Skinning process when saving pelts?

I currently make a nick at the "ankle" joint, then pull far enough down so I can reach through the middle with a knife, then cut up... I repeat in back leaving just the tail and fur around the vent area. I pull it down in one tube while I process, then take off the front feet and head. What should I do different for a hide I plan on saving?

Sounds very similar to what I do & I get some really nice pelts out of my rex at ~16 weeks.

After cutting off the front feet I continue pulling the hide until its peeling the ears and cut it off there instead of cutting the hide & neck together. It's just a little less waste ...

That's pretty much a cased hide. I prefer to cut the head off first, before I even hang them up, and since I have them hanging by the hindlegs I can just pull down once cutting it lose from the hindlegs and tail. The skin will pop off the front legs but it risks splatter so cutting them off right where it gets stuck is sometimes better. Place in cold water and work the blood out of it. Less blood, less discoloration later. After that it depends what you are doing with them.

Having trapped for years I always case skin everything, but I do take the head off first also and hang from rear legs and pull down. I have to be careful going from coons to rabbits though, you've really got to pull on a coon hide and so much fat and the rabbit hide is so thin.

I take the entire pelt off with a 3 inch strait belly cut. Face skin, tail and feet are left attached to the pelt, and the head is removed from the carcass afterwards.

It's quick and easy for me and the hides are usually spotless, but it's kind of hard to describe.

__________ Sun Jan 10, 2016 12:19 am __________

GRAPHIC


Here's a frozen pelt I had tucked away.(and was too lazy to roll up)

Couldn't spread it out to show you the cut, but the feet and tail are severed on the inside, leaving only those bones in the skin.
If I were to tan it complete, I'd remove those tiny bones with relief cuts. If I want just the back hide, I cut the feet, head and tail off whenever I decide I don't need those parts. Less rips during processing means less fur on the carcass for me. As you can see, no blood on that pelt, so I don't need to rinse.

For me, keeping a pelt clean starts while a rabbit is still alive, and continues through the entire tanning process.. This one belonged to someone else prior to me, and has stained feet.

Does anyone have a video showing how they skin for taxidermy, expecially in regards to the feet? I have found a video showing how to skin the head but wouldn't mind seeing more if anyone has a link. (My main buck had a seizure recently and he's having difficulties so its time he moves on but I want to keep him as he's been with me a year and a half.)

Dakota":2uai2ng4 said:

Does anyone have a video showing how they skin for taxidermy, expecially in regards to the feet? I have found a video showing how to skin the head but wouldn't mind seeing more if anyone has a link. (My main buck had a seizure recently and he's having difficulties so its time he moves on but I want to keep him as he's been with me a year and a half.)

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Chances are, even with the best videos, you won't be able to fully skin out a rabbit without ripping the pelt all to pieces.

Since you say he's important to you, it would probably be best to send the pelt to a taxidermist with the feet and tail (and maybe the skull if you don't have experience skinning them out) still inside.

What method of preserving were you considering for him?

I don't think I'd rip him to shreds? *Is confused*

I've culled many a rabbit + skinned them, as well as roadkill and deer successfully, just never anything with the paws/head on. I've salted hides and sent them to tanneries in the past without issue but I wanted to try tanning him myself. I was going to try this with the 1 cup alum+1 cup non isodised salt in a gallon of warm water stirring 2 times a day for three days, rinsing, fleshing, then the mixture for three days again before breaking the pelt. I think I'll be okay to skin him, I would just like to prepare myself for his feet since they differ so much from canids and deer (what I've practiced on so far). I may have an issue tanning as I've only done it to tails and small things so far but I can only prepare myself so much for that.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that the taxidermists around me refuse to skin anything for anyone.

It is very very hard to skin out a rabbit skull and keep everything intact. I've been skinning out the skulls to put in my bug box and practice. I have done something over 20 and still haven't gotten one right. The eyes and lips are really really hard to do even with a very sharp knife. I think that was what Zass was referring too.

Dakota":17yd7l4b said:

I don't think I'd rip him to shreds? *Is confused*

I've culled many a rabbit + skinned them, as well as roadkill and deer successfully, just never anything with the paws/head on.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that the taxidermists around me refuse to skin anything for anyone.

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Nothing to be confused about, rabbits have some seriously delicate foot skin. The faces are easy compared to the feet.
it's nothing like working with deer, fox, or most furbearers.

Senior bucks do have the toughest skin.

You can cut all the way down the leg and foot to debone, or else make relief cuts. For soft sculpture taxidermy, I recommend the relief cuts, because there would be less to sew and the mount will retain it's shape better.

I'd your taxidermist is going to be using a form, cutting all the way down will probably be necessary, but,
it's probably still best to make as few cuts as possible. A taxidermist can make the cuts they need for mounting.

You won't need to break the pelt for a traditional mount, so you can ignore that part of tanning instructions if that is your goal.

If you are going to purchase a form for your rabbit, make sure your taxidermist understands that domestic rabbits and wild rabbits have very different face and body structures. Providing pictures of the live or freshly killed animal is especially helpful.


Getting the toes out is just a matter of gentle pressure and precise cuts to the connective tissue. Surgical scalpels with disposable blades are my go to for that kind of work.


If you just want him tanned to have around as a wall hanger or nice pelt to drape on your furniture, you won't need to maximize the amount of lip and eyelid skin, or worry about how hard the cuts are to sew.

Make sure to shape the ears as they dry, or else they will curl.

Thank you for the tips Zass! I indeed just want him as a wall-hanger so I don't need everything to turn out perfect but I just want to do my best. And I have already ordered some disposable scalpels to do the job! Maybe I'll leave the feet and head attached to the skin so I can throw him in the freezer and practice on my meat-mutts I'm set to cull at the end of March. Also a picture of the foot without the fur on would probably help me too, I am quite the visual learner.

For saving pelts, do you cut on the front or back of the rear legs?

MamaSheepdog":6qmna2xs said:

For saving pelts, do you cut on the front or back of the rear legs?

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I assume this is directed at me? I haven't cut below the "ankle"/"wrist" joints before, usually I just pull on the bone one way and the fur the other (after cutting the tendons and just "trim" along the way). For pelts I don't keep the feet on I just cut at those points instead.