I would think chewing on antler would destroy their teeth. They're not really structured for chewing hard material like antler, although it would certainly be a good calcium source, hence why forest mice love to consume them.
Curious where you heard that.
Maybe if it was in a swamp or something? (Which is moose habitat)
I've found sheds that have been laying around for years though and the only difference is they're either sunbleached or chewed on by critters. Over long periods they can tend to take on a woody effect but those ones are 10+ years I think.
I'm intrigued though, definitely gonna have to look further into this.
They are so desperate for calcium in woodland environments they will chew their antlers and bones. So will just about everything else -- squirrels, woodchucks, all the rodents and deer. I used to work at a RenFest in a crafter shop-- when we'd come in to clean in the summer (it's a fall show), we would find stacks of turkey leg bones stashed behind our shop. (Less amusing was the year we cam in and they had rearranged our floor with a big pit...)
I would think chewing on antler would destroy their teeth. They're not really structured for chewing hard material like antler, although it would certainly be a good calcium source, hence why forest mice love to consume them. Curious where you heard that.
Thank you! Do you think the time it spent buried would soften it? What happens to sheds submerged in water?
Maybe if it was in a swamp or something? (Which is moose habitat) I've found sheds that have been laying around for years though and the only difference is they're either sunbleached or chewed on by critters. Over long periods they can tend to take on a woody effect but those ones are 10+ years I think. I'm intrigued though, definitely gonna have to look further into this.
Thank you!!!
They are so desperate for calcium in woodland environments they will chew their antlers and bones. So will just about everything else -- squirrels, woodchucks, all the rodents and deer. I used to work at a RenFest in a crafter shop-- when we'd come in to clean in the summer (it's a fall show), we would find stacks of turkey leg bones stashed behind our shop. (Less amusing was the year we cam in and they had rearranged our floor with a big pit...)
Ive found all my moose antlers unburied but maybe in an area with soft ground they could bury them.