Australia's Science Forum

A teacher just brought in an skeleton of a long necked tortoise and wants it cleaned for display.

Although it has been picked fairly clean by ants, it still stinks.

It's a lovely intact skeleton, with the neck still fused together.

What should I do to clean it up -- preferably without the neck falling apart?

Most display skeletons I've seen have been wired together in some way to stop them falling apart. It be still stinking because there are ligaments and cartilage still attached, (which is what is keeping it together) and these are decomposing. I've rewired bits of our skeletons on occaision but I'm certainly not an expert - the bones are bored or drilled in certain places to insert the wires.

Maybe talk to your local uni, zoo, or nature park?

Very carefully...... place on skeleton on some type of lid that can be dunked in water, using bicarb and a little water and a soft tooth bush, gently scrub the bones you can access. This will help clean and remove smell. When done, dunk in water bath to remove residue.
this can also be done using toothpaste but not for shell.
Good luck