Any tips for cleaning a skull?

So this evening whilst taking pictures of badgers at a nearby Sett I stumbled (literally) across a badger skull. As my son and I have been collecting finds for his wildlife collection box I wanted to clean it up so he can keep it. It’s pretty clean already missing a couple of teeth and only has a little bit of fur attached on the muzzle. It dose however stink of badger and can’t go in his box until it’s clean.

What’s the easiest way to clean it without upsetting the wife? I’m pretty certain her discovering a skull boiling away on the stove will be a problem.

Just do when she’s out. Quick whizz round the dishwasher and she’s none the wiser.

I have heard of people putting washed up dead puffins in a jar of washing up liquid, apparently all the organic material is broken up leaving the nice skull, never tried it though

Badger Face Cleansing Oil

https://www.fragrancedirect.co.uk/badger-argan-face-cleansing-oil-59ml-0096062.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=merchant&utm_keyword=foo&istCompanyId=17773c4e-a26f-4631-9b91-73e6422dbe77&istItemId=-xqmpxqlpax&istBid=tztx&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIgNaDsrjZ3AIVjr3tCh1VHQZMEAQYAiABEgKPlPD_BwE.

Is disappoint you didn’t use the phrase “What’s the best way for cleaning a Badger skull I came across?”

Might try the dishwasher 1st. Although the hydrogen peroxide step will bleach it a bit so perhaps just jump to that.
Hopefully the dog doesn’t find it before I get it cleaned.

Teethgrinder, I did get quite excited when I found it but not that much!

My mother collected skulls ( don’t ask!).  What she used to do with fresh ones was put them in the garden under a plant pot until they decayed then boil them up ( in bleach?) until all the remaining flesh came off the bone.  It stank tho

Find archaeozoologist forums.

Search de-fleshing

APF

Under an upturned plantpot with a heavy weight on top so other animals don’t get to it and let insects do their job. Used to do this quite a lot with my dad on dead birds and animals we found.

Used to do this quite a lot with my dad

How often did your dad die?

The Predator was a dab hand at this sort of thing.

The Predator was a dab hand at this sort of thing.

<span class=”st”> I hear the best thing to do is feed them to pigs</span>

About ten years ago i found a badger skeleton, and thought the best way of cleaning the skull that i retrieved would be to bury it and let the worms do their job.

Having marked the ‘grave’, i came back after a month to find no marker of any sort whatsoever. I dug ‘about’ where i thought it must be, but never found it.

It’s still there somewhere.

It’s not a method that i would propound – this has been more of a cautionary tale.

I know someone who claims that a pressure washer is the way to go. Then boil in bleach.

Best check that you are not breaking the law though. I was under the impression it was an offence to own part of a badger.

A friend of mine found a dead rabbit so he boiled it for hours then picked all the flesh off the bones, dried them and then reassembled the skeleton. He must have had plenty of spare time and of course there were no mobile phones.

Bury it – if you can do it in an ant heap so much the better.

I used to do it with bird skulls found on the beach. Best one was a gannet which was half rotten and had bits of flesh hanging off it – that came up spotless after a year in the ground. I had a small laundry basket which was great at keeping everyhting in one place and being easy to mark while still allowing worms and ants easy access.

Came in for the Predator reference…. leaves satisfied

tjagain has it.

Old mate of mine used to make stuff out of bones and skulls (he may still do). Remember going round his place and there being a load of pots on the boil. Strange kind of smell emanating from the kitchen.

I was under the impression it was an offence to own part of a badger.

Imagine the talk inside.. “what you in for?” “Badger femur”..

Shame about Badger

Imagine the talk inside.. “what you in for?” “Badger femur”..

Unless you’re caught with the baculum.

“What you in for?

“Badger Tadger”

“Nonce”