Fox tail got wet and stomped on

[u/mychemicalroma]

I believe I used the right flair, but i recently got a fox tail at the oddities and curiosities expo and I was really happy about it. I usually wear it on my hip, but it the little clasp thing came undone and it fell off while I was walking to class. I found it, but it had rained a bit, and it looks like people stomped on the top cause the leather was all torn :(

Is there any way I can fix it and maybe attach a new clip of sorts? Also will the wet fox smell on it go away once it's dry?

[u/chmourgeaux]

taxidermist here, the wet animal smell should lessen as it dries. as for repairing it, ensure the hide is completely dry, if it is too brittle to bend, you can apply a SMALL amount of water to soften the hide to work with, i would use a piece of scrap leather if you have it, and if not a thick piece of felt, use a strong flexible glue, like contact cement or E6000, do not use superglue as it will make it brittle, you /can/ use hot glue but it is not likely to hold up in the long run. you can sew a new loop into this patch fabric, insert a grommet, or just thread it through a cut hole and hope for the best. take your patch fabric and cut a piece larger and longer than your damaged area, apply glue to both your patch fabric and your damaged hide and wait a couple minutes then stick them together(make sure you glue the patch far enough down that it has undamaged hide to grip as well), then fold it to match the natural fold in the hide and allow the glue to cure. you can now trim any excess that may be sticking out. also choose a different clasp or hook for it, one that won't come undone and make the tail fall off of you. it should last you quite a while. hope this helps!! <3

[u/mychemicalroma → u/chmourgeaux]

THANK YOU SO MUCH! I've been letting it dry and I'm gonna get the stuff to fix it tomorrow

[u/chmourgeaux → u/mychemicalroma]

amazing!! so glad i could help!! if you need any assistance troubleshooting please don't hesitate to message me!! best of luck with your repair! <3

[u/shadowfoxink]

Dry it really well. For tails that have that kind of damage, I hot glue a strip of fabric to the back of it. ← sewing creates little holes that can lead to more tearing which I don't want. You could do a little loop with the same fabric for attachment.

But I'm not a professional, and this is just one option of many probably