u/Delicious-War-5259

I have this hide I’ve been working on but idk what to do next. I can’t quite stretch the center, I think it might need fleshed more? I’m not sure. It’s from an intact elderly stud rabbit, probably around 14 years old, so the entire hide was tough, thick, and difficult to work with. I had to flesh by cutting the fascia with a razor blade a millimeter at a time, and I’m still not sure I got it all.

I brined for 2 days in 1 cup alum, 1 cup salt, 1 gallon water, took it out, finished? Fleshing, then put it in 2 cups alum, 2 cups salt, 1 gallon water for 7 more days. Yesterday I rinsed it and shampooed the fur in a tiny amount of baby shampoo and rinsed well, then hung it to dry. I stretched/broke it the best I could last night, some places stayed soft and pliable, some didn’t.

Today I tried to sand it a little with 220 grit paper, but it didn’t do much.

Where do I go from here? The fur is beautiful but the flesh side is a mess. It looks like there’s salt crystals forming on the hide as well? Is that normal?

The larger lizard, surprisingly, recovered! So much so that, he escaped the terrarium and was hanging out under my grow light! Both eyes were healthy and clear, and I chased him around my bedroom before I managed to catch him, so he can definitely see.

They’ve both been released and are back to being wild!

It’s been about 3 days since I found them in the rabbit brine and I have a few updates. The smallest lizard was likely only in the brine for a short time, as its vision seemed completely unharmed. Once I got it cleaned off, hydrated, and watched it for a day or so, I released it.

The other lizard, unfortunately, has not recovered fully. One eye seems healthy and in fact, but the other seems permanently shut. He will eat, but needs to be assist fed (not force fed though, he will bite and swallow it on his own) I’m unable to care for a lizard at all, let alone one with special needs, so I’m going to see if I can find anyone in the Tampa Bay FL area would be able to come get him as a pet (I can’t drive atm, unfortunately). If I can’t find a home for him soon, I’ll have to humanely euthanize, because I’m unable to give him a quality life in captivity at this time.

If you’re interested, or know anyone who would be interested, please PM me.

I know it’s not a first edition, but it think it’s from the 1800’s? My friend asked me to help her sell it.

Long story short, I was brining a rabbit pelt and forgot to put the lid back on. It was a fairly strong brine, 2 cups Alum granules, 2 cups non iodized salt, 1 gallon water.

I just found 2 lizards in it. I believe they’re Cuban anoles. Their eyes are sunken in, had crystals on them, and they won’t open them. Their ribs are very visible and their tails are curled.

Thankfully I already have a 55 gallon terrarium set up, with just plants and isopods (and fungus gnats). I rinsed them very briefly, wiped the salt/alum crystals off their eyelids with a paintbrush, and dropped a drop of clean water into their mouths. They’re in the terrarium now on glass jars of warm water, because they were cold.

Is there anything else I can/need to do for them? I know they’re invasive, so I can’t really let them back outside, but I also don’t want them to die. I feel very guilty for my carelessness leading them to possibly go blind or die.

Edit: I rinsed them a second time, offered water in a shallow lid, force fed another couple drops of water, and changed the water out so it’s warm again. They’re both much more alert but still visually dehydrated and will each only open one eye. I’m not sure if they normally do that or if they both have worse damage in one. I’ll keep y’all posted.

Edit 2: the smaller lizard is doing very well and has both eyes open. The large lizard has one eye still shut, but the other is opened and clear.

Pic is Rose Rush seeds I collected in my yard. I assume it’s fine to collect seeds from wildflowers on my property, but is there any issues (ecosystem or law/people related) with collecting small amounts of seeds from other native wildflowers?

(In FL if it matters. Also I wouldn’t touch anything I can’t identify and nothing endangered if I were to come across them)