BONELUST Q&A: "Can I just leave animals to decompose in a bone cage & do nothing else?" No, it is only one of the first steps in my bone processing techniques. There have been some misconceptions about how bone cages are used in skeletal processing. There are several reasons you don't want to just leave an animal carcass in a bone cage for the months or even years it could take for nature to clean it for you. _ Reasons not to leave bones in a bone cage for an extended period: Lichen, moss, mold, algae etc can start to grow into the bones. Sometimes you can't get this plant life out of the bone. Or the green stain off. Fallen leaves will eventually stain & decay the bones too. Also, you greatly chance getting rust on your bones. Even though I put screen down over the metal wire cage it can still ruin the bone if left too long. I started using coated wire for this reason. _ Normally my bone cages are used simply to let the wild carrion insects deflesh the animal remains for me. When bones are removed from the bone cage for maceration they should have very minimal skin/fur left for that remaining defleshing step. Maceration will further clean them of flesh, skin, ligaments, cartilage & such. Using only water and patience. Do NOT at soap or detergent or anything else for maceration! Then degrease if needed and last step is the sanitizing & whitening hydrogen peroxide bath. Full extensive bone processing blogs at my Bonelust blogspot and look for my group SKULL COLLECTING on Facebook where I post more about bone cage construction and tricks like using screen and strainers to keep from losing small bones/teeth. ππ THERE'S A FULL BLOG POST ON THIS TOPIC AT THE BONE-LUST BLOGSPOT ππ #boneprocessing #bonecage #skullprocessing #bonecleaning #skullcleaning #vultureculture https://www.instagram.com/p/CVQ_XD3BTig/?utm_medium=tumblr
