Ewww... cool... bet its easier with bigger skulls... and good idea... be neat to try this with some fish we catch, at least it would be a good way to get the feel of it.
Lima Sovelnose Catfish Skull
- Thread starter ColeFishing
- Start date
This is a pic of the first lima skull I ever did. Used the same method. I removed the fins first behind the pectorial spine. Then removed the pectoral fin girdle and gills. Then used this method until everything was cleaned, but not yet falling apart. I let everything dry and glued it back together. Even has the dorsal spine although not in this pic. Really old pic. I have my large lima that was killed by my ex and maybe I should work on it soon and post it up! lol. I have a few that I am working on currently.
Geeze lol, I also have a lima that I cleaned using dermstid beetles a few years ago sitting in a baggy in a box. lol, got the whole skeleton.
Well it died from natural causes. I didn't kill it.
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Dermestid beetles are also known as museum beetles. The larvae is actually what eats the most materials. They have to be kept in a large tank and have no way of escaping. They can and will infest carpet. Dermestids will eat dead flesh of any animal. Including human skin flakes in carpet. That's why it's important to keep them from escaping. They are often found on carrion and will eat dead flesh down to the bone. They usually will only eat flesh that is mostly dried. After you have a colony that is capable of cleaning a skull off you must mist it several times per day. They also need high temps to work faster. You have to give them smaller skulls to work on or jerky like materials to sustain them until the colony is large enough to consume large heads. Basically they eat the flesh down to the bone and then you can degrease and whiten it after that. Never use bleach for whitening though. Bleach will break the calcium bonds and cause the bone to fall apart over time. The acid method I told you about is iffy because you have to do it in short durations only or you will damage the bone permanently. Dermestids are the preferred method. They are very efficient. I use to have a 40 gal wide to do my skulls in dedicated to them. Very hard to contain, and emits a strange, but not really foul odor. Best in a well ventilated room. Keep temps above 80 degrees with high humidity in their cage. My colony numbered over 20,000 beetles and larvae. They could strip a prepped 2' tsn down the skeleton in about 8 hours. By prepped I mean pretty much the same thing you did before the acid. Strip it down to as little flesh as possible by hand and let it dry a bit. They don't like it wet and will smell way bad and might get flies or gnats as well. Once dried place in tank and mist lightly with water. Watch them chomp down!!! You can see them take tiny bites actually!! It's cool to watch or at least check in every 10 mins or so. They will attack it in waves and completely cover it. lol. Here's some pics of the tsn mentioned.
very complicated little creatures to keep. I can't wait to have another colony. Only insect colony I've ever kept lol. Also not mentioned is once they have finished you have to freeze the skull to kill off any that are stuck in little hiding spots. They breed fast and the colony will get massive very quickly. I bought 500 originally. They also need a substrate that they can pupate in, and go through their various life cycles. Museums around the world use this method. It's the least destructive of almost any method.
They are great I started with 100 and in no time had 1000's.
Just make sure you also freez the bones prio to putting it in with them if you let it dry outside as fles and mits will destroy your colony. Btw they love massivores lol
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Just make sure you also freez the bones prio to putting it in with them if you let it dry outside as fles and mits will destroy your colony. Btw they love massivores lol
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lol, never thought of feeding them massivore. Cheaper to get left over meat scraps at the grocer. Dry it a bit and throw it in. Hot dogs, burgers, ect work also lol. They can chow a hot dog very fast when you have a large colony. although the preservatives may not be the best for them lol.
