Ghost shrimp craziness... (And a couple questions)

I'm sure it's happened to others before, but this seriously shocked me!
Weeks ago, I noticed that I hadn't seen my shrimp in a good while. I scoured the tank and eventually gave up, assuming the worst. I did a thorough gravel-vac just in case. But today, I took out my filter cartridge so I could add in some Melafix (been fighting camallanus for a while- Antibiotics couldn't hurt after dosing fenbendazole and later levamisole)... And there he was! Just... Chillin there, caught between the cartridge and the plastic grating around it! I panicked a bit at first, trying to gently grab him, and he JUMPED right back into the tank! I found him again on a leaf, tried to grab him again because it looked like he wasn't moving. He sat on my finger and would NOT let go even when I tried to take my hand out of the water! So I put him in a cup of tank water for close observation, and gave him a piece of algae wafer.


I noticed that the exoskeleton looks a bit bluish now, different from the usual clear gray-ish color. He also has a short blue line in the center of his tail, right near the fin-thing. Is this normal?






Also, he's still not moving much- At least not nearly as much as he used to before when I'd watch him eating algae off leaves in the tank. Could he be injured?


He looks different to me just in general too. Like, a lot different. He appears smaller (shorter, even), the antennae are shorter, eyes are somehow even more beady than before. Could I just be remembering him wrong? It has been a while... His face seems to be a different shape too, though I couldn't exactly tell you how it looked before. I just can't remember. It just seems different.


He (I assume "he") is the only shrimp that's ever been in this tank- I don't think this could possibly be a different shrimp.

I'm glad he's alive at least...! I was getting kinda sad. I missed my little buddy.

 

To me, it looks like your shrimp has been eating something blue. That is blue poop. Is the filter frame blue?
You should definitely stick it back in the tank and leave it alone. Let it hide.
That might be an amano .

 

The filter frame is blue! If that's a bit of plastic he ate, I sure hope he'll be able to pass it okay...
I did put him back in the tank right after taking the pictures ^^ I wouldn't enjoy being cooped up like that either. I haven't bothered my critters at all since, except to do a water change.

Thank you for your input! It is very much appreciated!

 

That, my friend, is not a ghost shrimp! That is an amano!

 

Yeah I agree it's a cute little Amano that ate a blue snack!