have my hand in the tank! It seems basically impossible, but obviously it wasn't!

I think I was extremely lucky with the cats too. I know their next move after a long stare is to start stomping/batting at the victim.

tropicfishman, these amanos ran me 2.99 each.

 

[plecoperson]

Speak of the dry shrimp....

I did a big clean and found a baby cherry shrimp lyin' on the newspaper where I had the driftwood out as I cleaned. For like 2 hours.

Completely dry, looked like a cat treat. I remembered this thread, and instead of tossing him in the ashtray, I tossed him into the tank. Zip-perfectly fine. I wish I hadn't chucked the other two that were crispy in the last month.

hsherman1986, you're a lifesaver!

 

[hsherman1986]

YAY I have saved a life!!

 

[shayfish]

Well, last night I found 2 completely dry and totally dead shrimp under the tank. Apparently there is a secret shrimp-only exit that no one told me about.

 

[hsherman1986]

sorry for your losses

 

[shayfish]

I am a little choked about it since I had just breathed such a big sigh of relief over the first experience. I am also a little afraid to put more shrimp in this tank since it seems to be spitting them out...