Q&A for How to Do Taxidermy

Taxidermists use chemicals such as alum and borax, which are desiccants, to draw out the moisture and dry flesh. It is mainly used to treat areas where it is difficult to remove all the flesh (such as the feet and hands). It also acts as an insect repellent.

Use a typical pet-shampoo with a flea and tick killing chemical. Bacteria would more likely be the result of what's on the inside than the exterior fur. As long as you treat the hide properly to dry the tissue before bacteria takes hold, you won't do any damage to the fur. If the bacteria starts to degrade the skin, you'll lose the hair no matter how you clean it. In fact, letting the bacteria go for a few days is one way to de-hair a hide. Hartz or a similar brand of pet shampoo will not only clean the fur, it will help to remove any remaining fleas, ticks, or more importantly, mites, which eat the fur and skin.

Bones will last hundreds of years if cared for properly. Mounted hides/skins are more difficult to maintain, but they also can last for decades or even centuries.

Insects have an exoskeleton. Essentially their bones are on the outside. All that is needed to preserve an insect is a piece of board, some straight line (to hold the body parts in position) and some dessicant. Pin the insect to the board in the position you want to display it and seal it in a box with dessicant for a week.

It is best to work in a garden shed or in your garage, as you will be working with chemicals and animal flesh, which have an unpleasant scent.

Use glycerin. Apply a coat of clinical glycerin using a paint brush. This will moisten the animal.

Take some kind of tool (which would differ depending on the size of the animal) and try to wedge it behind the eye in the socket; it should come right out.

As long as you want.

You can wash it with a disinfectant and give it a coat of clinical glycerin. If possible, use alcohol to hydrate it. Then, dehydrate it by keeping it under the sun. (The smell should go away as it dries, but the time will depend on your location and the temperature.)

Assuming it's a small patch of skin, freeze in a ziploc size bag of baking soda for no more than a day. When you bring it out to dry, spray any kind of oil (canola, olive, coconut, etc.) on it and let it self-dry. Moisture kicks in with time.

You can use them as compost or take them to a garbage dump.

In sewing up the animal, it is best to use a plain, straight stitch and use a thread color that will match the color of the animal being preserved.

I would boil the skull with bike tire rubber wrapped on the base of the horns so that they stay brown once the skull is boiled. Then, spray it off with a water hose and apply a mix of bleach and hydrogen peroxide on the skull to bleach it.

You could try a syringe and (large) needle or a disposable pipette. You can stick them up through the base skull opening, jab them around to break up large matter, and suck it out. The syringe will have to be a pretty large gauge to work. (Be careful as the needle will go through thin skulls.)

Just as human skin can get dry and crack, the same can happen for an animal hide that's been preserved. An item that will be in contact with human skin will be naturally oiled by the oil from the wearer. However, items that are not handled will crack if they are not moisturized or sealed. The type of oil or moisturizing compound used will depend on what the end-use of the leather will be. For example, pair of boots will be exposed to street salt and rain, and therefore should be sealed using a wax or heavy oil. A drum head, which loses its resonance if it's lubricated, should be oiled rarely ---generally, only when it is not frequently being played and picking up oil from human hands.

Taxidermied specimens are pelts placed over an anatomically-correct mold.

You can use Scott's Gold for antlers, wood cleaner or Windex for the eyes, and Pledge for the fur. You can apply all with a Q-tip.

If you don't want to do it yourself, or don't have the materials to do it, you can take it to a taxidermist. It may be more expensive than doing it yourself, however. You can look online to find a reliable taxidermist in your area, you shouldn't have much trouble finding one.

Just cut them off and let them dry. Leave them in the freezer for a few days to kill anything that may be living on them. (This is really only a problem with meatier birds.)

All of the organs inside of an animal's head should be removed for proper conservation and to avoid any stench later on.

Their are many different ways to soften skin. One of the best ways is to rehydrate the skin and work it until soft, then place it in salt until dry, but make sure you continue working the hide until malleable.

Use tweezers.

You can either find a big pot and and boil water in it than put in the skull, or you can put the skull in a spot where no animals can find it and wait for all the skin on the skull to fall out. If boiling, keep windows of the house open as it will smell strongly and other inhabitants of the house may wish to leave for the day.

Place a few newspapers in bottom of a bag and put 6 inches of salt on top of paper. Place a piece of dowel in the fish's mouth to hold it open and trim off any loose skin and meat at the back of its head. Then place the head on salt and cover with remaining salt.

The only way I know to preserve a snail body and not just the shell is pickling the animal in a bottle of alcohol. You could remove the dead body though, and add a realistic looking slug to the shell.

You can either buy them at a taxidermy shop, or you could carve your own with a knife.