Interesting...They do not burrow. I have shrimp in my 10g betta tank, and I have never seen them burrow. They are surprisingly strong swimmers, so the chances of one getting sucked up are little to none if you be carful. Do you use the hole syphon? Or just the small tube? If you use just the small tube, good. If not, then I suggest to start using just the small part. It is a lot easier, trust me.