Small Snakes

[Baccus]

Hi everyone,

I recently got two young green tree pythons from a local pet store.  They are currently frozen.  I have been working with reptile bones for a few years now and I can handle the skinning and maceration involved with the skeletal mount.  My question is how do I preserve the beautiful yellows, greens and whites of these snakes?  

I don't know anything about tanning for reptile hides, but I have pickled a number of things, and the colors always fade or turn to a shade of brown.  I don't even know if it is possible to do a mount of snakes of these proportions, but it would be very cool.  If that is not an option, I might just keep them as "rug" mounts.  

Thanks for your help.  I will post pictures when I have them.

Mark

[Kerby Ross]

Mark you could always make reproductions of them and then just paint them.  But yes in reptile taxidermy it is common for greens, reds, yellows, oranges to fade as the skin is drying after mounting.  Painting is usually required.  Just like a fish skin mount, they require painting.  Just don't over paint, use reference, and use different painting techniques, (airbrush, powder paints, water color pencils, charcoals, rub on paints, antiquing, etc.) to get to the final result.  There is no right or wrong way to paint them.

Kerby...

[Baccus]

Thanks Kerby,

I figured as much.  Just wanted to ask the experts if there was a magic potion out there that would save me some time painting. 

[Baccus]

This is basically what they look like.  I got these photos off of google, but the patterns are almost identical. 

[Joey P Holmes]

The yellow pigment in GTP is particularly fragile.  Their green is based on a blue with yellow pigment.  Upon death, the yellow fades and the snake turns rather blue.  At least in adults.  Don't know what happens with those babies.

Get ready to paint.  Freeze dried, mounted, or reproduction, painting is going to be required.

JPH

[wetnwild]

You can easily mount therm by using the sculp=all sculpting method. Roll out a big ball of sculpall and preportion it to the size os the carcass. Tree pythons arer rather ribbon shaped o, so pay attention to shape and anatomy. you can pose them over habitat, and let harden overnight so you have a hard mannequin to mount on. hOPE IT HELPS.

[dog sick]

wetnwild i just got your dvd on snaperturtle very very useful

[wetnwild]

thank you