Alexandra Rose Taxidermy

What To Do Next

I Have An Animal

If you have found an animal or have an animal that has passed away, go through these steps to ensure your animal is in the best condition for a taxidermy mount.

An important thing to note…

Whenever handling a dead animal, it is always best practise to wear gloves, or at the very least, an inside out carrier bag. Wild animals can carry hitchhikers and disease so it’s always safest to protect yourself, just incase. Side note: Once an animal has been frozen for a few weeks, the majority of parasites and ailments will have long since died or become inactive. As long as they are sealed securely, there is no harm to the other goodies in your freezer!

Preparing the Specimen

What To Do Next...

1. Take Note

Write down what it is, where and when you found it. It sounds silly but everything starts to look the same once they've been frozen for a while!

This is especially useful for protected species such as birds of prey. This information can be passed on to the taxidermist to use in their logs for general data and for CITES applications where necesary.

2. Check It Over

An animal is only good for taxidermy if it is fresh and in good condition, a long dead animal or an animal that's been flattened won’t be any good for mounting. Look for clear eyes. A clouded eye is an indicator that the decomposition process has begun. The next biggest sign is odour. If there is a strong, bad smell coming from the specimen, chances are it won't be any good.

The size of an animal will determine how long it can be left before freezing. In general very small animals need to be frozen within two hours, medium animals within 6 hours and larger animals up to 12 hours. Of course these are rough guidlines and the sooner something is frozen, the better.

3. Bag It

Before you do this, make sure to tuck in wings and limbs as much as you can to save space. Fold in long, pointed or sharp beaks, claws, and talons where possible as these can pierce the plastic.

Wrap the specimen in a plastic bag (removing as much air as possible and tied off tightly) or into a clean tupperware for very small animals.

This reduces the chances of dehydration, which causes freezer burn down the line. This can make the proess of taxidermy very difficult as it basically turns the meat into tough jerky and adheres strongly to the skin. You may have seen this on items poorly packaged in your own freezer where areas start to turn white.

4. Place In The Freezer

Once your specimen has been bagged, add the notes you took on specimen info (preferably add it inside the bag or tupperware so it doesn't fall off or get lost)

AND FREEZE IT

Even if for whatever reason you miss all the previous steps (definitely not recommended), the MOST important thing to do, even for the meantime, is to get it frozen asap.

This halts the decomposition process and keeps your specimen in suspended animation. Giving the taxidermist the best opportunity to bring it back to life for you!

5. Get In Touch

Once your specimen has been frozen and you’re ready to send, drop me a message to discuss!