Peppermint Shrimp

[quake120]

I got a peppermint shrimp about 2 weeks ago and he mainly was hiding behind a large rock. He has opened up and has started to swim around the tank and pick at the rock.
I have seen many videos of people putting their hands near cleaner shrimp and the shrimp latch on and eat the dead skin off their hands. I got brave and tried it and sure enough, he swam over and started picking at my hand! That is one of the coolest things I've seen thus far in my 1.5 month tenure doing SW aquarium stuff!
I'm a little worried about one of them really taking a chomp out of my hand, however...That happened to anybody?

 

[DLANDINO]

Naaa, they are harmless. Mine jumps on my hand all the time when I am doing my weekly water change and tank cleaning.

 

[T Smith]

A "chomp" for him is gonna be harmless to you....

 

[SushiGirl]

Peppermint shrimp aren't cleaners, however...

LOL. First time in 5 years of owning peps that I've ever had one do that.

 

[Sk8r]

Harmless at their most vicious.

 

[quake120]

I wasn't worried so much about danger to me, necessarily...Just pain. I wasn't sure if these guys could chomp hard enough to cause something similar to a mild sting, etc. Sounds like they are too little to do so.
It is so cool that they are not afraid and will do that!

 

[Ron Reefman]

Yeah, most shrimp, but not all, are pretty harmless. There are some that can hurt you and even draw blood. So don't take the above advise about your peppermint shrimp and apply it to other shrimp.

 

[snorvich]

Well, as a diver, I have let cleaner shrimp clean my teeth. Tickles a bit but no harm. They will clean your hands as well, again, no harm.

 

[quake120]

Yeah, most shrimp, but not all, are pretty harmless. There are some that can hurt you and even draw blood. So don't take the above advise about your peppermint shrimp and apply it to other shrimp.

I have a Fiddler Crab and yeah...I don't think I'd want him to try to clean me. That guy has pretty big claws.

I don't think I've ever seen a Peppermint Shrimp clean fish...Only rocks and the sand. Is that just a peppermint shrimp thing?

 

[pufferdude]

My old skunk used to clean my hand everytime I stuck it in the tank.

 

[quake120]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1O_CF71YeE

I decided I'd take a video of one with my waterproof camera!

 

[lordofthereef]

Nit that you should be putting bare hands in your tank if you have a cut but someone *cough* did it once and the pep found the cut pretty quick. Wasn't the most pleasant of feelings.

 

[quake120]

Yeah, having a cut on your hands and letting one of those guys go at it is probably not the best idea ever I imagine the salt water hurts when it hits the cut, and then you have a shrimp tugging on it!

 

[SushiGirl]

It doesn't feel that great when they pick your cuticles or the tiny hairs on your fingers either LOL.