Hey /out/
A while back my neighbor shot a coyote out on my property, we couldn't find the body but yesterday on an outing we finally spotted it.
Its very far gone, desiccated and torn up pretty bad. Long story short, Id like to salvage some of the bones.
What's the best way to clean this thing? The soft tissue and skin is sort of dried out on it and its half gone (pic is not the coyote but its in very similar condition). Ive heard bleach fucks up the bones, and hydrogen peroxide is better, but I have a hard time believing either will clean off all the skin/fur.
Id allow the thing to just decay naturally and clean it up later, but I probably only have a month or so left at this location before I have to move so I was hoping to speed it up.
basically, how do I clean the soft tissue and hair/flesh from a fairly far gone carcass to save the bones
Any advice is welcomed.
Shove it up your ass. The acid in your intestines will clean it.
Dump it in a vat of diesel, let it sit for a few days
At that point everything will have fallen off the bones or just slide right off at the slightest touch
Clean them up with water and a soft brush. If you want them perfectly white you'll have to paint them
Boiling might work
Guessing you want the skull, not much else will be too interesting or worth the effort.
I would probably try to stir up the brain through the spinal opening if lts still there to get it out then boil it on an outside fire for a few hours, scrub clean then let it sit in hydrogen peroxide for a while to bleach
http://www.jakes-bones.com/p/how-to-clean-animal-bones.html
My friend has a lot of success with just regular maceration. The bacteria do all of the work and bones look wonderfully cleaned.
>>708523
>Boiling
bring to a boil then let simmer for an hour. Serve With Crusty Bread
>>708471
I've never tried it myself, so I don't know how well it would work, but take the carcass and bury it in an ant bed and come back after a week and dig it up again.
From what I hear those little guys will strip the carcass pretty quickly.
>>708471
Bleach
>>708508
too big, thanks for the suggestion though.
>>708512
This sounds like it would actually work, but I think Im a little nervous about having a big vat of highly combustible gases and death sitting around.
>>708523
While this would probably work, we are about to move and weve got to show the house, Id rather it not have eau de coyote for the showing. Also I think it leaves the bones badly yellowed.
Im looking for the skull and the legs, maybe some of the spine. I want the legs for myself and I think the skull is going to a collector friend of mine, the rest is going to a friends young girl to get credit for bringing in bone specimens to the museum.
>>708531
this looks like a really good site, and I know they dont recommend bleach but given my circumstances of time, and environment, I dont think I can do masceration.
>>708711
Ants haven't come up for spring sadly, I dont know where an active nest is, otherwise this would be awesome.
>>708716
Yeah I think Ive decided, Ive got him in a container with bleach, and water, Ill let him stay in there for a bit and then clean with water and finally leave him in some peroxide to whiten up, hopefully that will do it.
>>708471
I remove all meat I can with a knife then boil with water and some sort of detergent. I use super washing soda or oxy clean. I typically change the water out after about an hour of boiling and remove what meat i can again and the teeth. Once the majority of it is gone I'll remove them and boil in a peroxide/water solution. After a 15 min boil I'll just leave it in there overnight. Clean it with water then let dry.
>>708766
well as they're sitting in bleach now, it may be too late for this technique.
Quick question though, would this technique work on a desiccated body? It's basically mummified, our environment is cold, and extremely dry, it kind of just dried him out. Im not sure I could use a knife on him at this point.
>>708808
Ditch the bleach and just use soap and water. Just soak it before boiling for like 24 hrs
>>708822
Id go out and do it this instant but like I said, I literally can NOT boil right now as were about to show our house. If it smells like boiling coyote bones, were not going to sell it.
>>708842
Just throw it in the soapy water and leave it until you show it. Don't have to boil right now.
