No, a buddy of mine slow simmers em, water is never brought to a boil, may simmer em all day, says when he pulls em out that he can sling em a couple times and most of the meat/hide is off of em . After some picking and peroxide they look great!
I have thought about getting some beetles but have not committed to it. Just been simmering all mine. I skin the head first first though and trim off a lot of the meat. Cuts WAY down on the cook time. Only in the pot about 4 hours if you skin the head out first then hit it with the waters hose with a semi-high pressure spray. Scramble the brain a little and it will all spray out easily. From there just a little picking takes maybe a half an hour generally, let it dry a day or 2 then whiten however you want, paint etc. Really is nothing to it. Other than just watching the water bubble it's only about an hours worth of work.
cut off all skin, Take pressure washer blow out brains and eyes, and as much meat as you can. Boil for 30 to 45 min adding a cup of borax. Remove ear bones then blow off with pressure washer inside and out. Bleach with volume 40. I do about 150 a year like this. I would use the beetles, but if they get loose your gonna have a lot of stuff destroyed. Boiling before removing brain iswhere you get grease in the skull.
I’ve boiled maybe 10 of them!? Takes me about all day to do one and whiten it. That’s with hide removed already. Maybe I shouldn’t remove it and pick them, then put it back in over and over. Maybe if you just let it go non-stop it speeds up the process.
I don’t like taking mine anywhere bc I don’t get it quiet as white as the taxidermist so I really need to whiten it myself. I got backed up and a guy with beetles was nice enough to let me drop mine in for a small fee. Turned out great after I whitened them. Matched my others perfectly.
I’m back to having 4 to do again so it’s getting to be that time.