i found a fox carcass...

when going for a walk yesterday afternoon. it lays in a creek at the bottom of a narrow V-shaped valley and has already been half-eaten by birds- so cause of death is a bit tricky to determine but i daresay it was killed by hunters... . i'm tinkering with the idea of salvaging the teeth for a small leatherworking project as decoration BUT i'm worried of rabies (and other diseases)... .according to a quick research japan is FREE of rabies but i want to be 100% sure i will not catch anything (removal from jaws with gloves of course!) when touching them ! is there a way to desinfect them or should i apply ""better safe then sorry""?!
 

nephilim

Settler
Jul 24, 2014
871
0
Bedfordshire
To Disinfect animal teeth, I found putting them in listerine for 5 minutes will do the job (may also brighten them up a bit as well). Hope that helps :)
 

nephilim

Settler
Jul 24, 2014
871
0
Bedfordshire
thats true, however, bleach (which contains other things among peroxide) will do more damage than good..peroxide will just whiten up for you :)
 

Robson Valley

On a new journey
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,668
McBride, BC
Dilute the bleach = 9 parts water, 1 part bleach, 15 minutes.
Best bio lab bench-top killer going.
We spent a bundle of money on bench-top germicide that was no where nearly as effective.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,860
2,102
Mercia
Its germicidal but it weakeñs and breaks down bone (sodium hydroxide). Hydrogen peroxide (totally different chemical found in hair bleach but not found in household bleach) is what taxidermists use. Equally germicidal but not as damaging.
 

Stevie777

Native
Jun 28, 2014
1,443
1
Strathclyde, Scotland
Just bury the head for six months and let nature clean it. as for Rabies, as you said, Japan is a "No Risk" Country. I'm interested what you have in mind with regards to the teeth and the Leather though. ?
 

pysen78

Forager
Oct 10, 2013
201
0
Stockholm
My brother used to collect roadkilled badgers and boil them for oil. I've also handled roadkill on several occasions as a part of my job for summer brake. Sometimes pretty ripe. Think of really juicy pulled pork to get the idea. Resist the urge to eat it, wear rubber gloves, and you'll be alright.
 

Nice65

Brilliant!
Apr 16, 2009
6,776
3,177
W.Sussex
Yes but sadly they'll also weaken the structure of the teeth as bleach strips the enamel away

Tooth enamel is calcium based. An acid will dissolve it, but bleach won't. Bleach is Sodium Hypochlorite based, Sodium and Calcium are very similar and in the same group in the Periodic Table.

thats true, however, bleach (which contains other things among peroxide) will do more damage than good..peroxide will just whiten up for you :)

Hydrogen Peroxide is a powerful disinfectant and is not found in bleach. It's a totally different chemical from Sodium Hypochlorite.

To the OP, use either, or boil them for a few minutes.
 
Or just get the rabies vaccine.


i think i'll give it a miss on that one- i have a friend who got bitten as a kid by a not-vaccinated dog so they vaccinated him. the amount of vaccine depends on the body weight- they gave him 15ml.... .



do'nt worry, PYSEN78 ---- i'm not that hungry that i'd chew on funky old fox yet :yikes: ; i guess boiling is the easiest option for me right now... .
 
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J I'm interested what you have in mind with regards to the teeth and the Leather though. ?

nothing special- i got hold of some leather scraps from work which i turn into small pouches. one is supposed to hold my fire kit ( project not started yet!) and when i saw the carcass i thought ""they could be sown on it..."" . the fox skin is too far gone to be of use and i have no place where i could tan it anyway...
 

santaman2000

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Jan 15, 2011
16,909
1,120
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Florida
i think i'll give it a miss on that one- i have a friend who got bitten as a kid by a not-vaccinated dog so they vaccinated him. the amount of vaccine depends on the body weight- they gave him 15ml.....

That's the treatment for after being bitten. Not the vaccine. All the Air Force Security Forces (our version of a combination of your military police and the RAF regiment) have to get. As do most zookeepers, veterinarians, Game Wardens (all these do so voluntarily though)
 
That's the treatment for after being bitten. Not the vaccine. All the Air Force Security Forces (our version of a combination of your military police and the RAF regiment) have to get. As do most zookeepers, veterinarians, Game Wardens (all these do so voluntarily though)


i just learned something new- i did not even know you can do that... . considering that iv'e done a lot of travelling (OZ/NZ are rabies free and i guess you could get after-bite-treatment in korea i did not bother doing much research...) and probably will do more in the future something to keep in mind! how long does the vaccination last?! is it just one shot or several?!
 

lou1661

Full Member
Jul 18, 2004
2,216
222
Hampshire
i just learned something new- i did not even know you can do that... . considering that iv'e done a lot of travelling (OZ/NZ are rabies free and i guess you could get after-bite-treatment in korea i did not bother doing much research...) and probably will do more in the future something to keep in mind! how long does the vaccination last?! is it just one shot or several?!

That sounds like something to discuss with a health care professional bearing in mind that the pre exposure vaccinations still requires post exposure treatment.
 
do'nt worry- i will not go to the hospital tomorrow :D but rabies can also be spread by bats (and other animals) so you might now even think of rabies when something bites you until it's too late... .
and japan is fortunately rabies-free--- more something i'd consider when heading to america or places with low(er) health standards in asia (like china)!
 

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