I am soaking a skull I found in a bucket of water outside my home. It is so vile and discusting smelling after only a few days. it's attracting flies and I think my cat ran away because of it. Should I be changing the water when I clean the skull every few days?
Return to Beginners Category Menu
You put it in water to let it rot and soften up. Let it rot. Don't bother cleaning it until it has rotten out nice and good. If you change the water you are only slowing the rotting process. Let the bacteria grow. Then remove it, clean it and bleach it etc. Taxidermy work is nasty work, I know.
Yes you should be changing the water on a regular basis. Bacteria build up waste products just like any other living being, and without getting rid of the surplus, the bacterial action can be slowed or even quit. You could do it the one change method but I have always changed water numerous times until it is essentially clear of waste, color, fat, etc. Don't worry about throwing out the all the bacteria with the waste-water, they reproduce by unbelievable speed. Remember to use a strainer when pouring to catch any loose teeth that come out, and also protect the pail from loose dogs, coon, possums, etc. It may smell bad to you but it smells like a meal to them.
I have done deer skulls hog skulls even squirrel. I boil the meat off out side of corse using my craw fish boiling pot take a knife and scrape it off ater a hour or tow of cooking or when the met starts to fall off then you can use the same pot it you want to but cover it in house hold peroxcied that beleach made 2 of my skuls trun a yellow color if you would like to talk ferthere about it just send me an email
Partial water changes every few days are the way I handle mine. It allows for a culture of bacteria to remain present while knocking down the smell and keeping a proper balance of dissolved gases in the solution.
Thanks so much! I don't have to worry about much getting my bucket, my hunting dog wont go within 50 feet of it lol! Raven I used your advice on glueing my cracked teeth and it worked out beautifully, thank you:)