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Meddling-With-Nature — Hang in there kitty! (inside)
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Published: 2013-04-15 06:41:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 1127; Favourites: 16; Downloads: 3
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Hang in there kitty indoors.Related content
Comments: 50
Ohmygosh this is one of the best pieces I've ever seen <33 I would love to have something like this in my home <3 it's so lifelike! I'm very impressed with your abilities 
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Well thanks! I will try!
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I'm going to say again how much I love love love your house. Amazing shot. I don't understand how you got him to hang like that... Magic.
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Thanks again! And basically I just ensured he was weighted properly during the mounting phase and the rest is good old gravity! I have yet to do a .gif of him spinning, but I am sure it will be pretty damn cute.
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Awesome!
Quick question since you work with roadkill... How long can I safely keep a dead animal in my freezer? I found some roadkill this morning but I can't do anything with him until May. Will he start to decompose? It is a small bird that is not protected by the migratory bird act. I'm in the process of applying for a permit so I can keep it.
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Your only problem here is freezer burn. Just be sure to put the bird in a plastic bag. if kept properly you will be able to mount stuff that has been buried in a freezer for years. even if a specimen does get some freezer burn, there are chemicals that can help reverse that.
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Sorry to butt in
but what are said chemicals?
I re-hydrated a whole bobcat in a tub of salty water overnight and skinned him out (paws remained too dry so did lower jaw)
The bobcat was totally dried out, after hours of "thawing"(no water came off) nothing but the tail would move an inch, had been in a taxidermist's freezer for about 6 years give or take
He tanned very well and is getting broken in now, fur stays in good. Is there anything to worry about since he was so freezer burnt? He will just be a wall-hanger having lost lower jaw and most of the feet (damn I tried)
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Ah... right, you want to get a relaxing agent such as this: www.mckenziesp.com/MKRDQ-P1134… For older stuff I would go ahead and include some anti-bacterial stuff as well. You may need to soak for longer than an hour or two, so its always good to make sure that bacteria doesn't get the chance to play in the bath time party.
Once you have most everything nice and relaxed, take your skin out, give it a wash and dry it off a bit. You can then continue the relaxing process on paw pads and the like with soaked towels at a slightly higher concentration.
Most relaxers are also safe to use in the actual pickling process. I always put some in, but again... that wouldn't be enough for freezer burn.
Hope this helps!
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Alright. He is double-bagged and inside a cardboard box, so I hope it works.
Hopefully the state gives me the permit I want. Regulations in Massachusetts and Pennsylvania are really strict.
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I have heard that about those states! I am sure he will be fine though.
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Yeah, talk about a pain in the butt.
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I live 17 blocks from Ohio which doesn't even require a license for taxidermy, but sadly I still technically live in Kentucky which is all sorts of crazy with certain regulations, many of them archaic and not enforced, however it only takes one super funded interest group to nail a guy making art out of cats. At this point I am just waiting for the knock at the door! 
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Ahaha! That is really humorous! I called the Mass Dept of Fish and Wildlife. Turns out I don't need a permit for the European Starling. Woohoo! Now I have a tiny little birdy to skin.
I also used to live very close to Ohio. (I am originally from PA.) Have you ever been to Rogers? They have an amazing (and huge, like one of the biggest in the country) flea market! I am really excited to go back this summer. I'm sure they'll have some interesting taxidermy-related things somewhere.
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Oh hell, I didn't realize you were talking about a starling! Yep, those are considered an invasive species, do as you will. Same goes for pigeons and European house sparrows. Everything else can get tricky. Game birds have exceptions to the migratory act, but unless they are pen raised you still need to work out paperwork details. Pen raised (so long as you have paperwork) are pretty much open. I might suggest you work with non-native birds since they are extremely interesting and not covered by the migratory act or raptor laws. Peacocks are pretty awesome! I will say that licensing and legal stuff end up being the most complicated bit of this whole art-form. Be careful and ask a lot of questions! And whatever you do... don't fall into the temptation of playing around with those laws though. A friend finds you a hawk? Dont touch it, don't even breath on it until you have fed licensing and a Fish and Wildlife officer to tag it and a client to commission you who is authorized. (which is a pretty limited number of people.)
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I would never pick up an animal unlawfully. I have too much respect for the animals and the laws that protect them.
Do you know of any good tutorials or methods for skinning birds while preserving the skull? It seems like all the methods I've seen involve cutting up the skull.
This video is excellent, but in both methods they feature, the skull is completely butchered.
[link]
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Good good. I do have a good bird skinning video on vimeo, however you have to realize that it is unedited and not at all what I would consider polished work. I made it for my interns to have at home. But hell, I like you, here is the link and password! [link] password: intern_tutorial_1
And I really don't care if you pass this around or anything, it just isn't polished work, but it should certainly help you. And it has a fun intro!
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Now. How do you you preserve the skin after removing all the internal parts so that bugs don't eat it? Do you pickle the skin or tan it? And I notice that you left the brain in there. Doesn't this make the skin susceptible to rot? How do you prevent rotting? Also, where did you obtain your pigeons? You mention buying them. And you are awesome for eating them. I am a vegan and I'm going for the more ethical side of taxidermy with roadkill and pest control animals, so I give you a thumbs up for not wasting anything!
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Actually, pickling is part of the tanning process. Acid (pickle), then neutralize, then tan and all the needed oiling, stretching and final fleshing. Actually the brain and skull are not present in this piece. (well, the brain is never present, the skull is sometimes used as a scaffold for building the form, but usually only with open mouth mounts.
I get pigeons as casualty specimens from either from the road or from various aviaries and breeders, so I am still no kill. Adhering to "casualty" makes it a bit harder to get what you want when you want it, but that adds a bit of fate into the equation!
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Now, I have read that tanning is not always necessary for bird skins. Some say that dry tanning with borax is okay, even if the skin does shrink a little. I do not want to buy tanning chemicals because a.) I am very eco-friendly b.) I am on a budget c.) this is the only critter I need to tan for now. I am just starting out with taxidermy. What is your opinion?
Very cool! Nice to meet someone else who is no kill.
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Actually tanning does not have to be un eco-friendly, but that's a long story. Borax can work perfectly well actually. Its mostly personal preference I think. Borax is certainly good on the budget though!
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Well, I've heard there are eco-friendly tanning chemicals, but I would have no idea where to buy those. I'm mostly very interested in the Native American method of brain tanning but that seems hard to do with a tiny bird. Thanks for the input. So, I just stuff the little fellow's skin with borax and then what? How long does he have to sit? And in what temperature/location?
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Actually, once you tumble this little thing in a bag o' borax it will be pretty much ready to roll. You want to make sure the bird is dry before you begin, You should still wash it to get all the preening oil off of it, the oil can dampen a starlings natural iridescence. Any dishwasher cleanser is good for that. We all like dawn. 
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So, Borax first, then Dawn?
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Dawn then borax. Borax will help dry it out. Fill up a small bag with air, bird, and borax, then tumble it around for a bit. Giver me a call if you get stuck. 513 207 9760
Jeremy
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Hi there. Hope the business has been going well for you.
I have a question.
Have you ever preserved a hide with salt before? I am trying to do this but either my patience is running thin or it is too humid in my house for it to work properly.
Thanks.
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The funny thing about salting a hide is that it doesn't dry up as fast as it would just in air. It largely depends on the thickness of the skin, are we talking rabbit, coyote, or ox sized? After every 24 hours or so you should be replacing the salt with fresh stuff. The salt is there to absorb all the fat and moisture, this is the first step in tanning actually. I usually salt a coyote for a period of several days, during each change I flesh it down a bit more. If you are trying to make rawhide, it will take longer, but as the salt gets wet and clumpy, replace it with new stuff. Let me know what your end goal is and I might be able to help out a bit more!
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THEN, this morning, I made the mistake of taking out the one rat's tail, which I hadn't done when I was originally skinning them because it was far too difficult. The tail came right out. And so did the hair. All of it. It came out in sheets and then I could not get the tail rightside out so it is stuck inside the body and there is hair everywhere. And for some reason, all the hair in the butt end starts to fall out, too. I don't know why. I skinned the butt end with everything else and I skinned it the same way.
Every time I attempt something taxidermy related, no matter how many times I do it, it fails. There is no one to teach me. I have taught myself most everything I know in my craft, but taxidermy must be something that cannot be self taught. And I realize this now after spending over $300 in clay, tools, raw animals, pelts, etc.
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Oh dear... Sounds like the little darling started slipping. That is basically a result of bacteria build up, the salt "fixes" the skin so that doesn't happen, but when it comes to things like the tail, the salt couldn't get to it. There are tricks to tails, especially rats, you don't actually need to split it, but it does need to be skinned out. This is a bit hard to explain in words, but basically you skin down to the base of the tail, then take your thumb and forefinger and push the skin rather than pull it. Almost as if you were taking off a sock without reversing it, but pushing it off your foot.
Taxidermy can certainly be self taught. I screwed up a lot of stuff before I got the hang of it! There are a lot of derpy critters stuffed in drawers that will never see the light of day.
As for your previous comment, the feet will become pliable again once you are in the tanning phase of this. Skinning rat feet all the way to the toe and fingernails is a bit of a chore, and it actually isn't always necessary. Once tanned you can actually inject the extremities with a preservative to keep them plump. You are just seeing dehydration, that is nothing to worry about.
Just come to Cincinnati and I would happily throw you into one of our tutorials!
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You are always so helpful! The sock analogy is great. I will try that tonight.
I would LOVE to come watch one of your dissections in Cincinnati!
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No problem, and good luck!
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Thank you thank you thank you! Some day I will make it to Cincinnati.
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I am practicing salt tanning on two jumbo sized rats (think of two 4 by 8 inch rectangles with heads) before I move onto a stillborn goat and a bunny.
My goal is to get it to the point where it will not rot and it will keep for a long time. They have been in the salt for three days now. I have been replacing the wet salt and fleshing them a little more each time. I wanted to mount them after this whole process was over. However, the pads of the feet have turned from pink to red and have shriveled up. They are so dry that I can't move the toes individually anymore. I am thinking this means that I can no longer mount the pelts, which is what I wanted to do. I don't know how to reverse the damage done to the feet.
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I understand now. That makes more sense. I will let you know if I run to any problems. I'm starting with it now.
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Thank you so much!
So I can add the borax even with the brain in the skull? The brain will not rot?
Thank you again! I plan on doing this tomorrow when everyone else in the house is at work. That way they can't complain.
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Um... Get the brain out first actually. use a rod and swizzle it around. You can then remove with a twisted papertowel, or screw
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Thank you! Will do!
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Now I am also reminded that you may be talking about the video! Yeah, this was just the skinning part, the rest of it wasn't shot, but the brain removal happesn prior to tanning. And with birds the tanning or borax debate is like two different sports teams. I have done both with reasonable results, but I still prefer tanning over borax.(but I also fluff the birds in borax after the tan.)
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You are fabulous. I am watching this right now.
And what specifically do you do in your profession? I would love to be an intern of yours. I believe in learning everything from every field I can.
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Oh professions... you mean day job? I work in a juvenile mental institution. (but we call it a residential treatment center.) 
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That is so interesting! I watched the entire video a couple of times and I can say that it makes a lot of sense and is the clearest and best-quality skinning video I have come across yet.
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Well thanks! Perhaps some day I will actually edit the damn thing, but there are so many videos on the editing pile right now!
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I wouldn't worry about it. Really.
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As a film person I have to!!! But thanks!
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Thanks a bunch!
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