Cow Skull Decoration (Warning: Skull not totally skully and pics inside as thumbnails)

[Paschendale52]

Hello all!

I work at a university with a meat lab and recently asked him if I could have a cow skull for decorating Squirtle's (three-toed box turtle) terrarium. They said yes and when I went to pick it up, I realized that their definition of "skull" and mine differed slightly. This is what I received from them. Obviously I don't plan on introducing it to his terrarium blood, flesh, eyes and all, but I do think it would be cool to add. I even read earlier about someone who sees there turtles gnawing on deer antlers from time to time as a sort of calcium supplement. Anyone have any ideas or advice against doing this? Or how to clean the skull quicker than just setting it outside and waiting for nature and a buttload of bugs to do it for me?

p.s. I'll leave the photos as thumbnails in case someone doesn't want to see a meaty cow skull up close.

Thanks,

 

[tortoise5643]

Burying the skull may be a little bit faster than just leaving it outside.

 

[WithLisa]

Cool! I also have a few bones in my Hermanns enclosure. Every now and then they try to gnaw on it but to no avail, the bones are way too big for them.
But after I got a bucketful of soil from the cemetery, I found them gnawing on human bones. (Probably my neighbours uncle's... But she didn't mind, she loves my torts ).

How big is your skull, do you have a pot that's big enough for it (or at least half of it, you could turn it around to cook the other side)?

To clean skulls I just cook them, remove as much flesh as I can, cook them again with laundry detergent powder and try to remove the remaining flesh, cook it again with detergent,.... To get it really clean at the end, I would put it into hydrogen peroxide.
That method is quicker, but quite a lot of (dirty) work.

 

[Paschendale52]

Cool! I also have a few bones in my Hermanns enclosure. Every now and then they try to gnaw on it but to no avail, the bones are way too big for them.
But after I got a bucketful of soil from the cemetery, I found them gnawing on human bones. (Probably my neighbours uncle's... But she didn't mind, she loves my torts ).

How big is your skull, do you have a pot that's big enough for it (or at least half of it, you could turn it around to cook the other side)?

To clean skulls I just cook them, remove as much flesh as I can, cook them again with laundry detergent powder and try to remove the remaining flesh, cook it again with detergent,.... To get it really clean at the end, I would put it into hydrogen peroxide.
That method is quicker, but quite a lot of (dirty) work.

The problem is its quite large (about 30lbs) and has a large amount of meat on it still. The jaw is attached and everything. It appears that they cut it off and handed it to me. All of that aside, I don't think my fiance would appreciate me bringing it indoors and we don't have a campfire burner to do it outdoors. So far I've just buried it outside in a compost pile and plan on coming back to it in a month or two to check on its progress.

 

[Grandpa Turtle 144]

Just put iron a ant nest . They will clean it up nice . Before you do anything else with it !

 

[thehowards]

Just put iron a ant nest . They will clean it up nice . Before you do anything else with it !

That's what I was thinking. I have a friend that does taxidermy type stuff that and he uses a type of beetle but when I had a deer skull my dad said throw it in a ant pile and that worked quite nicely.

 

[Vladsfriend]

Boiling would definitely be fastest, but covering in mulch or compost is good too. Make sure there is some underneath and the pile is big enough to be warm. In that situation, it could take as few as a couple weeks.

 

[enchilada]

beef tongue tastes great grilled...dont waste this part

 

[Tom]

That's what I was thinking. I have a friend that does taxidermy type stuff that and he uses a type of beetle but when I had a deer skull my dad said throw it in a ant pile and that worked quite nicely.

Dermestid beetles. I have some that hitched a ride in a roach bin. I leave them be as they eat up any dead roaches.

 

[Paschendale52]

beef tongue tastes great grilled...dont waste this part

When they guy gave it to me he said it had been off the cow for a week or so in a fridge rather than a freezer. He gave me a weird look and said "You're not going to..... eat it..... are you?........" I told him it was strictly for the turtle.

 

[enchilada]

Well.... Leave it for the beetles then

 

[Paschendale52]

It is now buried in my backyard. Without a large area to put it sufficiently far from the house, putting it in an anthill would stink things up too much I think. I figure even with the cold coming hopefully if I dig it up at the end of the month it will be in a better place for something like boiling it. If not, I'll just wait till spring and hope my fiance forgets that theres a head burying in the backyard. : D

 

[MPRC]

It's staring at me...

I have a colony of roaches that clean bones, along with a few dermestid beetles that hang out in the bottom, but I think that would be a tall order for my 2000 roaches even.

 

[thehowards]

The ants work a lot faster than you would think I feel like the deer was almost over night but since it was years ago maybe a week fur and all.

 

[Careym13]

It is now buried in my backyard. Without a large area to put it sufficiently far from the house, putting it in an anthill would stink things up too much I think. I figure even with the cold coming hopefully if I dig it up at the end of the month it will be in a better place for something like boiling it. If not, I'll just wait till spring and hope my fiance forgets that theres a head burying in the backyard. : D

Well, it is almost halloween after all...I think burying a head in your yard is totally normal this time of year

 

[bouaboua]

I'll go with the plastic one. My wife will have me sleep with my torts if I take one of those home, even it is for the turtle or tortoise.

 

[AnimalLady]

My dog would die for that thing, pretty cool!

 

[chaseswife]

I have only done elk antlers before. I have them hung up in my living room, painted orange. But now I kinda want my husband to bring me the skull next time. I am picturing it in my garden with some type of flowery vines growing in and around it.

 

[chaseswife]

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Here some would definitely boil it and eat it, eyes and all.