Skull in enclosure?

[Isopods others]

I have this sheep skull lying about and wanted to use it in a forest scorpion enclosure would there be any problems with this?

 

[Wolfram1]

i would be interested to hear how it went if someone has tried that.

i have acctually never considered using a skull since i would be worried about any residual fat in the bone and the smell that may result from exposing it to moisture.

not sure if my worry is legit, as i said i never tried it, but i can remember the result all too well when i soaked shells i had collected at the beach in some water to clean them, the smell was awful and i had to get rid of them. or the smell of some deer bones in a creek.

i don't think there would be any problems for the scorpion though.

 

[viper69]

Not in terms of toxins

 

[IntermittentSygnal]

This kid is fabulous. I've used his methods before to thoroughly clean bone.

How to clean animal bones - the complete guide

The blog of Jake, a fourteen year old bone collector, naturalist and published author from Scotland.

www.jakes-bones.com

 

[Smotzer]

It should be fine to use it doesn’t pose an inherent risk

 

[dman13760]

I have used skulls in my T's enclosures without any ill effects

 

[milky]

That is a nice looking skull.

 

[Isopods others]

Yep found in a field, ( someone needs to look after their sheep better) then adorning a window sill so I thought put it to good use

 

[The Snark]

someone needs to look after their sheep better

They did. Unthrifty aged sheep are allowed to continue grazing instead of selling them for dog food. They live out their lives, still producing some wool every year. Virtually all humane sheep ranches have the pastures dotted here and there with skeletons. Missed downs. They try to collect downs to avoid attracting predators but the pastures can be vast, a square mile or more sometimes. Sometimes the bones are collected and sold for bone meal. If an aged sheep is suffering they get put down when noticed.
In the case of some ranches as I helped out on once, come shearing time a sweep of the pastures is made. Strays are collected, sheared and determined if they are suffering. If not they are sent back out with the flock.

Proper land management practices requires a maximum number of sheep per pasture size to prevent overgrazing. Sheep will rip the roots out if overgrazing and cause destroyed watershed and flooding.

 

[Isopods others]

Pretty similar here, across the country in Northern Wales ( perhaps south too) they free range them over the mountains, then bring them down from the mountains maybe thrice per year, so I don't think it's neglect rather the fact that there is a lot of mountain and sheep so it's natural to not be able to find them all, different from England which is mostly which you describe above, at least my part.

 

[The Snark]

Pretty similar here, across the country in Northern Wales ( perhaps south too) they free range them over the mountains, then bring them down from the mountains maybe thrice per year, so I don't think it's neglect rather the fact that there is a lot of mountain and sheep so it's natural to not be able to find them all, different from England which is mostly which you describe above, at least my part.

Same up in stretches of the Pennines and New Zealand but the old ways are giving over to the modern with ATVs making the scenes. I suspect many sheep ranchers and the rule book in the US was taken from the New Zealand land management playbook. Portable fence chargers and fencing along with continuous rotational grazing in some areas. That also saves a few hundred head of cattle every year from bloat. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/dige...f-the-ruminant-forestomach/bloat-in-ruminants
Very stiff fines n some locations in the US for overgrazing caused erosion to the tune of paying for riparian area restoration in critical habitat locations.