# Mouse + coyote skull = photo ops!



## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

I wanted to get some more interesting photos, with other skulls and things, but the coyote was the only one the mouse liked! 
She got right in, and used it like a little house. Even cleaned herself in there, HAH.
Oh, the one photo, with the horns, those are Springbok horns. 
I wish I had a better camera, or knew a photographer!


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

The next to the last is my favorite.

The mouse looks purple in some of the pics.


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## Evangeline (May 23, 2010)

Where did you get that skull? I have been looking for a dog like skull for a while!! Not to show off and that but im really interested in dogs and how they work lol. Ive seen plastic moulded ones but they were like $300 so about £200 for me


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

WHAT. I can get you a coyote skull for like . . . $30 bucks if you want a clean one like that. 
I do semi-professional skull cleaning.


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## Evangeline (May 23, 2010)

What is that a real one? Will it survive being shipped to the UK?


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Yep. Shipping to the UK is perfectly alright, probably would be a around $10 
And yes, that's a real one in the photos.


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

You can't ship it out of the country without additional steps. It's probably considered an "animal or animal part" under the US Customs and as such will need to have clearance or else you could go to jail.

I work for the USPS and we have this question from time to time, even with people wanting to send tissue samples or fur. Depending on your state, the species of remains, where it's going, and what body part it actually is, it can be illegal to send out of the US and both the shipper and the receiver will get in trouble. Call your local Custom's office and ask to be sure before you mail it. The USPS may or or may not know, but Customs will know for sure.


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Yes you can ship it over seas without additional steps . . .
I do it all the time, and so do other people. I don't know what rules you're reading Jack, but it's perfectly legal, and needs no extra steps, or claims. 

The only acceptions I can think of, are raw fur and skulls, and federally protected species.


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

I'm more familiar with importing whole animals (as opposed to exporting parts), so this is what US Customs and Border Patrol has to say:



US Customs said:


> Before you leave for your trip abroad, you might want to talk to CBP about the items you plan to bring back to be sure they're not prohibited or restricted. Prohibited means the item is forbidden by law to enter the United States. Examples of prohibited items are dangerous toys, cars that don't protect their occupants in a crash, bush meat, or illegal substances like absinthe and Rohypnol. Restricted means that special licenses or permits are required from a federal agency before the item is allowed to enter the United States. _Examples of restricted items include firearms, certain fruits and vegetables, animal products, animal by products, and some animals._


(emphasis added)

This only speaks to things entering the US, so the laws may in fact be different for animal parts leaving the US.

Many postal clerks, DHL workers, and others may not necessarily know about Customs, USDA, and other rules. And truth be told, they won't necessarily even know or ask what's in the box (usually they are declared "gifts" it seems), especially if it's going to a "safe" country like England. It's always better to be fully educated on the process, though, and know what could happen. I know a woman who was arrested for sending rabbit feet (as good luck charms) to another state, and they didn't even leave the country.

I'm curious--if you remove the skull when doing taxidermy to a coyote's body, what's inside? Foam?


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

The rabbit foot thing is strange. It must have been that she was collecting the feet illegally, or something.

I've sent whole dead animals, pieces of animals, bones, fur, meat, everything. It's all legal. 
Some things you can't ship are: Animals leaving a state legally, but entering another state that does not allow the animal parts to be owned (wolves and bears are most often a problem), anything that you cannot own such as ANY raptors (US only)or some water fowl, you also cannot sell wild ducks and geese, or any other migratory birds, but you may ship them if paperwork is included with the birds.

And yes, there is a foam 'manakin' inside the animal's skin to keep it's from.  
The forms are basic, and still need sculpting once you buy them, but they are essentially an exact copy of the animal's body shape. Some people prefer to 'wrap' bodies, which means that they take wooden cut-outs of the basic body shapes, and wrap them in wood-wool (it's like raffia) until they are the shape of the animal's body parts. 

On some animals, like birds and reptile, you do include the entire skull. You can do this with mammals. . . but it can get messy. Some smaller animals are simply freeze dried whole. I have some mice that are done that way.


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

Well she wasn't charged or jailed, but her rabbit feet were never returned. It was weird. She'd been in trouble with the government (the USPS and I think Customs too though I don't remember for sure) before for shipping other rabbit parts overseas. She works on a large food rabbit farm. Come to think of it, perhaps food animals are under different rules than pet animals or just parts of animals? It can be so complicated. *shrug*

Can you taxidermy a hummingbird or a finch?


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## Rhasputin (Feb 21, 2010)

Nope. In the US all 'songbirds' are considered illegal to own any part of, unless it's for educational purposes like a museum. However, things that are PET animals, are okay to own, like finches you could have as pets etc, or non-native birds. Parrots and things are okay too, as long as they were a pet first.

It's legal to sell most pet-parts, EXCEPT for dog and cat fur. You can keep cat and dog fur, and give it away, but you cannot sell, buy, or trade any piece of the skin or fur. That's to prevent the Chinese fur market from getting a foot hold in the US. However, you -CAN- sell, buy, and trade dog and cat skeletons, interestingly. . .


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## Jack Garcia (Oct 9, 2009)

At Ashland Estates (a historic monument type of place) in Lexington, on one of the upper floors of the main manor in a bedroom, there is a small ornamental birdcage that belonged to the owner's wife in the 1800s. In it, on a hanging perch, sits a taxidermied zebra finch that has a small wire attached to it, and it sings when you wind it up (like a music box). It is extraordinarily creepy because when I was there for one of my classes, the tour guide told us that it was a fake bird but it was obvious to me (a finch breeder for a few years) that those were at the very least real feathers and a real beak, if not a whole taxidermied bird.

I didn't realize it was possible to taxidermy a bird so small.

The cage itself was a very, very minor part to the room. We were supposed to be studying the architecture, period furniture, textiles, and so forth, but I kept looking at the little dead bird and I asked if I could hear it sing. We weren't supposed to be allowed to, but the tour guide let me hear it! It was some kind of bizarre, high-pitched circus-y song that was trying to sound birdish. Its mouth opens and closes rapidly, out of sync with the music, as the weird song plays from the bottom of the cage.

Unfortunately they said I couldn't take a picture.


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