What is the difference between light and dark antlers?

Antler color comes from elk/deer/moose rubbing their antlers on different colored materials: trees, dirt, brush, other antlers etc.

​

Elk shed their antlers every year and begin growing a new set right away. When the antlers are growing, they are velvet and fuzzy. When they are done growing, they harden and the velvet rubs off. Elk rub their antlers on anything around them to get the velvet off revealing a bright white antler. 

​

Each antler chew is a different color from being on a different animal or coming from a different part of the same antler shed. 

​

Some parts of the same antler shed can be different colors based on how the animal used their antlers. They could polish the antler back to white from rubbing too.

​

Every year animals with antlers shed their antlers and grow a new pair. We use sheds for dog chews. It does not harm the animals.

​

The color of the antler, or lack there of, can come from the animal rubbing their antlers and how they live. Some people say that their dogs prefer the lighter colored antlers. Some say the opposite, that their dogs prefer the darker ones. Most dogs don't care about the antler color. They are chewing for the marrow inside the antler. 

​

This article talks about the marrow changing color.

​

Find this information useful?

Say thank you by ordering antlers from us!

​