Valley Fur Shed

home tanner / pelt collector

[flayote]

wire wheeling a squirrel

i did a poll a while back asking which of my personal pelts i should tan next, and this black squirrel was the winner! i just now finally gave myself permission to actually work on her lol. hopefully i'll get her done soon

[earthenremains]

Spotting Scammers by SkullScammers

🚩Red Flag 1: Reaching out to sell stuff

🚩Red Flag 2: Picture consistency

🚩Red Flag 3: Proof of ownership

🚩Red Flag 4: No PayPal friends/family

🚩Red Flag 5: A price that's too good to be true

🚩Red Flag 6: Ask around

[flayote]

@saeto-15

I work in the fraud dept at a bank and it’s been nonstop. Fraud is such a big business right now that they’ve had to create a bunch of new teams just to handle the workload. Never send anything through PayPal Friends and Family, never EVER send payment for anything through a money transfer service like Zelle or Venmo or anything that specifically says it’s not to be used for business. If you try to dispute a Zelle purchase and the money was already withdrawn by the scammer, you’re SOL.

It is frustrating, but when a community grows like this the scammers will start coming because they see easy money. Don’t be afraid to ask around if a person doesn’t seem to be on the level. And most importantly, trust your gut. If something feels off, if the price is too good to be true, it is. Sometimes that means passing up something you don’t think you’ll ever see again, but it’s better than throwing your money away.

you guys are my heroes, i've had to deal with fraud and replace my debit card 3+ times in the last year 😤 and recently i almost got scammed over the phone by people who spoofed my bank's fraud department number. which was extra frustrating because the only reason i answered that damn call and went along with it was because i recognized the fraud dept number after just dealing with so many legitimate calls from them lol. thankfully i realized what was going on in time to hang up and change all my info before they could do any damage. i'm not even a good target you assholes, i'm broke! leave me alone!

but yeah anyway, good advice here. sadly this isn't a small, tight knit community anymore. there are scams and other shady shit all over, not just a handful of bad apples like it used to be. it's no longer worth it to take a chance on something that could go wrong. only trust someone if you're completely certain they are reputable and/or you have recourse if something happens

[flayote]

ugh the scamming in the taxidermy/oddity community is getting SO BAD. it's absolutely rampant on facebook especially, i can't scroll through the taxidermy buy/sell groups for 2 minutes without encountering a scam or a warning about a scammer. and for months now my pictures have been stolen and used all over facebook and instagram to scam people. there's a whole ass fb page impersonating me, reposting my pictures as items for sale (i've reported it but it's still up). when i call them out publicly to warn people, the scammers just block me so i can't see their posts and keep tabs on them anymore and they continue to get away with it. if they get booted from a group, they just go to another one or use a different account.

it's kinda discouraging me from posting right now cause i'm not sure what to do about it. even though it's not my fault i feel awful that my pictures are being used to steal from people. obviously i need to start watermarking my pictures, but that's not really going to help much because there will still be thousands of unmarked pictures for scammers to choose from just a short scroll away (and they sure don't mind scrolling, some pictures they use are from yearsss ago). and i'm not going to delete everything; that would make it harder for people to tell that the image is stolen since they couldn't search the image to find the source, and i couldn't link to the original post to show it's mine. it would just make the scammers look more legit if the original source of the pictures they use is gone. on top of the fact that i obviously don't want to nuke my entire portfolio of work. it just sucks.

be careful out there everyone. do not ever send payments through a method that doesn't provide buyer protection. if a seller is legit they'll have no problem with that, there are no excuses and it's not worth the risk. if you post that you're in search of a particular item and someone responds with just "pm me" or something similar with no specific info about what they have, be VERY careful. or don't even bother with them at all, 9 times out of 10 it's a scam. they want to send the pictures privately so anyone who recognizes them can't call them out. if the price seems too good to be true, then it almost definitely is (the scammers using my pictures are 'selling' $400-500 ranch fox pelts for like $100-200). reverse image search pictures from sellers you're not already familiar with. even that is not 100% though, it doesn't always find a match even if the image does exist somewhere online. so if something feels off or you're making a risky purchase on a big ticket item, then ask for a new photo to be taken for you in a specific way, like the item with a fork next to it.

it's a damn shame to have to treat everyone with suspicion like this, but the problem really has gotten that bad unfortunately.

[is-the-fox-video-cute]

different anon (just to be clear) i don't support peta, However, i don't go to the truth about fur for my info either, nor would i go to peta or BANFUR or something to get my info on the negatives of fur or if it was cruel. Because both support an agenda. Sources that go in and document from an unbiased view are hard to find but in all cases of electrocution, what you're hearing isn't true at all. Electrocution does not always kill instantly, and please just look up is dying by electrocution painful and every single website and article will tell you that if you don't die instantly it is very painful. I ask that you do ONE thing, find me ONE unbiased video of a fox being electrocuted and dying quickly. that's it.

Multiple studies have been done on electrocution as a method of euthanasia in foxes and found it to be instant and humane. Can't link to them right now but they're in my archives somewhere. Electrocution is also used to stun or kill many farm animals, including chickens, sheep and pigs.

My info comes from decades of research, including following and taking to multiple fur farmers and people who work with and have visited fur farms.

[orangelionfurandtaxidermy-deact]

Anon, I have both seen and recorded fox electrocution. There are actual laws for killing foxes! Only a few devices are permitted to be used, these have been developed specifically for fast and painless killing of foxes.

But I guess I’m biased because I sell fur? Who else would be able to go on farms, if you let random people record that kind of thing you’re just asking ARA organizations to twist the footage.

[is-the-fox-video-cute]

Seriously, there's no winning with these people.

They'll demand proof, but if you give them that proof they'll claim it's biased and can't be trusted. You'll never get information on issues like this that's 100% without bias. We all have bias in one way or another. That's why I always say do your research, look at as many different sources as possible and come to your own conclusions.

But again, I'd rather trust farmers and fur buyers who work with these animals, know the industry and have shown that they care about the animals and want to treat them well over some faceless organisation with a long history of lying. Are all farms good? No, but the ones I follow online clearly show care and love for their animals. These farms also adhere to the highest industry standards and meet all EU welfare regulations.

[is-the-fox-video-cute]

Like, I've seen people claim studies on fur farm animals can't be trusted because they're often funded by the fur industry, but who else is going to fund them? I don't see these AR organisations putting up funding for studies into fur animal welfare.

These studies have to get funding for their research from somewhere, and of course the fur industry has the most interest in studying the care, behaviour and welfare of these animals. While they might be providing the funding, in most cases they do not get to have and say or influence on the studies or outcomes themselves. The studies also don't always have the outcome that the industry may prefer, but they still get published.

For example, there are multiple studies showing that farm foxes would greatly benefit from access to a sand pit for digging, but this has yet to be implemented (if it ever will be). I was recently reading about another study where it was shown farmed mink given access to swimming water and then later denied access had the same stress response as being denied food when they were hungry. Again, something that's yet to be implemented (if ever).

Fur farming isn't perfect, but then no farming system is under capitalism. Many farmers would like to give their animals more enrichment but do not have the money or resources to do so. A lot of that circles back round to AR groups pushing the anti-fur message and making it so unprofitable that farmers can't do better by their animals.

[flayote]

A bit confused, in your (very helpful) tanning process doc, you say that using fine regular salt iodized or not is ok? Everywhere i read, table salt is a big no no and it always says to use un-iodized, does iodized salt work just as well?

yup, it works exactly the same! i mentioned that in the doc precisely because it remains a very prevalent myth that you can't use iodized salt in tanning, but it's just that: a total myth. i've heard all sorts of things like it'll cause the fur to slip, or the tan just won't work, or it'll turn the skin blue (?? what). but for nearly all of the several hundred hides i've tanned, i've used iodized salt since it's just the cheapest bulk salt i can get locally, so by now i think it's pretty safe to say that it's fine lol. the myth was already thoroughly debunked like 15 years ago on taxidermy.net by chemists and professionals including the creator of Rittels tanning products, but it stubbornly persists because of course no one's gonna try using iodized salt and see that it's fine if someone told them it'll ruin their hide. they'll just pass along the warning.

technically, iodine does react with some tanning agents, so that's probably where the idea that iodized salt can't be used in tanning came from i guess. however, in practice, the amount that's present in table salt is so miniscule (only 60 grams of iodine are added per TON of salt), it's not going to have any effect on the tanning process at all. it's like someone reading that almonds contain cyanide and then telling everyone that almonds are poisonous and eating one will kill you because cyanide is deadly. while it is true that cyanide is deadly in certain amounts, it's totally harmless in the trace amounts present in almonds.

[flayote]

fox face before and after shaving

[orangelionfurandtaxidermy-deact]

Smokey - €400

Pale Smokey Ringneck - €400 (has a clip on the side)

Smokey Ringneck - €445

Silver Cross Ringneck - €425

Alaska Golden Island - €400

These are all mountable! Payment plans available.

[flayote]

a big ol chunker, songli arctic fox tanned for @orangelionfurandtaxidermy 🐾

[flayote]

I'm just starting out tanning and I currently cut the heads and feet off of my pelts because I'm afraid I'll mess up skinning them. And I fully intended to wait until I have more experience to try it, but.

I just got a possum in perfect condition and I've gotten super attached to him and I really want to keep his full pelt. I've been really happy with my tanning attempts so far, but am I overconfident? If I try to tan his full pelt will I ruin him? I know this is a bit of a strange ask haha but what would you advise? Should I just stick him in the freezer and wait until I know I won't mess it up? Exactly how tricky are faces and feet to skin, flesh, and tan?

go for it!! you may not skin the face and feet out perfectly the first time, i sure didn't, but if you're careful and take your time it's pretty unlikely that you'll totally ruin them. those parts are indeed a little more tricky to skin than the rest of the body but i wouldn't say they're super difficult in general. once you've done a few sets of heads and feet and learn the basic principles, it comes as naturally as the rest.

go slow, keep tension on the skin, and keep your cuts close to the bone. i have a skinning tutorial here that covers skinning the head and paws, and another tutorial here on skinning squirrel paws with more tips on handling those smaller, longer toes. also have a video here skinning out mink toes. i will say opossum toes are some of the more difficult ones, i still have a bit of trouble with them sometimes myself because they need a lot of force to pull the skin down which can lead to tearing if you're not super careful. and the final joint where you separate the claw from the rest of the toe at the end isn't as obvious as with other animals. usually what i do is, when i know i'm reaching that last joint, i'll take my little pliers and grip that last toe bone as close to the joint as i can, holding the end of the toe/claw firmly with my other hand, and twist it off rather than trying to cut in between the joint. that said, if you find yourself struggling with the toes, you don't have to skin them out all the way down to the claw. opossum feet are small enough that they'll preserve just fine if you leave the toe bones in. you just want to make sure you skin down the palm, to at least the first joint of the toes, so that you can flesh out the fatty foot pads.

as for the face, i have a tutorial for face prep here, and a video here. for opossums, don't worry about turning the ears all the way out to the edge, just go far enough that you can flesh off the excess tissue on the base of the ear. the face is a bit more difficult to flesh since you can't just scrape the tissue off like you can on the body, you need to slice it away with a sharp blade, but most of it can be done after pickling so you can really take your time. here is a tutorial by stardusttaxidermy that shows fleshing the face with a scalpel. i personally find a skife to be super helpful when cleaning up the face, but it does take some getting used to. whatever tool you use, it helps to keep your fingers of your other hand on the fur side, pressing up against the spot you're fleshing so you can better feel how much pressure you're applying with the blade and reduce the chances of going too deep and cutting a hole.

if you have your heart set on this opossum turning out perfect, i'd say keep him in the freezer while you practice with other animals you're not as attached to until you feel confident. but i don't think you will totally ruin him if you give it a shot; holes can be sewn, and if you're not going to mount him then it's no big deal if the face isn't perfect taxidermy quality. honestly i think he'll give you more trouble when it comes to degreasing than skinning his head and feet lol, at least that's how it was for me. good luck!

[flayote]

sos 😭? I just finished a porcupine and the skinning was awful i kept poking myself every minute, how do i remove the quills for the pelt?

oof, i skinned a porcupine once and while i managed to not get poked while skinning (i wore thick gardening gloves), some loose quills did get me by surprise later and that shit hurts. unfortunately my porky got ruined from a pickling mishap in my personal pelt tub so i don't have much advice for tanning it without becoming a pincushion, however from my mistake i can tell you that any method for slipping off the hair will work to easily slip the quills off too. usually the way to do it cleanly (without having to intentionally make the skin rot) is to soak it in a high pH solution like this method. you can search up info on "bucking" deer hides for other recipes too.

thing is, the quills are the hair, so whatever you do to remove the quills is going to remove all the normal hair too. i don't know of a way to remove only the quills, other than just manually plucking them all out with pliers or something but that would take an eternity. you'd probably have a pretty flat looking pelt too, since so much of the coat is made up of quills.

[flayote]

difference between a wet and dry tan? and how does it matter during the taxidermy? like whats the difference when taxidermy-ing

the only difference between a wet tan and dry tan is that a wet tan doesn't go through the drying and breaking/softening process. up until then the process and products used are exactly the same, but for a wet tan you just freeze the hide after tanning+oiling to keep the leather wet instead of drying it. you also don't need to use as much softening oil for a wet tan since you don't need to worry about getting soft leather, you only need enough oil to prevent the leather from cracking or shrinking too much as the mount dries.

the advantage of a wet tan for traditional taxidermy* is that you don't have to rehydrate the hide before mounting, just thaw it and it's ready to go. rehydrating isn't difficult but if you're a full time taxidermist the extra time adds up, and if you're tanning it yourself you save a lot of time and effort not having to break the leather. the hide also has more longevity when stored wet in the freezer, you don't have to worry about it potentially degrading in storage, so that's the way to go if it'll be a long time before it gets mounted. you also save a bit of money on tanning fees and generally have a shorter turnaround time when sending a hide to a tanner for wet tanning vs. dry.

*don't use a wet tan for soft mount taxidermy. for soft mounting you only want the parts that will be traditionally mounted, like the head and paws, to be wet/rehydrated while mounting. the rest of the body is mounted while the leather is already dried and softened. if you mount while the whole pelt is wet, it'll dry stiff and/or crinkly since you can't break/soften the leather as it dries.

[flayote]

a precious stillborn horse foal wet tanned for a client 🐴

[flayote]

the taxidermy.net forum is a goldmine of information yet it also contains the most noxious cognitohazard on earth: the Current Events section where old conservative men discuss politics

[flayote]

Hi! I'm a beginner in pelt tanning. What method would you recommend to tan a rats' pelt? I have a tanning solution purchased on Amazon and a recently skinned rat. I am autistic and have only ever sort of mummified things before. I've never had the pelt tanned to be soft. If you give me clear directions, that would be very helpful! If you don't have time, I understand. I love your work :)

is the tanning solution you got this stuff by chance? if so, i would highly recommend returning it if you still can, it's poor quality and the instructions it gives will not result in a properly tanned pelt, for reasons i've discussed here.

my recommendation is to get high quality synthetic tanning products instead. the best brands IMO are rittels and trubond. i mainly use rittels myself but generally i say trubond is better for beginners just because i find they have a bit more clear/thorough instructions, but the products themselves are both good. here are the full instructions for tanning with rittels, and here for trubond. i've also detailed my own tanning process here that has some visuals throughout, and in that post i've also linked my tags for more tanning info.

those products are a higher investment up front, and the process with them can look intimidating compared to what the orange bottle says, but the higher quality stuff will set you up for far more success. it's especially important to follow proper prep+tanning procedures and use quality products on fatty/greasy critters like rats because the tanning agent will not work if any grease remains in the skin, and that grease will eventually cause the hide to become weak and fall apart. lean animals like are deer more easy to preserve, they'll still look ok hold up fine even if not technically tanned properly, so that's why you often see good reviews for those poorer quality products. it's possible to get an ok pelt with it if you do the additional pickling and degreasing steps, but that still requires investing in those supplies, and the leather likely still won't be as soft as you can get it with the good stuff or have as much longevity.

i hope that helps!

[flayote]

a great pyrenees cape wet tanned for the taxidermist who will be mounting her for her family 🐾🤍

[flayote]

You're the only one I know to ask, I lost my cat a few months ago and she was only about a year and a half. Because of my grief I couldn't let her go, I was so devastated that I held onto her for a week before finally putting her in the freezer. She and I both stunk by the end and I worry shes not taxidermiable. She didn't have hair slippage? Or like any fluids coming out of her orifices' ..but idk Is a week too long in warmer climates/my arms? I fear I messed up and never get to hold her again

oh, i'm so sorry 💔 it sounds like you had a very strong connection with her, and i can only imagine how devastating it was to lose her so soon. it's understandable how difficult it was to say goodbye and let her go unexpectedly, and how completely paralyzing that can be.

i really wish i could assure you that there's a chance her pelt could still be in good enough shape for taxidermy, but unfortunately after a week at room temperature the chances are slim to none 😞 in my experience with animals getting delayed in the mail, even one or two days after thawing with no refrigeration leads to severe fur slippage. there is a chance, however low, that a small patch of the pelt might be salvageable; i've had some pelts that were slipping all over but just one small patch of the fur still held on tight, but there is no guarantee.

there are still some options for having her preserved, though. i once had a dog unfortunately get so delayed in shipment that there were no parts of his skin that were tannable, but i took some of the loose fur and washed it to return to the family. and no matter the state of her pelt, you could still have her bones cleaned. it's definitely not the same as having her familiar face and coat to pet, but it is a piece of her that you can hold, and you could also have the skeleton articulated in a pose where her personality shines through. plus there are also different ways to preserve certain features such as the paws, nose, and face through prints and casts. shinerskulls offers a variety of options like this, and does beautiful work.

again i'm so sorry. be gentle with yourself; you held on out of love. despite her short time here she was a lucky kitty to have spent it with someone who loved her so much. i'm sure that she will return that love to you no matter what form she takes now, and i hope it brings you peace and comfort