What to do!

[infernalis]

Are garter snake skeletons "soft" like fish skeletons??

It may be quite difficult Steve, Not really sure.

[ssssnakeluvr]

Are garter snake skeletons "soft" like fish skeletons??

It may be quite difficult Steve, Not really sure.

nope, they are bone, not cartilage. I have a complete red sided garter skeleton I found out in Kansas...under a rock... that would be my suggestion is put the body under a board on some bare soil and mother nature take care of it...insects wil eat the flesh and hopefully will leave the tendons to dry and hold it together...

here's photos....its now mounted in a nice black shadow box

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

What I would do, is let him sit outside for a day in the heat so that flies will lay their eggs on the carcass. I think the maggots would clean him up pretty well.... but I believe the best thing you could use would be carrion beetles, which taxidermists and people who put together dead skeletons use to clean carcasses. I used to be friends with a guy who would collect dead reptiles and put together their skeleton. He said he kept a bucket of carrion beetles always waiting and then put a dead carcass in there. He always told me that they did a fantastic job of cleaning something right to the bone.

[Stefan-A]

nope, they are bone, not cartilage.

The bones of bony fish (Osteichtyes) are bone.

Snake bones do seem pretty flexible.

[ssssnakeluvr]

The bones of bony fish (Osteichtyes) are bone.

Snake bones do seem pretty flexible.

ok, got me on that one....