How to Perform Taxidermy on Rattlesnakes

Reptile taxidermy is very similar to that of birds or mammals. To produce a quality mount, you must start with a quality specimen: one that was collected when fresh and that has no damage to skin. For snakes, you also want a specimen that has recently shed so that the colors of the skin are more vibrant. Although the body of a snake is much simpler than that of a bobcat, mounting a rattlesnake still requires patience and attention to detail.

Things You'll Need

• Pliers
• Scalpel
• Manicure scissors
• Leather needle
• Thread
• Foam snake mold
• Foam scraping tool
• Modeling clay
• Hide paste
• Glass eyes

Instructions

1. Remove fangs with the pliers very carefully. Rattlesnakes have teeth in addition to fangs; you may wish to remove these as well.

2. Separate the rattlesnake skin from the carcass. Use the scalpel and scissors to cut along the belly from the vent toward the head. The incision should be one third of the snake's total length. Loosen the skin from the body using your fingers, and work your way to the tail and the neck.

3. 

   The blood rattle is closest to the rest of the snake's body.

   Cut the body at the blood rattle, which is the first rattle at the base of the tail. Remove any flesh from inside the rattle.

4. Skin the head. According to "Skinning Snakes Illustrated," you must cut the skin along the lips and eyelids (See Reference 2). Skinning the head is a delicate process and will probably take the same amount of time as the rest of the body.

5. 

   Open-mouth taxidermy is dramatic, but snakes generally keep their mouths closed.

   Sew the mouth shut from the inside. While open-mouth taxidermy is common, for your first snake taxidermy it can be complicated and is therefore not recommended.

6. Fit the skin onto the foam mold working from the tail toward the head. The skin should be fairly tight on the mold, except at the neck, where you will have a fair amount of loose skin. If the skin does not fit properly, you may either make the mold larger by using modeling clay, or smaller with the foam scraper.

7. Glue the skin onto the mold with a small amount of hide paste. Again, work from the tail toward the head. Once the skin is on the mold, sew the incision closed.

8. 

   Refer to photographs so that you orient the eyes correctly.

   Insert the eyes and adjust the head. The face is the most important part of any taxidermy mount because it determines how lifelike your animal mount appears. Ken Edwards, writing in "The Breakthrough Reptile and Amphibian Taxidermy Manual," suggests referring to photographs of live rattlesnakes on which to model your mount.

9. Dry the taxidermy in a well-ventilated area with low humidity. This can take upward of one week. Check on the snake during the drying process to make any minor adjustments.

Tips & Warnings

• When ordering the foam rattlesnake mold, you will need to know the width and length of your specimen's head.

• Rattlesnake venom can remain potent for several years in frozen specimens, so it is very important to remove the fangs before working on the head of your mount.

References

• "The Breakthrough Reptile and Amphibian Taxidermy Manual"; Ken Edwards; 1992
• Snake Skinning Illustrated

Resources

• "The Complete Guide to Small Game Taxidermy"; Todd Triplett; 2003
• Taxidermy.net