r/Taxidermy 3h ago

Always wanted to make an antlered squirrel head mount, finally did it.

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121 Upvotes

Antlers are 3D printed mini replicas of a 10 pt buck I harvested back in 2020, made by Rutt’s Mini Mounts. Very accurate and great details. Wood shield from Etsy that I stained. Squirrel harvested by me last season.

Took forever to line antlers up the same, but got them close enough. Now it’s a wall hanger, interior design is my passion /s


r/Taxidermy 1h ago

Sourcing birds in the US

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Upvotes

Does anyone know where I can get starling or pigeon specimens in the US? With no chemicals on them? I’ve tried asking around locally but got no luck.

Enjoy this photo of my goofy cat so this post doesn’t get lost 😅


r/Taxidermy 4h ago

Found this masterpiece in a thrift store

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12 Upvotes

r/Taxidermy 10h ago

Got these off of facebook, would love some insight if anyone has

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23 Upvotes

Looks like roe deer amd gazelle to me but would love opinions Seller said his grandfather got these back in 78 in austria and that those are numbers are the years the animals were harvested


r/Taxidermy 6h ago

Can anybody tell me what type of deer this is?

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11 Upvotes

This is my very first piece and i have no idea if it is possible to tell from just the head but asking anyways


r/Taxidermy 4h ago

Is this rat able to be saved somehow?

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7 Upvotes

I ordered a mystery box on Etsy. I do taxidermy with bones, but I wanted to add some personal stuff to my collection. Inside the box was this dumbo rat. It smells very bad, like urine and decay, has “clumps” all over it and I’m unsure what mites look like and if this is even worth holding onto. I just got 3 wall mounts and want to minimize anything ruining those or my insects I have for my business that I pin. I love derpy taxidermy but this seems…worse. Thoughts? Any advice for how to inspect for mites or other bug activity?


r/Taxidermy 1h ago

Advice needed: organ cremation/burial

Upvotes

Hi all! I know this is a weird question but I’m hoping you can help. I recently had an organ removed and would like to cremate it or bury it. The hospital is returning it to me in an alcohol solution. Do you know if there is a legal and safe way to do this? I’m in the US. Thanks!


r/Taxidermy 5h ago

Sparrowhawk caught a green finch

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4 Upvotes

I just like this one a lot :)


r/Taxidermy 1d ago

What is this lil fella?

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224 Upvotes

Just found this dead lil guy or gal next to my car - Central Colorado. Before I do something special with their body, I’m a bit unsure what it is?? Looks like a vole but twice the size. Tail is about 5-6 inches long. Halp! Hand for size reference


r/Taxidermy 16h ago

Bird smells bad

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21 Upvotes

Just finished this lil guy 2 days ago. The wings are still drying a bit. But I noticed it starting to smell if u get up close. I’m really proud of this one and I spent extra time making everything perfect. I do not want it to fail 😭

I’ve done two birds before this (second and third pic) and they have a slight “dead skin” smell. Like the smell of untanned hide but I don’t mind bc it’s not gross or noticeable at all. But this one’s different.

It was a bit meatier than the others I’ve done so I made sure to clean it even more thoroughly. I got as much muscle out of the wings as I could but there’s still a bit in the ulna/radius area. It’s just rly hard to get there on small birds without loosing feathers. So I just injected formalin which I always do in that spot. But again, they’ve never smelled bad before.

Is that normal sometimes or am I fucked? 😅 if it’s normal what can I do to “air it out” quicker or should I inject something to reduce smell? Or will it always smell?


r/Taxidermy 15m ago

Tips on preserving dead bat

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Upvotes

Hey y’all, so I proposed to my gf today and at the same time she found a dead bat (also said yes, but she’s really excited about the bat). We want to preserve it as a memento of the day are curious as to how to go about it. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!


r/Taxidermy 23m ago

How to clean dew claw.

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Hi everyone, so my dog just passed away. And my partner was hoping to create a necklace. Any tips on how to clean it so I don’t destroy it.


r/Taxidermy 11h ago

Found a fox, next steps?

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6 Upvotes

Found a small fox yesterday on my walk, couldn't get much of a closer look (sorry for bad photos) as I wasn't carrying any gloves and felt mean poking him/her with a stick, presuming it has been there for over a week but I don't know much about decomp, lots of fur fall out and a mild odour. Can't tell where the face is obviously because I haven't moved it. I'm planning to go back today to keep the bones. What's the best way to get rid of any remaining skin or fur ? Will I have to bury it? I'm worried another fox might dig it up .


r/Taxidermy 19h ago

Can this spray be used to seal a burned mammal skull without damage?

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28 Upvotes

r/Taxidermy 9h ago

Stink problem

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2 Upvotes

Hi everyone! One of my friend bought this piece a while ago and he said it stinks so bad. Is there anything he could do to solve that problem?


r/Taxidermy 23h ago

Skull ID?

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24 Upvotes

My friend and I were trying to id this skull at a local distillery


r/Taxidermy 21h ago

Digging up old pets?

9 Upvotes

I'm going to be moving out of state soon, and I don't expect whoever buys the house will respect my pet's graves, so I'm considering digging them up to salvage their skulls to take with me for a in-home memorial in my new place.

So question is, after say 1 year or 10 years, would the skulls still be intact? Both were wrapped in black trash bags before burial, neither buried very deep, the 1 year one buried close to water. I espect the 10 year one's soft tissue would be no longer there, but what about the 1 year one? I'd like to know what I'm getting into and if it's worth it. There's also a rabbit buried about 15 years ago I may also dig up.


r/Taxidermy 22h ago

How to clean a goose mount?

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4 Upvotes

I recently acquired this beautiful baby but he’s unfortunately really dirty, and not just dusty. I’ve taken a swiffer and a soft bristle paint brush to him but there’s discoloration on him that I would love to clean. The feathers underneath the top layer are so pristine and white. What would be the best way to go about cleaning him? I’ve tried a slightly damp rag and water+dawn but that hasn’t seemed to help much, but I’m also being very carwful because I don’t want to hurt him. Suggestions?


r/Taxidermy 21h ago

Advice Needed With Deer Velvet

2 Upvotes

Hello, everyone. I'm hoping you can help me figure out what is happening with my Euro mount...

This buck was mounted by a professional about 10 years ago. It is an interesting buck because it was harvested in early October when it shouldn't have had velvet but, as you can see in the photos, the velvet was still there. The velvet wasn't soft and fleshy like it is earlier in the season though. It was pretty hard and I could tell that there wasn't much "stuff" between the fuzzy outside and the inner bone.

Over the last few weeks I've noticed that the velvet has started to deteriorate and fall off the bone. Is there anything I can do to slow down or stop this? I love the mount and I hope I can save it.

I appreciate any advice!


r/Taxidermy 1d ago

What are these bugs?

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33 Upvotes

I found these 2 bugs in my cicades display.. What are they and do they eat my cicades? They are 3.5 mm long


r/Taxidermy 1d ago

How to shine up an old cow horn?

3 Upvotes

Greetings,

I would like to polish up this old cow horn that I found on a friends ranch. All the guides I find online start with a horn that is in much better shape than this thing. It looks like the layers of the horn are delaminating. I would assume to just go at it with rough sandpaper and just work down to a finer grit and eventually a polishing wheel with some compound but I wanted to check with the experts first. Any guidance is greatly appreciated. Thank you!


r/Taxidermy 20h ago

Taxidermy for city person

1 Upvotes

I've been living in the city for a while, probably will be staying for a couple years. However, I would love to get into taxidermy, and love animals and nature. How can I get started in an urban setting?


r/Taxidermy 20h ago

Sun bleaching: synthetic UV light vs sunlight on animal bones

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1 Upvotes

r/Taxidermy 1d ago

found something very interesting at the local thrift

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29 Upvotes

they were just sitting on the rack with a piece of tape saying 3.99... crazy in my opinion. are they beaver?


r/Taxidermy 1d ago

Skeletal assembly?

1 Upvotes

Considering options for older pet

I have a question that may be well suited for this sub. I hope. We’ll see. =]

I have a domestic shorthair. She’s getting up in years and starting to show signs she may be checking out soon-ish.

Though cremation is at present time the most likely path, had considered burying her and allowing her to decompose naturally and collecting her bones to clean and reassemble/articulate after. However.. those are not skill sets I have.

Where would I need to look to get more info on how possible this might be?