Roadkillhunter

hi everyone! so a few days ago i shot and skinned my first squirrel. I dried him, and then put it in pickling salt and water (as demonstrated on youtube lol). I left him in for about 60 hours (youtube said no more than 72 hours because of fur loss) but to my chagrin this morning the hair was falling out. What did I do wrong there? Secondly, what do taxidermists do to give pelts that "fur" smell and get out the smell of a butchered animal? I'm pretty sure I fleshed it well enough... Thanks guys!

excalibur43

The PH of the solution was probably too high. You need a PH of 1-2. For pickling, I would suggest " Ultimate Acid " which can be purchased through McKenzie Taxidermy Supply, and also get some PH strips to check the PH of the solution, as it can change daily. Once pickled, they also offer McKenzie Tan which can be rubbed on the skin side, and a variety of other tanning products as well. They also offer a few different additives for washing or spraying on the fur as well for scent purposes. Hope this helps.