What is it? Does it come from letting your critters sit too long before skinning?

yeah, the belly area takes on a greenish tint and a very distinctive smell ... fox, yotes etc. are known for going quicker than most

best to skin as quick as possible ... laying the critter on its back will help ... but not prevent

It occurs mostly in canids.Yes, it's from not taking care of them soon enough.

It's bacteria growing on the underneath side of the flesh usually starts on the belly side, and it's not uncommon to most fur bearers if they are left long enough with out being pelted.

It can start in different places depending on exposed conditions, say a coyote laying in the snow with a drift over part of him and the other exposed. Exposed are will start much sooner than the colder area.
It can start as soon as the day of dispatch or it can be prevented from starting by placing the animal in a colder enviroment, however once it gets going, unless you stop it, your pelt will be toast.

If not heavliy dark green one can mist it with a bleach and water solution and kill it immediately, with not much concern for slip, left with out some sort of care your pelt will be worthless.

Also, hanging by the feet will also cause the guts to be higher in the chest cavity, also "helping" a bit. But like PS said, it won't prevent it....just "helps"

Alaskan, that is exactly why I set for back leg catches on leaning pole sets for marten in SE AK (put the AK in for the southern folk.) The warm climate was prone to the green belly.

But back to the subject. Green belly can happen in the field or in your fur shed, truck ect... Best thing to do is plan to prevent it. Skin ASAP & if weather is warm check traps more frequent.

Good stuff....

Common in rats it seems as well.

i had a beaver go green belly when i left it hanging in the shed last winter overnight. all i know is it stinks

I've only ever had one beaver turn green on me. It was spring beaver trapping on a 72 hour check...he took a 330 to the head an flopped onto the [Please excuse my language... I'm an idiot]. If he stayed in the water it would have been fine. It didn't smell, and didn't slip....and it graded just fine.

Rats are what is always green for me. Mostly catch them in beaver sets...330 on a 48 or 72. Never had one slip though....and you can't tell when they're dry (at least I can't...and NAFA doesn't seem to care).

oh yeah, rats will go GB quick

quickest I've ever seen is ground hogs in warm weather ... mere minutes

gotta say though I don't recall ever having any beaver show GB ... I've been dead dog sick and only able to muster up the strength to run my lines and do minimal absolute necessary skinning ... letting beavers lay ... some several days as I got myself back on track and caught up ... no GB

Timber Wolf is the worst I,ve seen so far, along with Muskrats,
Then a sheepherder will get it on occaision, when their FAVOURITE EWE, ya ewe, I,m talkin to ewe gets wise to them !

i was suprised about the green belly myself. my shed isn't insulated or nothing. mabey it had some disesase or something.

Used to put rats and mink on the floorboard of the truck & blow the heater fan on them so they'd be dry by the time we got home.
Found out it'll turn 'em green , pretty quick. A local buyer told us years ago to put critters on old milk crates or something similar to dry them. Sitting directly on concrete is the worst thing to do. Anyway... sprinkling with Borax & rubbing it in asap after skinning and fleshing seems to help w/GB.

You don't have to use milk crates. For example, I built a "drying shelf" out of hardware cloth framed in, and with a few supporting slats across its length. That's simple enough, and illustrates the point that you can build a drying shelf out of most anything as long as you ventilate it.
Adios,
45/70,

With red fox you can't even lay them against each other in the back of the truck for a couple hours.

dawn antibacterial works good for me to stop green belly