Taxidermy Skull Preparation

Learn how to clean and prepare animal skulls for display or study. WARNING: Veiwer disgreshion advised. Includes photos of raw skulls. Not for those with a weak stomache. Please do not leave comments about how "gross" this is. If you think it's gross, don't read it.

Step 1: Aquire your skull

Of course you will first need to find a nice skull for this project. I highly recommend finding a predator skull; I find they are more interesting because of the sharp teeth. There are several places where you can find skulls.

1. Check your local taxidermist. Many times they will have small animal skulls in the freezer, such as coyote, beaver, fox, raccoon, bobcat ect. depending on where you live. They may charge you a few bucks for one, or they may even just give you a skull or two at no charge.

2. You can occasionally find raw skulls on eBay. This has the potential to get a little pricey and possibly a bit smelly, because the skull will have to be shipped to you. When searching for a specimen on eBay, type in "taxidermy skull" and search in "all categories".

3. Road kill. Use this as a last resort, as the skull will most likely be rotten and very possibly damaged.

Comments

[hherzog]

Dawn dish detergent works well for de-greasing bone, but don't even try it on any skins you are tanning: you just wind up with a greasy mess.

[hherzog]

The soaking method can be sped up a bit by adding an aquarium heater. Just makes the bacteria a little happier.

[paqrat]

I have been wanting to gold leaf a skull ( not real gold leaf, too expensive) but have had problems getting and keeping a skull. A large possum was obliging enough to get run over by a car on the road beside the house. I got the carcass and placed it in the yard under a tree to let nature takes its course. I kept watch on it from time to time and all was going well until I went out one day and found my possum skull AWOL. The rest of the carcass was still there but something had liberated my skull. I also had two raccoon skulls vanish from the fenced in back yard in similar fashion. Only thing I can figure got the skulls in the backyard would be either possums or raccoons. No dogs in the neighborhood could get in and out of the yard. Your instructable will be most helpful if I can manage to hold onto a skull long enough to use it. I am somewhat anxious about either boiling or water method as my house is pretty close to others next door and I don't want to be a bad neighbor.

[rouge.renard]

I did this with a woodpecker a little while ago. I made a dome out of 1/4" wire mesh and staked it down with a couple of 6 inch nails that I had stashed away and it work like a perfectly.

[pyromanic]

Cool nice job

[Kiteman]

Can the squeamish amongst us de-flesh by burial?

I was given some whale vertebrae, and (after I'd laboriously scrubbed them clean) I was told I should have just left them buried in the garden (for a couple of months?) to let the ants clean them.

I imagine that you could bury the skull in a pot of sand (so soil didn't stain the bones) next to an ant nest and let them discover several thousand free lunches.

[TheMadScientist]

yeah, worms, rodents, and all manner of small beasts will ceaselessly clean any trace of meat from any type of bone, just make sure its buried, because if it can move, some larger animal will move it. so is the way of the world.

[albetcha]

I read that mice and squirrels enjoy eating the antlers because of the calcium. So leaving them outside for the ants to eat the meat may not be a great idea unless you can protect everything, (ie. large bucket). But then, do you really want a huge massive ant colony in your backyard?

[paintedskull.com]

A bucket may work, perhaps cover it with a fine mesh screen. Even still you will probably get more than just ants. Parasites such as round worms will probably get into the carcas, especially if it takes a while for all of the meat to be removed by the ants. Make certain that if you do this you keep your pets and children away from the area where the bones are set up. Several months before our family adopted a puppy, I had burried some scraps (a few neck bones and a piece of hide from a deer) from one of my buckets in what was then a very un-used fenced garden. When we got out puppy I turrned the garden into a dog run, and she developed several very strong cases of round worm. My vet informed me that the culprit was probably and animal carcas, and that's when I remembered my burried scraps. Sure enough, the pup had dug them up. I asked my vet if there was any way to sanatize the area and kill the round worms so my dog would be safe, he said no, as long as there was still even a bit of hide or bone left the round worms wouls stay. Needless to say I had to spend several days completely strip-cleaning to dog run to remove any and all bits of bone and hide that were still burried. As long as you keep the bones very well contained in a bucket, this type of mass area and soil contamination shouldn't happen, just be sure to take every precaution of keeping children and pets away from the bucket (children can pick up the parasites through small cut & scrapes or (very young children) by eating dirt or putting their hands in their mouth after playing with dirt. Dogs and cats can pick up the parasites by eating or chewing on bits of carcas or bone). Round worms are much much more likely to infest dogs, but they are more dangerous in humans. Because they are primarily a dog parasite, they tend to "get lost" in the human body and often end up in the eye, causeing damage and even blindness. Here is one of the webpages I used for information when I found out my dog had gotton roundworms: http://www.marvistavet.com/html/roundworms_in_dogs___puppies.html

[Kiteman]

ou'd be surprised how many nests are in any back garden. Our side lawn, about 6x15 feet, has at least 5 separate nests.

[paintedskull.com]

Personally I wouldn't do it this way. For one, more bugs (not just ants) would find their way in some way or another. Second, the bone would be at risk of becomming rotten or damaged becuse of trapped moisture under the sand or soil. I get squeamish sometimes when I clean a skull (even though I've done it time and time again). Boiling is the most stomach-turrning method, followed by soaking (you don't really have to touch the flesh, but it STINKS). In my opinion, I'd say go with beetles. You don't have to touch the skull to clean it and the beetles have a milder smell than the soak tubs. They are not nearly as gross as fly maggots. In fact, if you're not grossed out by beetles in general, these guys are even kinda cute. And no, even though they are flesh eating bugs, they will not try to eat you :P lol

[albetcha]

I was looking into trying this with Dermestid beetles once. I read that if they get loose they can invade your home taking over your carpet, food, woodwork, etc. Have you seen issues with that or is the setup you have in a separate shed? Thanks.

[paintedskull.com]

I have my dermestids outside in a separate, semi-climate controlled shed. When I first got them last winter, I kept them in a ten-gal fish tank. They were able to get out because the lid did not fit tight enough. I now have them in a rubbermaid tub with a super-tight fitting lid. I cut the center area out of the lid and used hot glue and duct tape to install a screen, so that they could get plenty of ventalation. When they escaped in my shed last winter, they got into everything. I had to take all of my deer hides and legs (for crafting) and burry them in the snow to kill the beetles before they did any damage. Also, you want to make certain that NO FLIES can get into your dermestid container. A few flies will kill off your entire colony within weeks. If you get beetles, it would be best to have them outside in a shed or in their own, beetle-proofed room in your basement. Wherever you have them, try to keep them warm durring the winter, as they do not like cold weather and too low of a temp will kill them. When you don't have any bones for them to clean, feed them ground beef, liver or (only as a last resort) high-protien dog food. I have been wanting to make a detailed instructable on beetle care, but there is a glitch and this site will not let me create a new instructable. As soon as the glitch is fixed, I will post beetle care instructions in detail.

[diablocurry]

Yay! I did a mole! H. peroxide is hard to get here but I hunted some down, from Boots! Only thing, it's teeth fell out, gonna superglue them before dipping and fizzing next time as they are really small and impossible to put back in. I superglued one to my finger, ew!

[Jimbok3]

Another way to clean it off is to bury the skull and wait a month or two. It takes a little longer but it gets the job done.

[sprockettman]

also if you live relatively close to streams or rivers you can just put the carcus into a crawdad trap. The little buggers are gentile enough to leave snake's rib bones intact. then you can mold it how you want and let dry. it will stay how it dries.

[njdjs]

I found a coyote road kill. I got the head and put it in a bucket with some of the water from my pond for about a week or so. I dumped the water out a few times and put more fresh pond water in it. Today I just took the cleaned off skull out of the bucket and put it in 3% peroxide for a few hours. The skull looks great. I am now waiting for it to dry so I can glue the teeth back in. Was driving down the road and found another coyote so I got my bucket ready and put the skull in. This time I put 2 tablespoons of powdered laundry detergent to each gallon of water with it. I heard it takes the oils out. My first skull looks great and now I am a skull freak. I carry garbage bags with me so when I find a road kill thats in good shape I can get it. I always carry a shovel with me too. Some people think I'm crazy..lol..well ok maybe I am but I'm having fun.

[jesuscrist]

i am doing a russing bore it is soking no hide now the guy wants the jaw open how do i keep the jaw open???

[lstaley]

Other sites recommend  using fingernail polish remover to degrease.

[flamesami]

I have some small pork bones (no joints)do you think overboiling would be a problem?

[jezebelsapple]

THank you !  I've been wondering how I was going to go about doing this, as I have a buffalo skull that needs whitening..  as well as a hog and a couple of severed deer heads out in the snow..  Which sounds kinda weird.  But this is vermont, and deer season just passed.  and my boyfriends got bacon smoking in his newly built smoke house.  you get the idea right?  Anyhow, thank you, this is surely going to be of use!

[geodez]

i do not think spike deer snarl, but i may be wrong.

[NikonDork]

Actually, if you want to use Peroxide stronger then the 3% you get at the drug store, you can go to a beauty supply store and get Clairol Clairoxide 40 or the equivalent. Its 40% H2O2 by volume and the rest is water and a small amount of stabilizer to keep it fresh. They also have it in 10%, 20% and 30% strengths. Be warned though, these are very strong and will burn your skin almost on contact. Also its a good idea to make sure the tub you use to whiten your skulls with peroxide is not clear plastic, but something dark so light can not be transmitted to the peroxide. UV light will actually weaken peroxide over time and if your only using the 3% to start with, it will weaken quite quickly.

[paintedskull.com]

Thank you for the added info NikonDork. I was not aware that UV breaks down the peroxide. I usually have the peroxide tubs in a dark shed, but now I will know never to leave them in direct sunlight. Also, thank you for the tip on higher strength peroxide, that will come in handy.

[NikonDork]

No Prob. Ive never done any taxidermy before, but your post piqued my interest. Co-incidence also that I just watched the epidode of Dirty Jobs with Mike visiting a taxidermy shop specializing in bones.

[paintedskull.com]

I caught part of that episode a few months ago. That's where I picked up the soak method. I flipped it on just as they were removing a complete skeleton from a soak tub. That's my next project- skeleton articulation. I don't know if I'll be any good at it, but if it works I'll post a detailed Instructable.

[teamcoltra]

Couldn't you boil out the water and use even higher concentrations?

[little mo]

very helpfull thankyou all

[minerug]

Does anyone here know a site that says how to cure an eel skin?

[knarx]

Good Instructable, when I had to prepare a skull, to be exact I got to remove the flesh of the skull, I thrown it in an anthill. Next step is to wait. Finished.

[yukoimada]

I buy my 40vol peroxide from a beauty supply store! Sales are usually always going so I can get a large 32 oz for about 3 bucks. I try not to go lower than 30vol, but I do dilute it. I get whatever is on sale - works wonders, just don't let the ladies working at the shop know you're cleaning skulls - I've found that most get spooked easily.!

[PaHalloweenFreak]

Very helpful!! Thanks!

[canida]

Cool! I can't wait to try this.

When I worked in the necropsy dept. of an aquarium, I got to pressure-cook rotting seal jaws- let's just say I always had a seat to myself on the subway home!

[themasterpyro]

how can i do HUMAN SKULLS?!?!?HAHAHAHAHAHA THE SKULL SHALL TELL ME ALL!!!!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!!!!!!! I SHALL RULE THE WORLD!!

[paintedskull.com]

Ah... I think you have to be part of a professional medical or educational institution to have permission to clean and prepare human bones. And mental institutions don't count.

[themasterpyro]

damn.oh well I SHALL STILL RULE THE WORLD!!!!!!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA THE WORLD IS MINE MENTAL INSTITUTIONS SHALL FALL!!!!!!HAHAHAHAHA CRAZY PEOPLE SHALL ROAM THE STREETS COMPLAINING ABOUT THEIR CABBAGE TAP DANCING!!!!!!!HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

[Wahnsinn]

Perfect, I was looking for some instructions on how to do this for once I start hunting (hopefully this coming deer season). Now I just need to convince my wife to let me boil a skull in the back yard...any tips on that? Thanks again for the great instructable.

[paintedskull.com]

Tell her about all of the money you will save by doing it yourself, rather than taking it to a taxidermist, lol!

[Dorion]

Instructables always show up just when I need them -- someone just gave me a small skull he found in the woods and now I know that peroxide is what I need to clean it up the rest of the way. Thanks for all the details!