Owl Pellets for Dissection, Large

If you've ever asked yourself, "Where can I buy owl pellets?" you've come to the perfect place! Along with this large owl pellet, we at Home Science Tools carry an excellent selection of owl pellet sizes and kits. 

This 1-1/2" (or larger) owl pellet is perfect for a hands-on owl pellet dissection. This particular pellet is discount priced and ideal if you need to buy owl pellets in large quantities for a classroom. Each large owl pellet is foil wrapped and dry heat sterilized. Buy owl pellets in bulk like this to inexpensively do an owl pellet dissection with multiple students!

What is an Owl Pellet?

Owls usually swallow their food whole, and depending on the species, they will eat all sorts of insects, small rodents, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. After swallowing its prey, an owl's body is only able to digest the edible parts of its food. All of the indigestible parts (bones, feathers, shells, scales, teeth, etc.) will form into a pellet, which the owl will later regurgitate, or spit up, through its mouth.

Using tweezers (and perhaps a magnifying glass), examine the inside of this barn owl pellet to discover the bones (or indigestible parts) of the shrews, voles, and other critters that are eaten by barn owls! Students will find jawbones, skulls, and other fascinating bits and pieces. Bone identification and bone sorting of their discoveries will help them to further understand the different animals in a barn owl's food chain.

Bring an owl pellet study and dissection into your home or classroom to study skeletal anatomy! Owl pellet dissection is an engaging, hands-on learning experience for elementary, middle, and high school-aged students. It is a perfect activity to weave into your life science lesson plans - whether a homeschool parent, a school teacher, or any other kind of science educator.

Use this large owl pellet for classroom situations in which instructions, or owl pellet kits, are unnecessary. This barn owl pellet is also a great choice if you want to conveniently print from our Owl Pellet Lab to make this dissecting project more affordable.

Do Owl Pellets Carry Disease?

Gone untreated, owl pellets do carry germs and can be sources of infection. To ensure your safety, we have dry heat sterilized all of our owl pellets and killed all potential bacteria. Find additional safety information below!

Safety Information: Our owl pellets have been dry heat sterilized for a minimum of 4 hours at 250°F to kill bacteria and viruses naturally present. Even so, we highly recommend that you follow these guidelines when working with owl pellets:

• Work in a place separate from eating and food preparation areas.
• Use disposable latex gloves or nitrile gloves during the dissection and cleanup.
• Use a disposable tray or plate to contain the owl pellet during dissection. Do not dissect directly on desks or table tops.
• Use only dissection tools provided. Do not let children use pencils or other personal items for dissection. Kids like to use our economical plastic forceps to take apart the owl pellet.
• Use a sanitizer with paper towels or disposable sanitizing wipes to thoroughly wash hands, work areas, and  dissection tools when finished. Household bleach in a 1:10 solution can be used as a sanitizer.
• Make sure everyone thoroughly washes their hands with soap and water afterward.

More Information

• Owl Pellet Instructions