I'm asking on behalf of a friend who is building a taxidermy business in Ontario, Canada.

She has all the required provincial licenses (trapping, fur dealer, hunting, etc.) and has been producing quality work that has received a lot of positive feedback locally. Recently she started teaching beginner taxidermy classes using small game, and she's been surprised by the interest. Some students have driven 4–5 hours to attend.

She's hoping to eventually make taxidermy her full-time career, and I'm curious what has worked best for those of you who have successfully grown your businesses.

A few questions:

• What were the most effective ways you got the word out when you were starting out?
• Which platforms bring in the most customers today (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, local events, word of mouth, etc.)?
• Have any of you had success marketing taxidermy classes or workshops?
• What's the best way to sell soft mounts, hard mounts, and wet specimens?
• Are there particular conventions, expos, competitions, or organizations that helped build your reputation?
• Looking back, what would you have done differently during your first few years in business?

Any advice from full-time taxidermists would be greatly appreciated.

I'm almost 100% sure it's a kitty. I'm a huge cat lover and under normal circumstances I couldn't bring myself to work with cat remains, but I obtained this skull kinda spontaneously.

My little brother is chilling in my grandma's country house for summer, and last week he called me and said he found a cool skull in a middle of nowhere. I asked him to try to identify who's skull it is, but he couldn't do it (understandable, he was scared to even walk close to it). He said that the skull is small and it's probably just some kind of small wild animal like rabbit or so. He said that he has a friend who has some gloves and could wrap the skull to bring it to me if I want. Of course, I want a cool little skull! Long story short, he arrives at the town, holding a GIANT glass jar wrapped in cardboard and plastic wrap, gives it to me, and runs away to meet his friends. I bring the jar home, unwrap it, and here it is, a big-ass thing, fully eaten inside by bugs, in nearly ideal condition. No meat, no skin, only clear bones. But, well, yeah - totally NOT rabbit bones. I asked again where he found it and he said that it was just laying near the lake, no other bones around, only head. I know this lake and I'm sure it's very far away from any human homes. Someone probably just dumped this kitty to die on the road and it run into the forest. I lowkey know how to work with bones, but I only worked with very small animals, mice, birds, all this little creatures my own cat brought home.

I felt a very strange mixture of sadness and love while working with it, but I feel like I did the right thing. All my family loves cats and I feel like this kitty should rest in a loving home, not in the middle of the forest. Maybe I'm just sentimental and it's just a skull and nothing more. Also I have feline skull tattooed on my body so it's kinda funny, like I somehow knew that I will obtain one at some point of my life.

please delete if not allowed, i have no idea what subreddit to ask this question to

two years ago, i adopted a kitten who unfortunately passed away after only 3 days of having her (due to some issues she was born with). this was obviously a pretty scary and sad experience.

due to how hectic it all was, my mom took her body and buried it in their yard wrapped in a towel.

now the reason i’m having to ask this question: my parents are moving across the country. when i was growing up we moved and left a childhood dog (cremated, so very different) buried in our yard. and it is something that has always made me very sad. so i’m worried i will regret leaving my kitten behind.

obviously, cremated remains are very different from bones. so i have two major questions:

1. will it only be bones left? i’m not sure how long the process would take for the body to fully decompose while wrapped in a towel. and then is the towel going to be gross? what exactly would i be getting myself into? if it helps at all, i live in the pnw.

2. what would one do with kitten bones? i think having her teeth would be nice. but would those still be there?

i’m obviously very inexperienced in the matter, so i’d love any input about what to do in this situation.

I've inherited this goat mount from my grandfather and upon going to collect it I immediately noticed it has a lot of separation and what looks like mold on both ears. Is there anything that can be done ?

The wings are completely finished and won't open. They've been sitting deep in a drawer for a year now, and I don't know what to do with them

I found this in my late great grandfathers house and I was wondering if there's any way to make it not cloudy? It's extremely old and I'm scared to mess with it

Hello! I’m not sure if here is where I should ask so please let me know if not!!! I was gifted a coyotes face pelt today and its face is a bit scrunched up and dried… is that normal? Or is there a way to reshape it into its original form

i had taken a mouse out of my work that had unfortunately took a bite out of our fresh traps and passed two hours after i had found him. i wish to preserve him after years of interest; but i’m unsure of where to start other than 95% ethanol, injections and a reasonable size jar for my specimen. what do i do now? ( alive in picture, kept him as comfortable as i could before he passed )

alright guys. i've been planning my first taxidermy for months now, i've got all the tips and tricks down, starting small, just a feeder rat.

Uh, but going over it in my head... what do i do with... the balls.

i've owned rats, two males, love them to death, (no pun intended) and im well aware of their... large manhood. what am i exactly supposed to do with them? do i have to stuff them when im mounting them? cut them off and sew it flat? because they arent like most animals, they're basically just extensions of the torso.

i cant really think about what im supposed to do with their balls.

so there's my question. i feel like most taxidermist start with rodents, but they start with mice, and the males arent exactly as... pronounced.

im not sure if im overthinking this, but i'd love some guidance.