How to get a dead turtle out of its shell?

Question

I need a turtle shell for my biology project. I found a dead turtle and i set it in an ant pile. about half of the turtle is gone but all the ants are gone due to the cold weather. does anyone know how to get the turtle out faster.

Answer 1

Well you have to understand that the turtle's skeleton is attached to the inside of the shell, so it wont all come off. You should maybe go speak to someone who does taxadermy in oyur area. They most likely use some sort of beetle (Dermestidae) to clean the flesh off of dead animals. so just ask them if they have any Dermestid beetles you could have

Answer 2

A dead turtle doesn't slip out of its shell the way a snail does when dead. It is attached by many muscles as well as skin and other tissues. Bugs are a good way to clean it, especially dermestid beetles. But in the absence of suitable bugs the only way to do it without damaging the shell is one bit at a time, knife, scissors and tweezers. In other words, dissect it out. A snail shell can be cleaned out chemically because the shell is essentially inorganic calcium salts. But a turtle shell is bone, which has an organic matrix, and any chemical that will dissolve the tissues within the shell will also badly damage the shell itself.

Answer 3

You could use bleach or an acid bath to help dissolve the flesh...note that it will probably affect the outer layer of the shell and destroy the coloring. If it wasn't so cold, then it'd be no problem...in winter, things don't decay too well.

Answer 4

you could cut back down lots on the time in case you get rid of what you could with a knife until now you simmer the turtle. besides the undeniable fact that, you may enable bugs do the cleansing for you (once you get rid of what you could with the knife). That way, you will possibly basically could scrub off what they circulate away.

Answer 5

A really sharp knife or an axe

Answer 6

boil it, then scare and rinse the inside.

Answer 7

Boil it up then scrape it out....lol