Need help degreasing lizard skulls

..did you try using acetone..?..that's what I used on my iguana skull and it worked really well..I had it soaked in acetone for over a month just to make sure i get all the grease out..hope this works for you too!

 

..yea let it soak in pure acetone. I don't change the liquid at all I keep reusing it because acetone is expensive. If you're gonna try it, you'll need to get a sealed container so that the acetone won't evaporate. Put the bones inside, fill it up with acetone and degrease until you're satisfied. Be careful whitening the bones with peroxide. You leave it too long and the ligaments/tissues will soften and there's a tendency the skull will fall apart.

 

Do you preserve the iguanas' skins also?

 

Yes acetone will work you can also try straight ammonia. A technique I use for whitening for fragile juvenile skulls that should work with ammonia is wrapping the skull in paper towel and then spraying or gently pouring the liquid over the paper towel and saturating it and leaving just enough liquid in the bottom to keep it saturated.

The good thing with Acetone is it will completely evaporate once it is taken out and allowed to dry.

However if there are a bunch of tiny pieces, you would probably have better luck if you try to do a method called "oxidation" look it up on Lee Posts website Boneman.com

It basically chemically clears all the flesh and leaves the ligaments intact. I have seen some snake skeletons prepared like that. The nice thing about it is the cartilage remains intact and there is no guessing how the bones fit back together.

It is most effective on smaller skeletons but we have tried it effectively on a still born lamb.

 

As above, acetone. Soak in straight acetone (get it from the paint section in the hardware store). I would not use what is sold for fingernail polish. It can be used over and over so don't be in a hurry to toss it out. It will not damage or alter the bone in any way but will alter and remove the grease and oils in time. Do NOT heat it. Treat it like gasoline.

 

Sun exposure will burn the skin. Skin them out and either salt well or rub Borax into the skins and let them dry out of the sun. Might be able to sell a few if you can manage complete ones.

 

You could put it back onto the acetone for a while longer. You can also try a soak in straight ammonia but keep an eye on it so it doesn't loosen up and start to fall apart. Maybe short soaks in ammonia, let it dry out and back into ammonia. Younger animals will start to get soft but older adults will be sturdier.

 

Id be ingested in a large iguana if you'd want to sell one

 

I would also take a look at this post on whitening delicate reptile skeletons.

http://www.taxidermy.net/forum/index.php?topic=380650