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hi! im very new to preserving animals and was looking for some advice. my family supports me preserving animals but has a problem with the smell. when you’re macerating bones, how do you keep the smell under control when you open the bucket? how do you usually get rid of contaminated water and body liquids? like when getting rid of a brain, how do you throw it away? do you rinse it down a sink?

Hi there! Maceration water makes for an incredible fertilizer, lol. But since your main concern is with the smell, I'd recommend digging a somewhat deep hole and pouring the water in there. As far as opening buckets, I'd say that the smell is almost unavoidable. I just do things as efficiently as possible when the buckets are open to minimize exposure.

If anyone would like to add anything to help, feel free :)

#vulture culture #bone cleaning #animal bones #dead animal #ask

Hi! I am interested in preserving the bones of a road kill rabbit I found in my street. Do you have any advice on how to clean it up the best way possible? Its fresh and its relatively warm here (15-20°C) I have it outside open right now so the crows and ravens can pick away at it. If you could help that would be awesome!

Hey there! I'd say that the most effective and gentle method is the one I use most often-- a 5 gallon (20 litres) bucket, water, and some time. In reasonably warm temperatures, bacteria will begin to grow and macerate the specimen. The ideal temperature for this water is around 38°C but bacteria should still propagate in your temperatures, especially if in a humid area.

If this method interests you, you can find more about it on my blog here

If there is another way that works best for anyone following, feel free to help!

#vulture culture #bone cleaning #ask

Two for assembly and one to whitening

#vulture culture #bone cleaning #animal bones #dead animal #oddities #taxidermy #skull cleaning #skull #bones #maceration

thank you for answering my question about skull cleaning i'll give it a try, but i just wanted to ask about another method to decide what is best for my case.

some people crack the skull open clean it and then glue it back.

if you're familiar with this method please give me your feedback

Hi again! I personally have not used this method, as I find the one I previously mentioned to be gentler on the skull as a whole. There are a few instances where I'll glue skulls back together but it's only when the separate pieces have naturally detached during maceration/degreasing. I try my best to not use any type of unnecessary force on my projects, this usually guarantees the best result. Thanks for asking! :)

#vulture culture #taxidermy #bone cleaning

Hey there, quick question In the cleaning process how do you deal with the brain usually? (ram skull for instance)

Hey, great question! The brain contains a large amount of grease, and has a chance to cause grease stains if left intact when macerating, burying, etc. I tend to remove the brain by finding a long stick or something similar, feeding it up to the brain cavity through the bottom hole of the skull (where the spinal cord runs through), and "scrambling" the brain into a liquid, which will then be able to be poured out. I'll then clean the rest of the cranium inside with slightly pressurized water to remove any remaining brain matter and/or insects.

#vulture culture #bone cleaning #ask

Lizard preserved with borax + salt

#animal bones #vulture culture #dead animal #oddities #taxidermy

Hello!

Happy New Year! I'm making this post to say that this blog is not on hiatus or abandoned! I am very much still active but am experiencing a slow winter, so there's very little to post about. This blog by nature becomes more active in the warmer months due to the ease of finding projects at that time. I am still answering asks and am trying to process new projects as we speak, just wanted to let all of you guys know that I'm still active here! Thanks :)

#bones #animal bones #chatter

Hey there, got a couple of bunny's chilling in a rot bucket due to sudden panic induced deaths during a recent storm but the weather is quickly shifting to winter and now that we're getting into the single digits I'm worried about freezing of the water in the bucket, should I worry about this or not. I have heard about aquarium heater things but will the meat on the bones damage it quickly?

Hey there! I use a bucket heater to warm my buckets during winter, but I've heard good things about aquarium heaters as well. I don't think the loose flesh should damage the heater, and if you don't mind getting your (gloved) hands dirty you could always periodically clean the aquarium heater to be sure. Also, for cold temperatures I'd recommend placing your buckets under a roofed shed or something similar to make freezing less likely. Thanks for your ask and I hope I helped!

Domestic Puppy Skull

Required a full reconstruction, appears to still have many baby teeth

#dog skull #animal bones #bone cleaning #vulture culture #skull cleaning #dead animal #oddities #bones #skull #maceration #taxidermy #i wish my camera didn't blur the background so much

Question: theres been a roadkill racoon on the side of the road near my house for atleast 4 months. I noticed it was still there, and wanting to collect the bones, took it home. However, it has a sweet/sour, rotting smell. I really dont smell it too much unless I handle the body, but my mom keeps complaining about it. The skin on the head is mostly dryed like a tanned hid, and it has the fur still connected to it. I managed to get it off he skull in one piece, but I know my mom will not let me keep it unless I get the smell out. Any suggestion?

Hi there! Lucky you, a raccoon has been on my to-do list for ages!

Cleaning bones is a smelly process, no matter what you do. However I have found that you can disguise the smell if you have a way to completely enclose it while it decomposes. For example, if you put it inside a 5 gallon bucket and close it tight, or if you bury it considerably deep in the ground. Keep in mind that the smell will return when you uncover the body. But putting it back in the closed bucket or in the hole will stop the smell. I'm not particularly knowledgable about the burial method, I am more experienced with maceration, but if you're looking to decompose without a constant odor, these two are my best bet. If any followers know of anything else to help, feel free to add on!