help what happened

[twloha96]

My hermit crabs were doing fine on Wednesday... I took them out we played they all popped out to see me before I put them back. Tonight (Friday) I checked on them because I was going to feed them (I forgot yesterday night but they had plenty there and normally do fine if I forget) and give them more water because I saw one of them was crawling in the water dish because it was empty... I checked to see if everyone was there and to get them back into the main area if they crawled behind for the heater (I have a climby wall at the back and there is a heater behind it so I guess they go towards the heat even though their tank is warm enough. Sometimes I think they crawl back there and get stuck because if I don't relocate them they sit back there for days) and looked and saw an arm... I thought maybe someone is molting and didn't get fully buried or someone unburied him so I moved the others away from the and saw just the arm then looked to another spot and found a big claw... all together I found all the legs in some form they were strewn about the tank... I got very mad at my crabbies thinking one of them must have killed him so I pulled them out so I could find the legless crabs shell... I couldn't find it, I'm not sure where the others hid it, I had removed all the extra shells last night to wash them and rearrange the tank, any other time I have done that they were fine... why did they kill my crab, I assume they were either hungry or really wanted his shell but I can't imagine that someone smaller than him (who could have used his shell) could have ripped him limb from limb... did the others gang up on him? Help someone must know what has happened or had a similar experience

[KellyCrabbieLove]

It sounds like a surface molt if you haven't found him.

[Tarn]

I am so sorry to hear this. I had one of mine kill his friend over a shell last week. It doesn't make any sense.