BONELUST Q&A: "Can't you get leprosy from armadillos?

First off, always be sanitary when handling any dead animals to process for their bone. Wear high quality waterproof gloves. Don't touch anything dead then cross contaminate like touching your face, clothes, steering wheel, or anything you may touch once you remove the gloves later. See my related blog post for more info on the sanitary concerns of bone processing/collecting.


From back in 2003, a litter of armadillo were born under my house.

Armadillos are unfortunate in that are among the few known species that can contract leprosy. I want to stress the word CAN here. No, not all armadillos are carriers of leprosy as far too many people believe. But they can get it just as humans, mangabey monkeys, rabbits and mice can. It is too often misunderstood that all armadillos have the disease, they do not.

Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the late 15th century, leprosy was unknown in the New World. Given that armadillos are native to the New World, at some point they must have acquired the disease from humans. This is a scientific fact. So it is a matter of susceptibility NOT that one species alone is the main carrier spreading the disease. 



In order for a human to get leprosy from an armadillo it has to be infected first of all. Secondly you'd have to eat and/or heavily handle it. Armadillo to human spread cases are concentrated in Louisiana and Texas, where some people hunt, skin and eat armadillos.

Only about 150 to 250 people in the United States each year even get leprosy and not all of those cases were caused by armadillos. So, just be very careful when handling an armadillo dead or alive and avoid eating it and you're very unlikely to ever get it. Approximately 95% of people are naturally immune to the disease anyway and sufferers are no longer infectious after as little as two weeks of treatment if the disease is recognized and treated early on.

BONELUST Q&A: "Why is it bad to boil bones? It is the way I was taught to clean them a long time ago."

I took these surplus deer leg bones & scapula to show you why. After only a couple hours of boiling them I could push my finger through these large previously very solid deer leg bones with no effort & bend the scapula right in half. A rolling boil is very detrimental to the structure of bones. You literally cook off tiny pieces that hold it together. Even a very low heated slow simmer can eventually destroy bones. Especially ones smaller than these. I think many people learned the oldschool word-of-mouth techniques of bone processing which are to boil & bleach them. Even I started of experimenting with that & quickly found out it was a terribly bad idea. I've spent the last 35 years processing my own bones & now use the most delicate processes to keep them structurally sound for the long run. I share this priceless info freely with you so that you don't make the same mistakes I did. Stick to cold water maceration to have strong solid bones. Just takes more patience. Even if you don't see obvious damage to your bones after using a heated water process you have likely caused structural damage to your bone. Bone simply is not meant to be heated unless you are cooking off the flesh to eat & don't intend to keep the bones.

For much more info about this & why chlorine bleach is also bad read my related blog post Bad Words: Bleach & Boil

BONELUST Q&A: "Do you use dermestid beetles?"

Carrion insects have always been a part of my bone processing but I’ve never had a captive colony of any kind. For a while I had a wild colony of dermestid beetles/larvae helping me clean. As long as I supplied them with new food they stuck around. But I’ve not yet had a captive colony. Ever since that episode of Oddities with the dermestid beetles in a NY apartment I constantly see beginner collectors talking about getting them to clean bones & it makes me cringe.



Sorry but I don't agree that the best way to remove flesh from bones of an animal carcass is by using dermestid beetles. Many that suggests them too frequently neglect to also mention their care, upkeep and not to mention that while dermestid cleaned bones are beautifully flesh free they are also usually absolutely grease saturated. A step that's often completely skipped by me is degreasing because my maceration process often takes care of it. And to be honest I abhor bone degreasing. It is VERY time consuming and tedious. I'm also quite confused how the Oddities episode skips degreasing completely and goes straight from beetle defleshing to the Hydrogen Peroxide bath. As a longtime experienced bone collector/processor I know that scene must be missing or you'll end up with a grease saturated skull in most cases. Wanted to note that I actually do know Ryan and Monique that were in that episode, so I'm by far giving anyone hell... just wanted to point out some important factual things about bone processing and dermestid beetles that I feel were not mentioned in that episode of Oddities.


I still had to macerate this spine after dermestid defleshing because the cartilage was still between the vertebrae.



Care and upkeep of these beetles is far harder than people realize. I can’t recommend against it more if you are a beginner bone collector. Unless you actually need them for smaller animals & have a constant food supply for them, and are REALLY good at pet care I don’t ever suggest them to anyone. Plus, the maceration process is so easy & inexpensive in comparison. You literally need reg tap water, a tight lidded plastic container & patience.



Dermestid beetle care is far more complicated. They need very specific maintained temperatures, humidity, have to keep them free of parasitic mites, have to keep predators from them like spiders, need food/water, proper bedding, lighting, ventilation and enclosure... and so much more. I am currently working on setting up my first captive colony but only after a LOT of online research, talking to friends that successfully have healthy colonies & even located an out-of-print book on the topic. And I’m still not sure if I will be able to keep them alive but I will give it my best shot. The thought of them dying because I can’t properly care for them kills me. So I’ve prepared for this for literally years. Not haphazardly bought a starter colony online at a whim. If I'm successful I will post a followup blog.



There is a great misconception that feeding them alone is enough. Just drop a fleshy skull into your enclosure and you’re done. Or that cleaning bone is super fast and easy with a colony. Far from the truth. It takes a colony of literally 1000s of adults/larvae to even clean a med sized animal head. The larvae actually do most of the work but you need the adults to make more larvae



So this was just a little PSA to REALLY do your research. They need care just like any other kind of pet. Also, if they get loose in your home they can eat a whole lot of other things in every common household besides dried flesh. I've actually lost a lot of my personal collections in the past of smaller bones and insects to wild colonies invading my home. And yes, adults can fly. So you’ve been warned! haha

For more info on the topics discussed here clink on the links in the post to go to my related extensive posts.

"Stick it on an ant pile!"

I've heard that countless times in reply to "How do I clean these bones/dead animal?" This anole here is literally the 3rd dead animal in 12 years living at my current location that I've seen with any ants feasting on. And there have been a LOT of dead things for ants to eat on my property over the years. I don't have any piles on my property at all. Too swampy here. So I usually see them out on the well drained and dry dirt road like this.



This is a perfect example of how there are so many deciding factors involved in the steps to process a dead animal. A major one being your location. I simply do not have any of the ant species where I currently am that will help remove the flesh from dead animals. So that option is out for me.

Also, the first and last time I ever tried using ants to help me clean remains over 15 years ago, most of my pet snake was taken underground vertebra by vertebra and rib by rib. I even had it in a cage on top of a screen. So it ruined that whole option for me. I really like having much more control of my bone processing.

I understand though that this may work for other people. I've met people swear by it and that's great. But it isn't something that will work for everyone

BONELUST Q&A: "How do I put mandibles back together & teeth in?"

There are many ways to reattach two mandible halves that have come apart. Depends on the species. I prefer to use regular white school glue because you don't always get it right first time around. I also use this same glue to put teeth back in. It is water soluble so you just soak it in water, wash off the glue, let it dry & re-glue. Also, not all mandibles can simply be put back together. Some are lacking muscle where they once connected and do not perfectly fit together anymore once the flesh is gone. That's why sometimes you see people using rubber bands to hold the two jawbone halves together on deer, goats and similar species. For a small mandible like this cat skull I just put a small dab of glue where they connect then rest the two halves balanced together with the skull flipped over. Always be sure the mandible fits the skull properly before it dries. This flip over and balance trick doesn't work for everything obviously. Sometimes you just have to carefully tape the end after applying the glue. And sometimes some mandible shapes let you clip them together while they dry with a clothespin. You just have to figure out what works best for you. It is also important that all incisors are already sealed into place before you attach the mandible halves. Otherwise glue may fill the holes where their roots go.

Here's a related blog post - BONELUST Q&A: "The teeth fell out of my skull! Did I do something wrong? How do I fix it?"

BONELUST Q&A: "How will I know if a skull needs degreasing, I'm not sure what it even looks like?"

These are my two Mountain Lion skulls. The natural body oils are very apparent on the specimen on the left. The golden coloration is a dead give away that it was never properly processed. Some factors to keep in mind though: yellow can also mean that it was once boiled or chlorine bleach was used in the processing. So avoid both of those things! You can not undo bone that was yellowed by chlorine bleach. It may appear white at first but over time it will yellow. A full rolling boil will draw grease deeper into the bone rather than making it rise to the surface. Once done it is very hard to degrease. Last factor to consider is that the skull on the left was sold to me as "antique". I will be attempting to properly processing this skull in the near future. Only then will I know the true answers to the history of this skull. The skull on the right is still mildly greasy to the eye & touch but not so bad that I feel the need to degrease. Degreasing is a step in bone processing that is purely for preference to the bone collector. I honestly rarely need to degrease anything because it gets mostly taken care of during maceration. With experience you will be able to tell by touch, color and weight if you need to degrease. 


For long term preservation, too much oil in bone is bad because bacteria can turn grease into acid and thus damage the bone. But at the same time, 100% grease free makes bone more fragile because grease is a part its natural components and sometimes bones can even shrink a little. A little grease left in bone is best for the longest preservation. I was told by a university teacher that some museums stopped to degrease fully and whiten specimens devoted to research. Now they only do the total bone degreasing for displayed specimens that will not be handled at all. So keep this in mind when deciding on whether you want to degrease or not. I have absolutely noticed a difference in quality of the bones I will or won't use in my jewelry. If they have been fully degreased they just don't seem to be up for being a wearable piece of art that could take daily wear. They also have very little weight which is not good for say a pendant for example.

More related extensive info here:
Whitening Bone Using Hydrogen Peroxide NOT Chlorine BleachBad Words: BOIL & BLEACH

The Mathematics Of Maceration - A HowTo Guide For The Impatient

A HowTo Guide For My Crock Pot Methods

Whitening Bone Using Hydrogen Peroxide NOT Chlorine Bleach

I recently edited my Bad Words: BOIL & BLEACH post here adding much more extensive info about using hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Posting it as a new blog with even more info and photos so you guys don't miss this important info.


In the H2O2 bath.


Drying after the H2O2 bath.

NEVER use chlorine bleach on bones.

Chlorine based bleach permanently damages the bone itself. It will start to break down the structure of the bone and will continue to even after it is rinsed and dried. Resulting in chalky, fragile and extremely porous bone that will turn to bone meal with age. Not to mention it turns the bone yellow. Which pretty much defeats the purpose if you are trying to whiten the bone. It may appear white at first but will turn yellow. Once it yellows from bleach there is nothing you can do about it. Believe me, I've tried to salvage yellow bleached skulls before to no avail.



To sanitize and whiten bone use regular household hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) that you can easily and inexpensively get ahold of at the grocery store, dollar store or drugstore. Do a 50/50 bath with water just above the bones in a loose lidded plastic container to reduce evaporation. Oxygen activates the peroxide so you want to let air get to it. But it will evaporate so keep an eye on it and top it off as needed. Also, if you have a tight lid on it pressure may build up and the top literally blows off.


Lids are loose to let oxygen in and pressure out.

How long? Just keep the bones in this bath until they are the color you want them. This is a personal preference. Note that the bone will dry lighter than it looks wet. This process can take days or weeks. Although if you leave it too long it will eventually make the bone brittle. But this usually would take months for medium sized bones like say of a raccoon. This is a very safe process for most bones if you properly follow my steps. When done whitening, rinse the bones in water then lay out to dry in the sun on towels or dry inside with a fan on. I put towels or paper towels under the bones to help pull moisture out. Be sure the bones are dry before you put them in a sealed container for storage or they may mold.


Sun drying bones.

More About Mold

These were bright white cleaned bones. I thought I had left them out to dry long enough but apparently hadn't. I bagged them up in a ziploc and put them in my supply drawer. Only to find some time later that the had become splotched with black mold through the bone core and on the outside. I soaked them for weeks in full strength hydrogen peroxide but they only got this white again. In the closeup on top you can see the actual mold inside the bone. I think the molding also had to do with the bone needing to be degreased more. The mold spread to all bones in the batch though. Those not needing degreasing as well.



These bones had been cleaned and dried but got humid and grew a green fuzzy mold on them. Luckily I just hosed them off and gave them a H2O2 bath and they cleaned up beautifully. So this is a reminder to store bones in a dry place.



Important factors: If your H2O2 bath gets really cloudy you likely need to dump it out and start a new bath. Otherwise it will start to macerate instead. Do not use a metal container with H2O2. Use plastic or glass. Store in a cool dark place. Direct sunlight will eventually deactivate H2O2 that's why it comes in dark containers. Do not do this step outside with no lid. You will just end up with deactivated H2O2, algae and insect larvae all over you bones and you'll have to start over... or the bones may be ruined.


Bubbles is a good sign your H2O2 is still active.

DO NOT use hair developer type peroxide on bones, ever.

There are additional ingredients in it besides H2O2 and it is MUCH stronger than regular corner store purchased H2O2. Which I think is only 3%. I have experimented with this myself and the developer turned huge deer vertebrae to literally mush in my hands. Likewise, do not use the powdered hair bleach packets. The same results will happen. So you've been warned!


Improperly processed vertebrae that turned to mush in my hands.

Algae & Moss Covered Nature Cleaned Bones

Note that some staining will not come out especially if bones were decaying on the forest floor for some time. Remember, you want to be sure the bones have already been degreased and cleaned of all flesh/dirt/etc before putting into the peroxide.



Too late to clean and whiten these bones. After bones have been left in the elements for some time they begin to break down. These bones are now "living" again covered with algae/fungi that is eating it. This is one reason I choose not to do the bury method. If you wait too long bones have already begun to decay. I like processing methods where I can see what is happening to the remains at all times.



BONE PROCESSING BLOG POST WITH TIMELINE:



See the post that goes along with the above photo here -  BONELUST BONE PROCESSING PROGRESS: First Adult Goat Skull processing progression photos & timeline.

For even more extensive info about all the steps I use in processing bones check out the rest of my blog. Enjoy!

BONELUST Q&A: What do you mean when you say you’re an ethical bone artist?

PLEASE NOTE: I have zero interest in a political debate of any kind. I’m just posting this about my personal beliefs because it is what BoneLust is based on & this is the question I was asked. What a boring world this would be if we were all exactly the same. THANKS!

A bit about me first, Jana Miller. I’ve been collection and processing bones and other things of nature for over 30 years. I’ve been making bone and teeth jewelry since the 1980s. For a long time I only made bone jewelry and art for myself and friends. In 2008, I became unemployed at no fault of my own. So I opened 3 Etsy shops. One of which is, BoneLust/Bone Lust, which offers bone jewelry/art to the public. Each piece is carefully made with love. Nothing is mass produced. I’m the only one working in my shops.



ABOUT THE BONES & OTHER ANIMAL BY-PRODUCTS USED IN MY PIECES:

I pride myself in NOT SUPPORTING industries that harm/kill animals and/or use their lives as profit. Like trappers, fur garment industries, pet breeders/shops, factory farming/meat industries, or medical research supply companies. "Not support" means I will not purchase any animal by-products from these industries.

I do use bones that hunters have dumped. I live in a very rural/poor area and these hunters feed their families this way and help control invasive species like wild boar. While I myself do not even eat meat (since 1993), beyond seafood about once a month. I’ve also been very active in animal rights, anti-vivisection, conservation efforts, etc. Donating thousands so far in my lifetime to related groups. And have personally rescued easily hundreds of creatures in my lifetime so far. Furry, feathered, insect, spider and otherwise.

99.9% of the bones and teeth used in my jewelry and art I’ve found myself. Then processed myself by the best means to provide you with a strong product that will last, and be sanitary to wear. I consider myself a professional as I’ve been collecting bones for over 30 years now. I do not like waste and honor the lives of these animals in my art/jewelry. I never have nor ever will harm or kill an animal, insect or plant for my bone collection or for the bones used/sold here. Also, all animal remains used in my shop were obtained by legal means approved by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

BONELUST BONE PROCESSING Q&A: I want to start collecting bones/animal remains but I'm concerned about disease.

What sort of safety precautions do you take while removing flesh from bone?

Good questions that I think not enough beginning bone collectors think about. Well obviously be super sanitary about each step of it. Here are some steps I take to stay sanitary:

Wear a respirator or at least a surgical/dust mask when you have concerns about airborne disease. I always wear high quality well fitted latex gloves when handling any remains until they are completely sanitary AFTER the hydrogen peroxide bath, which is the final step of processing. You can get every size imaginable in boxes of 100 on Amazon.com. You don't want cheap gloves tearing open while you're handling rotting carcasses. If you only have cheap gloves, double up.

Take care not to do processing where you eat or bathe. Every time I see a photo of a skull in a bathroom sink with their toothbrush and glass nearby I cringe. Keep your processing tools separate from your kitchen tools AND wash separate. Yes, these things would seem like common sense but I've seen bone collectors do things you wouldn't believe. Also, do not let your pets drink maceration water, peroxide bath or chew on dead things. I've seen far too many photos where people think this is funny. It can be VERY bad for your pets to do any of these things. Would you let your child drink/chew on these things???

Also, wash your hands/arms, hair and clothes/shoes after possible contamination. After I've gotten myself into some REALLY nasty stuff I put my clothes (shoes included, I wear Chucks so I can) into the wash and take a shower myself. When you're working on maceration tubs or handling dead animals you can expect a certain amount of contamination of your clothes/shoes. Splashback from maceration baths is very common. If you have long hair like me, take care to pull it back and keep it out of the nastiness. Likewise, wash down your processing work area and maceration tubs after use. The only time I use chlorine bleach in relation to bone processing is when I clean out maceration tubs when they get really bad. Although most of the time I let everything sun sanitize. Because I don't want bleach killing off my maceration bacteria colonies. So if you do use bleach rinse VERY well.

When picking up dead animals to process watch out for gases and liquids escaping the body. Which will almost always happen when you move the body. If you don't have latex gloves with you use a plastic bag to handle it and flip it right into that same bag. Don't lay dead animals in your car without a plastic bag or you'll be sorry. That smell will stay around and leave a very unsanitary stain where it laid. Keep hand sanitizer, gloves, and bags in your car so you're always prepared.

I could go on but that covers the basics and a little extra, just use common sense. Stay safe and sanitary friends.

Most Important Thing For a Bone Collector? Patience.

One of the main things I see most bone collectors struggling with is having the patience to get the job done right. Right meaning using steps that leave the bone strongest as a finished piece. Processing from start to finish for me can take weeks or even months per skeleton/skull. Start being a dead animal, finished being only the bone/horn/hoof/claw/antlers.

The way I get around being impatient is to always have several projects going on at all times in every step of my bone processing.

1) Natural decomposition and/or maceration.



Naturally decomping deer remains, nearly ready for maceration.


Naturally mummified opossum skull ready to macerate.


Filling up a maceration tub of deer and wild boar bones with water.


Flesh free bones after maceration.


Wild boar and deer bones in different stages of maceration and degreasing.

2) Degreasing.

I honestly don't do a lot of degreasing. I've found that a lot of the oils rise to the surface during maceration. On a rare ocassion I do some extra degreasing though with a dishsoap and water soak. Or super weak ammonia and water soak. Both can take months. Also degreasing is really a personal preference of the bone collector. Some people don't care to degrease at all and some like their bones grease free.

3) Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) bath.


Wild boar bones and skulls in different stages of peroxide bath sanitizing and whitening.

Right now I have these skulls/bones in their final H2O2 bath. Deer skulls, goat skull & wild boar vertebrae. One deer skull is on the side to further lighten a stain. The goat skull was too big for the container so once the skull lightened it was time to do the same to the horns (minus the horn sheaths).




4) Drying.


Deer and boar bones sun drying.


Finished skull example of a goat.

Want more detailed info on each step? There are extensive blog posts covering each of these steps pictured here. For more info read the rest of my related blog posts.

Maceration Info

Bad Words: BOIL & BLEACH

The Mathematics Of Maceration - A HowTo Guide For The Impatient

BONELUST BONE PROCESSING Q&A: What should the remains look like to begin maceration?

Degreasing Info

BONELUST Q&A: "How will I know if a skull needs degreasing, I'm not sure what it even looks like?"

Whitening Info

Whitening Bone Using Hydrogen Peroxide NOT Chlorine Bleach

Bad Words: BOIL & BLEACH

BONELUST BONE PROCESSING PROGRESS: First Adult Goat Skull processing progression photos & timeline.

1) As it started in early March, horn sheaths removed. Added to maceration tub. Some minor flesh and grease present.



2) Removed from maceration and rinsed, mid April. Had been dumped and refilled once with water.



3) Started hydrogen peroxide bath mid April. No grease present or flesh. Only some bone staining.



4) Done and horn sheaths replaced late April. Turned out gorgeous.

RELATED BLOG POSTS:

Bad Words: BOIL & BLEACH

The Mathematics Of Maceration - A HowTo Guide For The Impatient

Whitening Bone Using Hydrogen Peroxide NOT Chlorine Bleach

BONELUST BONE ART SHOP Q&A: Who is your animal bone supplier?

I am! This is just a small peek into my bone supplies. 99% of the animal bones, teeth & claws I use in my art I find and process myself. They are natural death, road kill and hunter dumped remains I've collected & fully processed myself. Nothing is ever killed for my art. On rare occasions I locate ethical sources for anything I can't find locally. Like the quills & deer antler I use, which are naturally shed. Sorry, but I do not sell my bone supplies or tell anyone the sources for any of my supplies in general.

BONELUST BONE PROCESSING Q&A: What should the remains look like to begin maceration?

This photo of opossum remains is a perfect example of when to macerate. Only a little dried on flesh and almost no fur on the bones. I just filled up this container with water & tightly sealed the lid. Now I will leave the bacteria to do their work for the next 2 to 3 weeks. Do not add anything else, only water. Especially not any soaps or chemicals that would kill the bacteria that need to breed in that water to clean the bones of the flesh. If you put a whole animal in a maceration tub with fur, innards & skin it would take forever. Could potentially cause the bones to start to decay before they fell free. And would be unbelievably horrid smelling. I also stress using a sealed container for the process especially if you are leaving it outside. Otherwise you could grow algae on the bones or have the tub fill will maggots or other creatures that will possibly begin to decay the bone. Lastly, always wear latex gloves during this process while handling the remains/bones. They will be incredibly unsanitary.

For much more info about maceration check out my other posts here:

The Mathematics Of Maceration - A HowTo Guide For The Impatient

Bad Words: BOIL & BLEACH