Would any of you ever have your herps taxidermied?

I'm just curious, when any of your herps pass away would you ever consider doing that? I don't know if I would ever do this but its something I was wondering if any of you have ever done or will ever do.

no. i find it strange enough that people do it to animals they go out into the woods and kill, but i in no way wish to preserve my herps (or other pets) after they pass on so that i can look at their dead bodies every day.

I don't think so. Taxidermy creeps me out a bit. Although keeping a skeleton for educational purposes is a possibility.... maybe. I think it would be too hard knowing that it was once my pet. I don't know.

yeah, taxidermy has alway freaked me out a little bit... i'd never do it!

I wouldn't do it... I bury my pets naturally so that their bodies can return to the earth.

I found it creepy, I would not do it with any of my snakes just like I would not do it to with my dog. I could not stand looking at them everyday, it would make me too sad.

thats just plain weird....

i would do it, and have the snake with its jaws open in an extremely aggressive gesture with a combatant stuffed rat in a similar position poised to fight. then i would have poke'mon style gold engraved placks underneath each showing their skill and power level, and a clever tale of their battle to ensue.

both will be mounted to a deep cherry wood mantle over a large crackling fireplaces and two plush red suede chairs in front. i'll read my awesome books and think awesome thoughts beneath the warm glow of a crakling fire and a fixed fight of epic reinactment.

awesome.

(nah, i wouldn't. i've heard some people will leave a dead snake they really really loved in the freezer for a while.)
i'd probably just bury the hopefully few and far between snakes that don't live out in the woods of my parent's house.

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Originally Posted by shhhli

i would do it, and have the snake with its jaws open in an extremely aggressive gesture with a combatant stuffed rat in a similar position poised to fight. then i would have poke'mon style gold engraved placks underneath each showing their skill and power level, and a clever tale of their battle to ensue.

both will be mounted to a deep cherry wood mantle over a large crackling fireplaces and two plush red suede chairs in front. i'll read my awesome books and think awesome thoughts beneath the warm glow of a crakling fire and a fixed fight of epic reinactment.

awesome.

(nah, i wouldn't. i've heard some people will leave a dead snake they really really loved in the freezer for a while.)
i'd probably just bury the hopefully few and far between snakes that don't live out in the woods of my parent's house.

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hahahahaha, nice. Ya I really don't think I would do it, same as you guys, and I would imagine it would be very expensive also.

If I could afford it I would do it in a heartbeat. I know a taxodermist and you might find it surprising that unless it is a leather skinned animal (deer, bear, etc.) everything is fake (old stuff was real but not anymore).


For example all those stuffed trophy fish you see were never live fish - someone caught one took a picture and measurements (sometimes they send the fish just to review) but then a mold is created and painted.

The same holds true for most other animals...having a nice ball morph in a natural pose on a natural background (like a african termite mound) would look very cool and could be a very nice show piece.

They aren't literally going to take your dead snake and stuff it.

Oh wow, I never knew that. In that case...

Taxidermy is a fine art and awesome if it is done professionally. I never thought of it but it is much cooler to appreciate an animal after its death than to toss i into a landfill.

i personally think it would be pretty awesome to have like.. a 3d collection of morphs. but. i would have to be a snake i didn't know.

lest i be the crazy lady in the nursing home sitting in my room stroking my stuffed snake.

taxidermy (sp) is a pretty interesting art.

Definately.....but I would go more for the 'skeleton' taxidermy than a stuffed animal....ha ha...

I have seen some very cool 'scientific' displays with animals skeleton remains. It would be a great learning/teaching tool to be able to show the skeleton of some animals.

Real or not...I don't think I'd want a realistic looking replica of a dead pet. I'm with D...when a pet dies, I prefer to bury it in a natural way and sort of complete that "circle of life."


That being said...when we're finally settled into one place and I can ramp up my plans for the future and begin an education program, I wouldn't mind having a few real skeletons and skulls from some animals....but not any beloved ones.

I would consider it..heck if I pay 2K or more for a snake..I'd want it to last forever....


I think that I will bury my dogs..thats just too creepy for me....

In Daytona i saw this amazing albino monitor. Never seen one before, so I tell my wife to get a pic and the guy goes "great taxidermy job". He was selling cages and had him in one. So we asked him "Is he dead?" :eek: and he's like "yeah! I paid alot of $ for him and he is so rare so he had him stuffed!" He also said they did an autopsy and couldn't find anything wrong with him. Now he uses him for displays I guess. I wouldn't do it, but whatever, he looked pretty cool and in a natural looking stance.

If possible, I think I would look into getting the skin preserved. I know an older herper would has had several of his animals taxidermied. His comment is, she looks great, I can admire her whenever she wants, she never gets dirty...etc. He'd had the snake for a number of years, I can't recall what it was, but it was something larger and a bit more less common than a ball python or a redtail.

In a heartbeat, and with huge fangs in one of those SOaP poses.

I would deff. do it...in my house we have a room full of trophy heads...we didn't hunt them the guy that owned the house before us went to africa and hunted a lot of animals...it's kinda creepy though but cool nonetheless...if u guys wanna c some pics let me know

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

If I could afford it I would do it in a heartbeat. I know a taxodermist and you might find it surprising that unless it is a leather skinned animal (deer, bear, etc.) everything is fake (old stuff was real but not anymore).


For example all those stuffed trophy fish you see were never live fish - someone caught one took a picture and measurements (sometimes they send the fish just to review) but then a mold is created and painted.

The same holds true for most other animals...having a nice ball morph in a natural pose on a natural background (like a african termite mound) would look very cool and could be a very nice show piece.

They aren't literally going to take your dead snake and stuff it.

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I am sorry but that is just not the case. There are now what are called replica fish where you measure the girth, length, etc and let it go and they mount a replica but that is not how most are done.

To mount a fish you skin it, preserve the skin and put a form inside it and paint it. I took a few courses when I though about being a taxidermist myself back 20 years ago. Most mounts are simply the animals skin over a form, but it is the real skin, scales, fur, etc. not a "mold" or "reproduction". Do you really think a mounted deer for instance is a "mold" where would they get the hair? There is indeed a mold (called a form in the trade) but it is under the real skin of the animal.

Mounting a snake is very easy, they are easy to skin and the cut is easy to hide, (right where the belly joins the back skin would be best. You would then touch up the skin with some paint yes that is true, but it would be real skin and glass eyes work best. A really good artist would even be able to mount the mouth open with the real teeth, etc.

Now would I do it? Perhaps with certain snakes? The display would be nice and it would be a way to remember a pet. I don't have the bond with my reptiles that I do with my dogs or cats. I know I could not do it with my dogs, etc but a snake yea the right snake with the right display could be pretty nice.

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Originally Posted by jjspirko

I am sorry but that is just not the case. There are now what are called replica fish where you measure the girth, length, etc and let it go and they mount a replica but that is not how most are done.

To mount a fish you skin it, preserve the skin and put a form inside it and paint it. I took a few courses when I though about being a taxidermist myself back 20 years ago. Most mounts are simply the animals skin over a form, but it is the real skin, scales, fur, etc. not a "mold" or "reproduction". Do you really think a mounted deer for instance is a "mold" where would they get the hair? There is indeed a mold (called a form in the trade) but it is under the real skin of the animal.
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As I said in my post this is what they did long ago but now most fish are not the real skin. As for your deer comment again I said this in my post that leather based products are the real deal.

I agree you could do it with the actual skin of a fish or a snake but that isn't necessary (or the common practice - according to a practicing taxodermist) not now a days.

Nope. I find that stuff to be pretty creepy.

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

As I said in my post this is what they did long ago but now most fish are not the real skin. As for your deer comment again I said this in my post that leather based products are the real deal.

I agree you could do it with the actual skin of a fish or a snake but that isn't necessary (or the common practice - according to a practicing taxodermist) not now a days.

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Well with fish MOST taxidermists use the forms today but not with snakes or even with less common fish species. They don't make "molds" using a dead animal they take measurements and order a replica at those deminsions.

This is fine for a large mouth bass or a striper which are mounted by the thousands each year. Yet how much call is there for a 51 inch ball python form? or a 9'9" Asian Rat Snake form. Using replicas for something mounted on such a small scale would be inpractical.

You take your snake to be mounted and mark my words, its' getting skinned and tanned. As for the forms made from live animals with snakes I have seen them for rattlers, waste of your time and money in my opinion the do not look very realistic at all and appear to be what they are, mass produced peieces of plastic.

I don't think I could do it with one of my dogs, but I'm not sure about the snakes. I could have a random dog though, I think the dog on scrubs and what they do with it is hilarious. I could see messing with some people with it :) but I dont think I could bare to see my dogs after they'd passed, it'd make me too sad.

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Originally Posted by jjspirko

Well with fish MOST taxidermists use the forms today but not with snakes or even with less common fish species. They don't make "molds" using a dead animal they take measurements and order a replica at those deminsions.

This is fine for a large mouth bass or a striper which are mounted by the thousands each year. Yet how much call is there for a 51 inch ball python form? or a 9'9" Asian Rat Snake form. Using replicas for something mounted on such a small scale would be inpractical.

You take your snake to be mounted and mark my words, its' getting skinned and tanned. As for the forms made from live animals with snakes I have seen them for rattlers, waste of your time and money in my opinion the do not look very realistic at all and appear to be what they are, mass produced peieces of plastic.

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OK..I guess I am just not sure your point...I never said they wouldn't use the skin...I said it wasn't necessary (and uncommon with fish - since fish skin turns brown and loses most of it color when dried so there really is no reason to use it). As for the forms they still aren't going to stuff your snake...they are going to take measurements use clay, modeling plaster, etc. to make the shape - then determine the best way of covering it.

But Peace...I think we agree that with the right snake and look we would both consider getting it done.

:rockon:

Taxidermy is an art and the the use of living skin is just one of hundreds of ways to make authentic looking replicas and mounts.

Hey we are cool on this, I just don't agree with what would be the most common way to mount a snake. Unfortunately rattlesnake round ups are still very common in Texas and I call tell you the ones you see mounted there are real skin and real fangs.

To me that is sad, though I do understand a ranchers delema with loosing stock and dogs, etc.