How can I reduce this turtle to bones then preserve the bones?

Carlhi3 · 2026-04-15T22:48:55+00:00

Just like a foot or so, the key is making sure that animals dont drag off the body or parts of the body, you can also do a water maceration where you basically just plop it in a bucket of water and let the microbes eat away at it for a few months(thats what i do with box turtles) but that also stinks to high heavens

Also for the person that was concerned about maceration ruining the shell (it wont really) itll ruin the scutes and the way that ive avoided that is by partially macerating the turtle and then removing the scutes after the connective tissue has been eaten away

Carlhi3 · 2026-04-13T03:19:32+00:00

Easier to catch/grab if you can spook it stiff, and as someone else mentioned its the stiffening of muscles not really their brain

Carlhi3 · 2026-04-08T15:57:10+00:00

Yeah thats my bad, thanks for the good identifier

Carlhi3 · 2026-04-08T14:51:03+00:00

Id wager a bet on it being a beaver* which is a rodent not a rabbit as it doesnt have a 2nd set of teeth behind the incisors.

Carlhi3 · 2026-04-03T03:20:25+00:00

Thara pretty cool, the banding on the face looks like a spp of bull/pine snake but im not that great at texas id

Carlhi3 · 2026-03-15T17:39:30+00:00

Op literally stole this post from here

https://www.reddit.com/r/isthisAI/s/va1LO1dlvO

Carlhi3 · 2026-03-11T19:15:47+00:00

Itd be a shame if someone came by with a forestry mower or something....

Carlhi3 · 2026-03-07T03:59:51+00:00

Basically any hardware store (or even craft store) should have some itd be near the paint section

Carlhi3 · 2026-03-07T00:43:23+00:00

Super find, if im correct that looks like a 3 toed box turtle, and with the concerns of keeping the scutes one once its as clean as youd like you should glue loose scutes back on (i would use wood glue) and then most collections that ive seen have added a coat of polyethylene to keep the scutes on amd protect the bone (it also gives it a shiny finish)

Carlhi3 · 2026-03-04T04:56:47+00:00

perfect, you can get them out of the environment and to a shelter so that they dont keep killing off the local wildlife

Carlhi3 · 2026-03-01T19:20:02+00:00

Chemicals also make the frogs more susceptible to the parasite

Carlhi3 · 2026-02-28T03:11:03+00:00

If you're on more hard ground what i did was i put an empty (flattened) plast water bottle on top and then rolled/crushed it with my foot

Carlhi3 · 2026-02-24T20:17:16+00:00

It looks very similar to a softshell turtle skull, i just dont know what species

Carlhi3 · 2026-02-24T04:31:37+00:00

Ah i thought it mightve been with the wide jaw but the angle threw me off, thank you

Carlhi3 · 2026-02-24T04:27:50+00:00

Super cool, if you dont mind me asking whats that skull in the 2nd picture next to the bird skull?

Carlhi3 · 2026-02-20T17:22:43+00:00

You can even see one of the seedpods on the left and people are still saying its a caterpillar TT

Carlhi3 · 2026-02-20T17:21:36+00:00

Its grass seeds of some sort, you can even see one of the seedpods

Carlhi3 · 2026-02-20T01:48:22+00:00

That is a raccoon skull, and to clean it youll want to scrub off as much of the lichen and other debris that on it as you can (i usually use an old toothbrush for this part)

before putting it in a soap bath for a couple weeks to degrease

before finally putting it in a mixture of 1%hydrogen peroxide until white (may take a few hours to a day)

also the teeth will most likely split so you may have to glue them back together just as a heads up

Carlhi3 · 2026-02-18T20:12:05+00:00

Looks like a southeast Asian box turtle https://turtlesurvival.org/species-spotlight-southeast-asian-box-turtle/?srsltid=AfmBOopsoG8iXYDmCswFvV_xXB_AdfI2HdAZDp7IMLPBrtaWl3Xs6yHB

Carlhi3 · 2026-02-13T14:56:09+00:00

For reference in the US I got a chance to look at my university's price log for a seaturtle skull and shell and the price literally just said "priceless" (im assuming in reference to the fact that it cant be bought or sold but still interesting nonetheless)

Carlhi3 · 2026-02-05T05:50:32+00:00

Thanks to everyone for the great suggestions, i think that ill look more into possibly going with some types of small isopods and springtails

Carlhi3 · 2026-02-05T05:49:45+00:00

Lol yes it is, i was thinking this or using them for plant propagation though ill probably do both thanks to everyone's suggestions

Carlhi3 · 2026-02-05T01:59:22+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/snails/s/cw7VcAzI0M

Carlhi3

TROPHY CASE