Widgeonator

About a year or so ago, my friend's dad shot two pigs and left me the skulls to clean since i had beetles at the time. the problem was they died out and my retarded self left them sittin in the tank since then. a lot of the flesh was eaten off, but i'm more concerned about the stained blood on the skulls. is there anyway to get these skulls cleaned since they've been just sittin all this time, or are the grease/blood stains permanent?

Daveboone

Try soaking one in a hydrogen peroxide bleaching solution. Google for skull cleaning.

M.Magis

Whoa, whoa whoa! Not so fast, they are no where near ready for whitening. Finish them up with the maceration process, and they will then need a good long degrease soak. That should pull most of the stains out, though it may take more than one soak.

halfbakedi420

should be ok, i mean they were soakin in blood the pigs entire life.

Widgeonator

if it's not too much trouble, may i get a little detailed instructions on the best way to degrease? thanks again for your helpful information. it's very much appreciated

Widgeonator

very true, but it when the air hits the bloody skulls, that's when i would assume the blood would dry into the skulls and stain them. also i'm more concerned about the grease stains.

M.Magis

Try 1/4 cup of Dawn and 1/4 gallon of amonia for every gallon of water. Doesn't need to be exact. It may take quite a while, weeks or more depending on how bad it is. If a lot of grease or dirt builds up in the water, dump it and mix a fresh batch.

Widgeonator

thank so much for the info. just two more question and then i'll be able to take the ball and run.

1. I think this is an obvious one. All the flesh and everything needs to come off the skulls first before i do this? Or will the soap and ammonia break the remaining flesh down? there isn't much flesh on it at all

2. about how long will it take for the soap/ammonia/mixture to get dirty to where i have to switch out the water mixture with a fresh batch? thanks again man!

M.Magis

1. Yes, it should all be gone. The maceration will take care of that.
2. That varies from one to the next. If it starts looking greasy and nasty, change it out.

Stickin Em

The degreasing can take a looong time, especially for piggies. If you want to speed it up, heat your H2O, ammonia solution. Most aquarium heaters will get it up to 90 F or so and this will make it go a lot faster than room temperature. At the beginning, you'll probably have to change your water once or maybe twice a week. Good luck.