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Seriously Tiny Rabbit Skull Help

Discussion in 'Skulls and Skeletons' started by Relentless, May 14, 2012.

  1. My dog found me a baby rabbit, about 4-5 days old.
    Looked similar to this:
    [​IMG]

    Macerated the head since it was halfway rotted, it was windy, there were maggots all over it, and it made me feel uncomfortable.
    (I have an adult rabbit that looks similar to a cottontail.)

    Anyway, I just spent some time picking the bones (so many different pieces!) out of the mushy flesh.
    The bones all smell fishy.

    I want to either clean them somehow (they are VERY small and VERY fragile) or seal them so I cannot smell them.
    Or clean then seal. I am just worried about them disintegrating.

    My last resort is sealing it with sealant or whatever- even if it will become yellow-y over time...

    But I'd love to find a better way. Any suggestions?
     
  2. Finish macerating and Peroxide with brown bottle 3%. It will not hurt them. But chances are there won't be enough bone anyway to put it back together on a rabbit that small.
     

  3. Thank you for the response! The macerating is finished, I have all the pieces in a little open baggie right now.
    But okay, thank you!

    And yeah, I wasn't fully expecting to put it back together after I realized how much it had fallen apart.
    But I'm still excited about the bones. The little jaw bones are so cute. The little teeth... oh gosh.

    I will post some pics after I put peroxide on them!
     
  4. Here is a photograph of some of the bones:
    [​IMG]

    There's a vertebrae or two in there too.
    I just adore those cute little jawbones. The teeth are so tiny.
    Anyway, I put them in 3% peroxide for a bit.
    They are more white now that they have dried.

    They still smell fishy though.
     
  5. I would soak them for a couple hours at least. Probably overnight. Minimum in the peroxide. Or all day in a warm windowsill in an open top glass jar. It will get rid of the fishy smell. You just didn't soak it long enough.
     
  6. Okay, I'll try the jar thing since it's REALLY sunny out! Thank you!
    I'll update with it tonight. :)
     
  7. Sea Wolf

    Sea Wolf Well-Known Member

    Your funny smell might be grease. Even in something that small. Soak them for a week or two in straight ammonia. Rinse and then rewhiten in 3% for 24 hours. When it is DRY, there will be no odor.
     
  8. I'm worried that that route might be risky with these?
    Some of the bones are paper-thin and flaking at the edges and all I used was 3% peroxide for a couple minutes.

    The smell has significantly lessened since I left it in the light, in a jar though...
     
  9. Thought I'd share a photo of the tiny jaw bones. :)

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Just holding them together in that last one, that's why they look kinda funny.
     
  10. Sea Wolf

    Sea Wolf Well-Known Member

    True, they are a lot more than just "juvenile". If you really want to get the grease out, go get a small can of acetone and submerge the bone bits in it for at least several weeks. Acetone will not harm the bone in any way.
     
  11. Yeah. Thank you! I will see if we have any acetone/can get some.