Q: "I have a somewhat morbid question: how long does it take for a ferret
body to decompose until just the skeleton is left?"
"We may move one day (soon) and I can't bear the thought of leaving [my
ferret].  I.e.  the new owner of the house digging in the garden and
disturbing [my ferret]...I just want to know if that is possible and how
long I have to wait before doing it and can I just wash the soil of the
bones, is there something I have to do to the skeleton to preserve it?"
 
A: For reasons of taste, no jokes on this subject.
 
Normally I don't answer questions of this type because I fear people
might use the techniques to put ferret bones on eBay (or worse).  Well,
not the people asking, but someone accessing the FML archives to get the
information.  However, in this case, because within a week I received 4
emails from 4 different people basically asking the same thing and the
requests were not how to prepare skeletons, but how to recover them prior
to moving, I will discuss the particulars.  If this subject disturbs you,
please skip to the next post.
 
I really cannot say how long it would take for a ferret to decompose.
The change to the body and bone after internment is called "diagenesis,"
and the exact changes are dependent on a lot of variables, such as
rainfall, yearly mean temperature at the depth of burial, presence of
fungus or mold, insect and bacterial activity, soil acidity, preservation
of the ferret at the time of burial, roots, soil composition, materials
placed in the burial, even the aeration of the soil.  In a general sense,
the wetter and warmer the conditions during internment, the faster is the
decomposition of the body.  Even then, things can last for a long time,
especially when the ferret is buried in a plastic container or bag.
 
The first thing you have to do is dig the little fellow up.  I recommend
you use a tablespoon to do the job.  Dump ALL dirt remains into a wire
colander and periodically shake it to sift out the dirt.  When you come
to the skeletal remains, since this isn't a scientific investigation,
simply spoon them out- -gently!- -making sure to get all dirt on either
side and underneath the bones.  Be very gentle.  If the grave wasn't
beneath the root zone, the remains may be very soft and easily broken.
In many cases, you may recover part of the body with the bones, or
perhaps just some skin with fur.  Some bones may be in a root ball.  Go
ahead and recover these parts and keep them with the rest of the skeleton
for the time being.
 
Once the skeleton has been recovered, place the colander containing the
bones into a sink or larger pot, and fill it with warm water so it covers
the bones.  Add a couple of tablespoons of Tide detergent, but nothing
else.  Let the bones soak in the solution for a few hours, periodically
giving the colander a gentle shake to help loosen the dirt so it will
fall through the wire.  After a few hours, turn on warm water until it
is a gentle stream, then take out each individual bone and rinse it off
so the rinse water falls into the colander.  If something nasty is stuck
to the bone, rub it off with a bamboo stick or toothpick.  You might have
to pick apart a root ball.  If something is stuck is a mass of organic
material and you cannot easily remove it, just leave it in place.  Place
the rinsed bones on a piece of paper towel until dry.
 
The bones will probably be a medium to dark brown color and will probably
have some organic matter stuck to them (which you can ignore).  Major
parts of the skeleton may be damaged or missing, especially the ribs,
sternum and vertebrae, and the ends of the long bones.  Many of the bones
of the front and rear paws may be lost, as well as some of the smaller
teeth.  You will probably not recover the throat bones, or the bones from
the tip of the tail.  The bones may be soft to the touch, or even crush
under fingertip pressure.  I wouldn't recommend any attempts to clean
further, especially using bleach or peroxide, because many bones
deteriorate from the marrow cavity outwards, and caustic cleansers can
cause them to flake apart.
 
I would recommend placing the recovered skeletal remains in a paper bag
for temporary storage until they can be reburied at a later date.  Fold
the top over a few times, and staple the top shut.  Use a toothpick and
punch a few small holes near the top of the bag to allow the bag humidity
to better equalize to that of the surroundings.  The bag must be kept
absolutely dry until reburial to prevent fungus growth.
 
As already stated, 4 people within a week asked me how to recover ferret
remains because of a change in residence, so the desire is probably more
common than some might think.  The best way is to be prepared beforehand.
Dig your initial grave about 18-24 inches deep and about 1 square foot
wide.  Smooth the bottom so it is flat, and then cover the bottom with 6
layers of plastic like that from a trash bag.  On top of the plastic,
pour about 3 or 4 inches of sand.  Place the casket and grave goods on
the sand, or just the ferret if you elect not to use a casket, then cover
everything with another 6 inches of sand.  On the top of the sand, pour
the contents of a small bottle of septic tank treatment.  Cover the wet
sand with 6 layers of plastic, then backfill the grave with the excavated
dirt.  Purchase a 1 ft square concrete tile from a home and garden
center, and place it directly over the excavated hole so you know the
exact grave dimensions later.  It will also discourage digging by
scavengers.  You can decorate the tile with concrete paints if you wish.
 
I will not discuss how to further clean or preserve the bones because the
point is to recover remains so they can be reburied.  A large number of
ferret owners are renters, or they are required to move for one reason or
another, and the need for recovery for future reburial is their right.
This post addresses those needs.  No one on this list should speak
negatively about it.
 
Bob C
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[Posted in FML issue 4496]