How to Prepare a Squirrel Hide
Preparing a squirrel hide is similar to preparing the hide of a larger animal. Squirrel hides are sometimes used as souvenirs, and skinning and tanning a squirrel hide is a good first project for amateur taxidermists. Preparing a squirrel hide consists of two processes: preparing the hide and tanning the hide. After the skin is removed and prepared for the tanning process, the squirrel's brain is used to tan the hide in a process called brain tanning. After you've mastered preparing a squirrel hide, you can confidently move on to preparing the hides of larger animals.
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Things You'll Need
- 3 wooden beams
- Tacks
- Rotten wood
- Paper towels or old newspapers
- Sharp knife
- Butter knife
Instructions
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Preparing the hide
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1
Lay the squirrel down on top of some paper towels or old newspapers on a hard surface.
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2
Cut down the belly of the squirrel from its chin to the tip of its tail with a sharp knife. When you get to the genitals, cut around them.
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3
Make incisions on the undersides of the squirrel's legs.
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4
Peel the carcass off the squirrel using your hands.
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5
Remove the squirrel's skull, place it in a bag in your refrigerator, and dispose of the carcass.
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6
Tack the squirrel hide flesh side up on a piece of wood or another hard, flat surface.
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7
Scrape the excess flesh and tissue off the hide with a butter knife. Scrape with the knife at a 90-degree angle to the hide.
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8
Roll up the hide and place it in the refrigerator.
Tanning the hide
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9
Remove the brain from the skull of the squirrel.
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10
Boil the brain in 1/2 cup of fresh water. Set the mixture aside and let it cool.
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11
Rub the brain and water mixture on the flesh side of the hide. Soak a rag in the mixture, place it on the flesh side of the hide and roll it up with the hide. Store the rolled up hide in a plastic bag overnight.
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12
Squeeze out excess moisture from the hide.
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13
Stretch the hide by pulling it in all directions with your hands. You can also stretch the hide over the back of a chair. Stretch the hide until it is completely dry.
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14
Make a fire in a fire pit using rotten wood. Let it burn down to coals until there is only smoke and no flames coming from the fire pit.
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15
Hang the hide from a cord attached to a tripod made out of three wooden beams over the fire pit.
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16
Smoke the hide for about 30 minutes over the fire pit before removing it.
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1
Tips & Warnings
It's easier to skin a squirrel immediately after you kill it.
Dispose of the squirrel carcass in accordance to your local ordinances.
If you have access to one, you can smoke the hide in a smokehouse.
When smoking the hide, make sure the hide does not overheat, as extremely high temperature can damage the hide.
Be very careful when handling knives.
Be careful when skinning the squirrel. Make sure not to puncture its organs or make unnecessary cuts in its skin.
References
- Photo Credit Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty Images
