Taxidermy of 5 rats

May 8, 2017

Chandler 260

Pamela, Naomi, Tianna, Caroline, Ludo, Melinda, Hannah Elmer

• Alum-wheat starch mixture (Kremer)

• 1:1 ratio
• Total = ½ cup (¼ cup each)

• Thread for sewing incision

• “J+P Coats Dual Duty Plus”

•   Cotton covered polyester “for hand sewing.”

• Rats

• Sources from Petco on Columbus and 99th Street.
• “Gourmet Rodent”

• 2 medium (barcode 63228-19865)
• 3 large (barcode 63228-19866)

• Rats A, B, and C are male
• Rates D and E are female

• The rats were all washed with Dawn Dish Soap
• Rat skin is loose and pulls away from interiors.
• Rat D had lots of fatty tissue
• Rat A had a big heart, but bigger testicles
• Rats A, B, C, and E had their eyeballs replaced with glass and plastic beads. Rat D eye’s were left intact and tiny rolls of paper were inserted so as the rat dries the eyes will keep their shapes.
• Rat A was treated with borax
• Rat B was treated with borax
• Rat C was treated with alum and wheat starch
• Rat D was dried with paper towels inserted into the body cavity and then treated with borax. A film of borax was left behind.
• Rat E was treated with alum and wheat starch
• Rat C’s mouth was propped open using a wooden stick on top of the tongue.
• Rat D’s connective tissue was peeling away from the skin after the borax treatment.
• The pouch inserted into Rat B was small, so extra linen scraps were added.
• Rat D had a broken foot which was repaired.
• Rat B has stuffed linen in the eye socket.
• Rat D’s ventral was sown, but the break was too big. NJR went over the stitches from the outside as well and taped the foot down.
• 3 out of 4 of Rat E’s legs were cut. The back left paw has a broken bone.
• As Rat D was being washed, stuffing came out of its vagina. Borax also came out of its vagina.
• Melinda noted the borax should be applied like a dry rub, not like breaded chicken.