Mouse Taxidermy

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introMouse Taxidermy

How to stuff a mouse. Warning: an extremely graphic tutorial involving dead mice.
See LED Throwie Rodents, Conjoined Twin Mice, and Duck Mouse for more advanced projects..

Mouse Taxidermy
p8170056.jpgmouse.jpgp8170068.jpgmouse3.jpgmouse2.jpg

step 1Procure mice

You'll need some dead mice. These came frozen from the [http://www.eastbayvivarium.com/ East Bay Vivarium]. Most pet stores will happily sell you pet or feeder mice, …

step 2Assemble tools

You will need: plastic to cover your work surface (a trash bag does nicely) dead mice cotton balls beads (for eyeball replacement) wire cutters needle-nose pliers …

step 3Cut wires

Cut the following: 4 x 9" thin (26 gauge) wire 1 x 12" thin (26 gauge) wire 1 x 16" thicker (~15 gauge) wire Note that the lengths may vary a bit due to the size of…

step 4Make voodoo doll- cotton balls

Make the 'voodoo doll' you'll use to stuff your mouse. I find that making a properly-proportioned voodoo doo the hardest part of this whole procedure, and am working on …

step 5Make voodoo doll- wrap thread

Now we'll apply radial compression to keep the voodoo doll properly dense. Wrap the end of the string around the 'neck' between the doll's cotton ball segments to tack i…

step 6Make the voodoo doll- eyes

Finally we need to add the eyes. This requires a couple of mouse-eye-sized cheap plastic beads. Black works well for all mice, though you can choose to use eerie tran…

step 7Initial incision

This requires the scalpel and of course a mouse. If you're going to be wearing gloves put them on now. Make an incision along the mouse's spine from the shoulders to th…

step 8Peel skin

Insert your fingers under the skin around the mouse's torso to separate the skin from the body. This should be quite easy to do; just tryl not to punch through the abdomin…

step 9Hind legs

Once you've worked around the torso, start on the hind legs. Carefully peel the skin back like a sock, being careful not to pull too hard. The skin will peel back to the …

step 10Tail

Now that you've removed the hind legs you're on to the tail. First you've got to carefully detach any other bits of connective tissue (for the elimination and reproducti…

step 11Forelegs to head

Carefully work the skin down around the forelegs just like you did on the hind legs, then clip at the shoulder to remove the legs from the body. The forelegs will also rem…

step 12Ears

The ears are attached to the head. Now that you've pulled the skin all the way up to the ears (check on the outside of the pelt to make sure you're actually looking at the…

step 13Eyes

Using the scalpel, carefully cut through the connective tissue attaching the eyelids to the skull. You want to make sure to leave the eyelids attached to the pelt, so take…

step 14Nose

Use your scalpel to detach a bit more of the skin from your mouse's muzzle, but stop short of the actual nose. Work around the lower jaw with the scalpel to detach the l…

step 15Clean the pelt

Now you should be holding an inside-out mouse pelt. Remove any remaining bits of flesh or fat stuck to the skin; rub with the cornmeal/borax mixture if necessary to sand…

step 16Invert and moisten

Now that you've cleaned up the pelt, flip it back right-side-out and make sure all of the bits look right. Run a moistened finger around the inside of the pelt against t…

step 17Wire the legs

Now find your four pieces of thin wire and a cotton ball. Unroll the cotton ball, and wrap some of the wispy bits around a leg to simulate the flesh you previously cut o…

step 18Insert voodoo doll: head

Make sure the interior of the head is properly moist, then align the voodoo doll's bead eyes and insert it into the head skin. Wiggle it in slowly, using your fingers …

step 19Attach forelegs

Now we're going to wire on the forelegs. Make sure the head is properly situated and the legs are fully pushed back into the skin, then push the arms as far forward as…

step 20Insert the tail

Now that you've got the front half of the body taken care of, we'll insert the tail. Fold the rest of the pelt forward, exposing the rest of the back opening and the tai…

step 21Attach the tail

Flip the back half of the pelt back into place along the voodoo doll, and position the tail where it should be after the mouse is fully stuffed and sewed. Much like t…

step 22Attach hind legs

Use your fingers and tweezers to scoot the rest of the skin around up and over the voodoo doll's rear end and position the hind legs. This is much like the forelegs and …

step 23Sew closed

Now that you've got all the limbs wired and the fur pulled into place, stitch the back opening shut. Use doubled thread with a big knot tied at the end. Stitch back and…

step 24Pose your mouse

The most stable position for your mouse is likely to be sitting upright, using both hind legs and the tail for support. You should make sure you can get this to work befor…

step 25Pin feet and mouth

Put a pin through the footpad of the hind feet to keep them from curling up as they dry. Keep the mouth in place with three pins: one to hold the lower lip up, then one…

step 26Let them dry

Leave your mouse to dry for a day or two, depending on your room's humidity. Keep it out of direct sunlight. Check periodically to make sure the extremeties aren't dryi…

step 27Remove pins and display

When your mice are dry, pull the pins out and put your creations on display. Remember making dioramas in elementary school? Well... they're waaaay better with mice. Th…

202 comments
1-50 of 202
Nov 30, 2008. 10:16 PMwalkerpediasays:
nice instructable! Why such unnatural poses though?
Nov 6, 2008. 4:04 PMsinxkittensays:
Hi!
i've recently gotten into the cool kind of taxidermy (like this and this ), not the creepy "this was my pet dog growing up, and now i keep it in my bedroom because i loved him" kind. Heh. I'd love t try this, this tutorial is awesome! I was pretty good at dissecting animals in my biology class, so i might be good at this.
Now to convince my mom to let me taxidermy a mouse....
Oct 31, 2008. 6:52 AMCRYROLFEsays:
Well....I've always wondered how they stuff those animals in the museum so uhm....now I know. Kinda gross though, and those mice really, really smell don't they? I've had to feed dead mice to a snake before and they still stunk even when they weren't alive.
It probably is pretty difficult though....being so tiny.
Mar 25, 2008. 12:19 AMShawnDBsays:
Awwwwww. :(
My mouse turned out terrible! lol.

My roomate was very concerned about me because I kept gagging...he couldn't seem to take his eyes off of what I was doing though. Everything went GREAT until I had to take the skin off the tail. I got it about 1/4th the way off when it started to rip. It ended up ripping all the way off...I thought no big deal...i can skip the tail on my first...well his little butthole got stuck on my finger and I had a hard time getting it off. haha. I had a hard time getting the arms and legs set up too. At the very end I finally got it all good to go..but my mouse has a permanent expression on his face that says 'DURRRRRRR' with an untangible crooked head and a lazy eye. He has a thick hump with a ridge on the top of his back where I messed up, and no tail or butthole. Oh and his left arm is deformed and stuck in a curled posistion with every bone in it broken....To top it all off I found that his butthole was STILL stuck to the bottom of my finger.
Oct 17, 2008. 11:23 PMwolfy_9005says:
LOL
Feb 29, 2008. 6:41 AMPotroastsays:
Sweet! I usually just flush them, but this seems much more environmentally friend. Re-use and re-cycle etc.
Apr 12, 2008. 7:15 PMfilthyfurysays:
burying it would be more enviromentally friendly
Oct 15, 2008. 11:04 AMlgcalexsays:
most animals dont bury dead things. If anything eating the bits that it's safe too would seem the most enviromentally friendly thing to do. I'm afraid i'll have to get a carnivorous friend to eat mine..

Haha, but really, mouse vr murcry laden CFL bulbes? I think the murcury does more harm to a landfill than some uncooked meat
May 25, 2008. 7:44 PMcanidasays:
The insides went into the city's industrial compost.
Oct 14, 2008. 9:12 PMnibbler125says:
finger puppits !!
Mar 18, 2008. 5:05 PMCameraBoy9says:
you have to find a way to use the meat as well. im thinking mouse porjuto
Sep 24, 2008. 8:44 PMgabethegeeksays:
It's quite good actually!
Just don't tell the people who you serve it to what it is!
Mar 18, 2008. 5:06 PMCameraBoy9says:
joking
Sep 22, 2008. 9:48 PMjoeflagstaffsays:
It can't be that hard to gut a mouse... There are plenty of smart, crafty old guys that create miniature machines, and I imagine you could find someone to make you a teeny little meat grinder. Clean out the intestines well and you could be on your way to the smallest natural casing sausage anyone has ever seen!
Nov 20, 2007. 7:40 PMespboysays:
Please dont do this, if you think about this it is just plain wrong, they are cute fuzzy animals and you just kill them so you can take a look at them every 30 minutes while you are sitting on your couch watching tv. This is just sick.
Sep 22, 2008. 9:40 PMjoeflagstaffsays:
I had two of these "cute fuzzy animals" making a nest in my house last month, and I had no problem setting out traps for them, and also no problem disposing of their crushed, lifeless bodies in the trash (I don't put meat in the compost.) If I'd seen this Instructable, I would not have had to waste two mice worth of fur. (I thought of collecting enough pelts to make a pair of slippers, or perhaps a muffler, but thought it would take too long.)
I think that this is a fine Instructable, but I certainly wouldn't pay for the mice from some industrial mouse farm when there are plenty of perfectly good mouse and rat specimens running around any human habitation...
Apr 29, 2008. 5:16 PMHerrozerrosays:
Whilst I love animals, I don't think (as in *really*) people should anthropomorphise them; to my mind that devalues the concept of humanity. At the end of the day, this mouse is dead and as an animal it has no concept of shame or humiliation.

-ReeT0ric (Youtube)

A good quote
Apr 20, 2008. 5:27 PMsuperridleysays:
Their pests, and would it be any better if they were ugly?
Feb 26, 2008. 6:10 AMnaruto 777says:
stupid animal rites activists yau people are the same way with hunter "ohhhhhhh you killed an animal ohhhhhhhh" *sob*sob seriously they should be able to do whatever they want
Jan 5, 2008. 6:47 PMSlangan1117says:
i agree, they are cute and fuzzy and shouldnt treated like this, even if they are dead.
Mar 31, 2008. 6:39 PMGamernotnerdsays:
Right. The only thing little creatures should have to endure after death is being eaten
Feb 10, 2007. 5:15 PMThe BeastSpawnsays:
(removed by community request)
Sep 20, 2008. 11:33 PMLftndbtsays:
You sir, make me sick.

Take a look around you. There are many people in this world whom do nasty nasty things.

This I'ble doesn't even rate on the "sick" scale.

By the way, don't tell people to "Rot in hell" you immature child.
If you don't like it don't read it, your the one that clicked the link. No one forced you in here....
Jun 17, 2008. 8:38 PMMolly Malevolentsays:
I have rats too and I can't think of a cooler way to preserve their memory... hehe
Plus for someone who's name is The BeastSpawn you are pretty soft... maybe your name should be Greenpeace Spawn. hehehe I kid I kid... but seriously Grow up a little.
plus I think your Rot in Hell comment is a little against the Be nice Policy.
:)
Jun 12, 2008. 9:23 AMtrooperricksays:
Heres what I think, you can do it, but just don't play with them like their toys.... Thats what makes me squirm.
Jun 12, 2008. 8:58 AMHerrozerrosays:
Whilst I love animals, I don't think (as in *really*) people should anthropomorphise them; to my mind that devalues the concept of humanity. At the end of the day, this mouse is dead and as an animal it has no concept of shame or humiliation.

Reet0ric on the Duck Feet Video on Youtube

A good quote.
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