How to Cure a Rabbit's Foot

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 24, 2019 Approved

Rabbit’s feet have long been thought of as lucky charms, particularly the rear left foot. If you hunt rabbits and want to make use of as much of the carcass as possible, it’s easy to cure the foot and use it as a lucky charm. You can keep it yourself or give to a friend as a gift.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Curing the Foot in Rubbing Alcohol

1
Clean the foot. If you have a rabbit’s foot that you have got from a local farmer or from a rabbit that you have shot yourself, you can cure it and use it as a lucky charm. The first step is to thoroughly clean the foot to make sure that all the dirt, blood, and any little parasites in the fur are dealt with.
- Wash the foot in a tub of warm water with anti-bacterial liquid hand soap. Make sure you clean it thoroughly.
- Once it’s cleaned, rinse it thoroughly to get rid of any soap.
- Squeeze out excess water from the foot and leave it dry out a little.^{[1]
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2
Submerge it in rubbing alcohol. The next step is to submerge it in rubbing alcohol and leave it to sit for 48 hours. You should use 70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol.^{[2]
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Research source} You can buy this online, or from a hardware store or a big supermarket. Place the foot into a jar and then pour in the rubbing alcohol. Make sure the foot is completely submerged in alcohol, and then screw on the lid.
- You could also use a zip lock bag instead of jar, but make sure it is secure and there are no leaks.
- Note the time and date of when you submerge the foot, and then leave it alone for 48 hours.^{[3]
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3
Rinse it off. After 48 hours has passed, return to the foot and remove it from the rubbing alcohol. Give the foot a thorough rinse with water and make sure you have cleaned off any lingering alcohol. Squeezing the feet will help you to get out any alcohol that has seeped deeper into the fur.
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Keep the alcohol for next time. There is no need to throw away the alcohol. If you intend to cure another rabbit’s foot in future, keep hold of the jar of alcohol and use it again. Make sure you label it clearly and keep somewhere safe and secure.^{[4]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Washing it in a Sodium Tetraborate Solution

1
Put it in a sodium tetraborate mixture. Once you have rinsed off the foot, you now need to submerge it in another mixture to complete the process. In the US, it is common to Borax, a detergent booster. This a sodium tetraborate, which will be branded differently depending on where in the world you are. You should be able to find an equivalent in the laundry section of your local supermarket.
- In a new jar, zip lock bag, or other container, mix 15 parts warm water to 1 part sodium tetraborate.
- Stir the powder into water well, and then place the foot in the solution.
- Leave it in the jar of sodium tetraborate solution for 24 hours to give the chemicals time to work on dehydrating the skin and tissues.^{[5]
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2
Rinse it off and leave it to dry. After a day has passed, remove the foot from the solution and again thoroughly rinse it off, being sure to work out any of the remaining solution from the fur. Wash the foot in warm water until you feel the grittiness of the sodium tetraborate solution has been completely removed.
- Rub the foot dry with some paper towel so that there is no excess or dripping water.
- Then leave it out to dry completely in the air. You can dry a foot out in the sun or inside.
- A foot should dry out in a day or so, and then you will have a cured rabbit’s foot.
3
Cap the foot. Once the foot has dried off, it will have recovered its fluffiness and softness. To finish it off, or make it ready for a key chain, you will need to cap the foot. You could do with a variety of different things, such as a piece of leather or even an empty shell casing. Glue the foot into whatever you decide to use to cap it, and then leave it dry.^{[6]
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- If you intend to use it as a key chain, be sure you place a hook or loop through the cap.

Community Q&A

Question

Can I use 91-percent alcohol to cure a rabbit's foot?

Community Answer

That's a little too strong, and could start to make the foot deteriorate.
Question

Can I use dish soap?

Community Answer

Yes. As long as it is antibacterial soap, then it will work.
Question

How much is too much borax?

Community Answer

You won't use too much. It won't harm the foot as long as you have water in it. Without water, it would cause it to get too dry and brittle.