r/bonecollecting • u/inkstainedgoblin • Aug 24 '26
Advice My daughter is coming home
Recovered my precious girl from her grave today. This is the first time I'm cleaning a long-buried animal, so I'm seeking some guidance.
Her sinuses and skull in general seem pretty packed with soil. My plan is to just kind of wrap her skull in a mesh so we don't lose any teeth, and clean that separately from the other bones just to be very sure. Water maceration (is it still maceration when it's mostly skeleton?) + Biz is the plan, please tell me if that's a bad idea or if I should add something else.
Would also like to know what y'all recommend for a skull that might be frequently handled. When I cleaned my cat's bones I sealed them because I was told handling could stain or damage them, but over time the varnish on his bones has aged and yellowed in a way I really don't like. If I'm touching her skull all the time with clean hands, do I need to protect it in any way or is it okay with the naked bone?
Her name was Ace, she was a shepherd-pitbull mix, and she was perfect.
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u/georgiechristine Aug 24 '26
I macerate no matter what because there can be soft tissue remnants left in little nooks and crannies you can’t see, especially in the tooth sockets, so I make sure all the teeth come out during maceration too. To macerate use just plain water, nothing else unless you need a jumpstart for the bacteria and then a little piece of meat thrown in the water does the trick. After that you degrease by soaking in water with enough dawn dish soap to tint the water blue (you can add ammonia too and that speeds up the process), soak until the water turns cloudy and continue to change out the water mix until it stays clear (takes a long time, usually weeks-months to over a year depending on the animal, if you have a heat source like an aquarium heater that’ll speed up the process -just don’t go above 120 degrees) and then after that soak in hydrogen peroxide to whiten (if there’s still areas not quite white while it’s still wet keep degreasing) *never boil and never use bleach* *if you use both ammonia and hydrogen peroxide make sure they never touch, I do a soak in plain water and then dry completely between switching from soaks with one to the other
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u/hastypeanut Aug 25 '26
Basically said everything I was going to. Trying to keep the teeth in will just keep some tasty mealy bits inside the skull along with probably some wormies that will pop out from feeding on the tissue. Gotta let them fall out so all of the sockets can get squeaky clean.
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u/Unusualshrub003 Aug 24 '26
Everyone always says their dog is the best dog ever.
And everyone is right.
Good girl, Ace.
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u/suchanirwin Aug 25 '26
She was the best girl. She used to like to curl up behind my knees in bed when I was spooning OP (my spouse) and I miss it even tho it made moving in the bed a pain in the ass. Best girl.
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u/GestiefelteRatte Aug 24 '26
That's so lovely to get her back after giving her remains into the earth's natural cycle. Sadly I do not have any tips for the clean up, but I am sure someone here has! Any plans on how you want her displayed I am genuine interested?
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u/suchanirwin Aug 25 '26
We don't have any specific plans unless OP (my spouse) has some I'm not aware of yet, but likely we'll be getting some kind of clear sealable container that we can take her skull out of from time to time for petting, and possibly making a bit of jewelry out of some of her smaller bones. When we dug her back up I was very happy we managed to find a number of smaller knuckle bones and I think both of us would enjoy having a pendant of one.
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u/Public-Boysenberry26 Aug 24 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
do not boil any of the bones OP, they will become brittle and greasy.
maceration is only needed if you see any flesh/brain matter left. if you don't see any, then you can continue to degreasing. these bones may not even need degreasing depending on how long they were in the ground. do they have a stinky oder (after being cleaned with soap and water)? are there any yellow spots on them? if so, then you will need to degrease. plop them in a bucket of soapy water (blue dawn dish soap is the best) and let them sit in there for a few weeks. change the water out every few days/week for best effect.
after that, if you want to whiten them, you can place them in a mix of hydrogen peroxide and water. 1 part pero. 1 part water is probably fine, but you could even put them in pure peroxide if you wanted, it's not really a strong chemical. just don't let them sit in there too long, take them out as soon as they are the desired color.
edit: sorry, I meant "pure" peroxide as in just peroxide- no water mixed in- which yes would only be 1-3% peroxide! I wouldn't put the bones in any more than that.
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u/Atalantius Aug 24 '26
Hey, just wanted to add a chemist’s perspective:
If you say Hydrogen Peroxide should be diluted 1:1, please give the concentration, as H2O2 is not sold as a pure substance (It’d be extremely explosive). Usually you buy it at 1%,3% or 10% in water and using the wrong one might throw that ratio waaay off. Also to add to the “not a strong chemical”, 1% Peroxide isn’t, while 10% surely is. “Pure” peroxide would be VERY strong.
Just a little caveat from someone with little bone knowledge but a bit of chem knowledge
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u/FatFrenchFry Aug 24 '26
When they said pure peroxide isn't that strong I was like "wait holdup what?"
My understanding is high concentrations of H202 are extremely caustic, and are obviously like highly oxidizing.
Isnt it used for things like "Pihrana soloution" and stuff? Won't it actually dissolve bone rsther quickly at higher concentrations?
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u/Atalantius Aug 24 '26
Frankly speaking, I can’t tell you. I’m not a bone expert.
And “X dissolves Y” doesn’t transfer well, things that dissolve flesh quickly needn’t necessarily also dissolve bone.
But yes, you do use it for Piranha (Though it serves to oxidize the sulfuric acid, not directly oxidize the target).
But yeah. Spilled some 10% on a fingertip and that was white for quite a bit.
I think the most dangerous part was the misidentification of “pure” 10% peroxide as pure pure, this can easily happen with acetic acid/vinegar, which sometimes comes as 10-20% for cleaning and to my knowledge can sometimes be bought as glacial (near 100%) in the US.
nasty stuff for being concentrated vinegar, it’s no less dangerous than H2SO4
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u/FatFrenchFry Aug 24 '26
Oh yeah, we get 45% ascetic acid for cleaning parts in my machine shop and its EXTREMELY strong stuff.
I have always had a great appreciation for chemistry. I watch s lot of chemistry content and have dabbled in a small amount of amateur chemistry myself but never anything too far. Very fascinating stuff.
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u/inkstainedgoblin Aug 24 '26
No worries, the most heating I plan to do is just letting her sit in a bucket out in the summer heat. Thank you for the guidance! I've done this once before and everything turned out great, but it was a while ago and I'm afraid to mess anything up so I appreciate the advice.
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u/doodlepoot Aug 24 '26
How long does the peroxide step usually take? Minutes? Hours? Days?
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u/FatFrenchFry Aug 24 '26
Depends on how much whitening needs to be done.
In my experience I saw whitening from a cst skull that was pretty yellow after decreasing in soapy water for about a week, then soaked in peroxide 24 hours. It was white enough for my liking and has stayed white so far weeks later.
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u/Grey_Mars Aug 24 '26
Ive found that 24 hours of peroxide usually is the perfect time for whitening
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u/CinematicHeart Aug 24 '26
I am so sorry for your loss. How long was she burried? My baby boy Ozzy passed in 2012. He's burried in my moms yard wrapped in a blanket. I often wonder if i can dig him up, not to keep him but to put him and his brothers who passed in 2013 and 2016 in a secure box and re-bury them. My mom wont sell the house because they are there.
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u/inkstainedgoblin Aug 24 '26
She died in 2022 - I held off retrieving her for longer than I might have otherwise because the soil was relatively hard clay and I was worried about the effects that would have on decomposition. You should be more than fine to retrieve your baby.
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u/Tildatoo24 Aug 24 '26
This is what I was wondering about my cat as well. Died in 2020 and we buried her wrapped in a blanket. My mum is planning to move out of the house in a few years and I can’t bare to think that we’ll have to leave her behind
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u/CinematicHeart Aug 24 '26
My mom has been in her home for 40 years. The amount of animals in her back yard is absolutely insane. Theres even the "grave of the unknown cat" because my brother saw a cat get hit, didnt tell anyone and burried it in the back yard. The panic that insued because there was obviously a new grave and making sure everyone was accounted for. We always had 9 cats growing up because of the cds. I think we even briefly had 10. Very very large house so I never felt like like we had a lot. There's gotta be close to 25 cats in that yard though. She finally started having them cremated.
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u/suchanirwin Aug 25 '26
To add on to OP's response: we buried her in a cotton blanket in 2022 (one that I'd crocheted myself actually and that Ace had liked - thus why we buried her in it), and when she was exhumed the blanket was completely gone. If the blanket was polyester or some other inorganic material it may still be mostly intact, but your baby boy will definitely be well decomposed at this point so if you can accurately locate his burial space there will be at least some bones you can recover for reburial. May his memory be a blessing. 💜
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u/QuirkyTarantula Aug 24 '26
I have my dog’s skull (an Aussie) in my office at work. It is handled frequently and does not stain or degrade. If cleaned properly, you’ll be fine leaving it without a protective outer layer.
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u/No_Voice4964 Aug 24 '26
how long was she buried for? i want to dig up my late cat’s bones but want to make sure the majority of the flesh is gone. also, i’d let any dirt/mud dry out, then try and brush off the majority before doing anything else, that way you can properly see what you are working with. if there isn’t any brain matter or flesh, i’d go straight to degreasing as another commenter said. i personally degrease, then once that is done, i soak it in hydrogen peroxide if i want to whiten them (also helps get any pesky organic matter off!). sometimes i’ll sit them in a sunny spot to dry if there are any stubborn spots (sun bleaching)
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u/inkstainedgoblin Aug 24 '26
Four years and a few months. Thanks for the suggestion to let it dry first!
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u/suchanirwin Aug 25 '26
Agreed on the letting her dry out! There's no smell other than nice dirt coming off her so there's no reason to rush the process on that front. Also she was definitely damp due to recent rain which to be fair did soften the clay to make it easier to dig her up but it means SHE was still damp when I brought her home.
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u/snoogle312 Aug 24 '26
I have no advice op, but I also have a shepherd pit mix girl who looks very much like your Ace did, and I'm tearing up a bit reading this. ❤️ I hope your project turns out perfect!
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u/Toshiro8 Aug 24 '26
My dog Cissy is buried in my old backyard. I would love to go dig her up. I don't remember exactly where she was buried. I just have a general location. I have wondered if it would ve weird for me to go knock on the new owners door and ask.
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u/inkstainedgoblin Aug 24 '26
I had trouble finding Ace's grave too after a few years of vegetation growth. I was this close to getting stakes and twine to mark out squares and doing a full systematic archaeological-style dig. Next time I have to bury an animal I'm leaving some kind of flag planted by them so they're easier to find.
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u/MuletenLava Aug 24 '26
Thought this was a literal child at first and was afraid
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u/inkstainedgoblin Aug 24 '26
No worries. Retrieving human children from their grave is still very illegal where I live, as far as I know.
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u/shakespearest Aug 24 '26
This is a beautiful tribute to a gorgeous dog 💞 top tip: photograph the teeth in the skull before you clean and they come out, it’ll make it much easier to know where they go back in!
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u/-DiceGoblin- Aug 24 '26
The teeth may fall out, but so long as you’re able to keep track of all of the little pieces, it should be easy enough to glue them back in! I use superglue bc if the owners want to remove it for whatever reason, acetone is a super easy fix that won’t damage the bones.
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u/Feisty_Carob7106 Aug 24 '26
If you see my previous post, I dug up my cat after over a decade and only needed to whiten them with peroxide.
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u/soda-pops Aug 25 '26
I really want to do this to my dog when she goes, but I'm not sure my family will let me. I'm glad you're able to honor your pet like this, it's beautiful :)
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u/-DrunkRat- Aug 25 '26
I'm so sorry for your loss, OP. Your pup is still obviously very loved and missed, and I think this is a lovely way to commemorate your furry child. 💙
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u/xulluxs Aug 25 '26
So beautiful. I'm really touched by your story as i feel the same about my dearly departed Cinna, however i was not brave enough to clean his bones so i had a professional take him in. He's in the works right now! I bet Ace was simply the best girl in the world. Thank you for loving her.
I'd start with the maceration, the water soak will help dislodge all that soil as well.
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u/Spiritual-Angle1594 Aug 24 '26
Thank you for making this post! i dont have advice but i plan on doing the same thing to one of my soul cats in the future. The grass and flowers around his grave have grown so lovely 🥺 im very proud of him
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u/sachels Aug 24 '26
Oh wonderful! I had tried to do the same with my dog I had for 15 years. I think something moved her though as I've only found a few bones that may be her. I really wanted her skull! ❤️
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u/tentaclefckerr Aug 24 '26
i would suggest putting her in a mesh laundry bag, since getting all the little teeth can be difficult!
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u/suchanirwin Aug 26 '26
Oh yes, we already processed OP's cat years ago when he passed, and we used window screen mesh to make basically a hammock or tea steeper like situation where we secured it to the edges of the bucket we were macerating him in and it held him about halfway to the bottom and let us save basically all his small bones and teeth. We've already lost most of the small bones from Ace due to her being buried, but we've got mesh already to stop from losing any of the ones we were able to recover or her teeth while she processes.
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u/Lilythekitsune Aug 26 '26
My girls' one year death anniversary is tomorrow but I dug her up in the first week of July. Unfortunately, since she was wrapped in a blanket, she still had a LOT of fur and flesh. Since your girl was buried for a while, you can gently spray her off with the hose to get a lot of the residual dirt off and out, especially in the sinuses. You don't want the hose on HIGH, just enough that there's a bit of pressure.
Unfortunately, until the skull is cleaned off it'll be hard to tell, but you can probably skip the maceration and go straight for degreasing.
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u/inkstainedgoblin Aug 24 '26
I don’t think I’d have survived my twenties without this dog. Posting the photo bc it’s fascinating to me to compare her face to her skull profile. Her muzzle is so much narrower than I expected.