My company is treating a customer for moths that are infesting a large number of mounts in her home. The moth has been identified, but I need to know what sort of things can damage a prepared mount. A liquid would be the most effective, but I don't want to harm her mounts. Any suggestions?
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You need to give a little more info. Are the moths eating it up?If the mounts are very old there's no telling how the hide was preserved - I've seen some that were only treated with borax and any amount of moisture destroys them. Do you have to rinse off the liquid you are considering? If not, I would spray multiple light applications in a well ventilated area so that you don't rehydrate the skin and it dries quickly. There's always the old stand-by "RAID" (if it works on your moth). Spray it into a large garbage bag, cover the mount, seel the bag tightly. Leave overnight and air the mount outside to get rid of the raid odor. This may not work but it won't damage anything either.
What you are dealing with is hair and leather.The noses and eyes may have a little paint on them.Prolonged soaking in water could soften things up on a mount but they will even take more of that than you would think.If your chemicals would work on wool,they should be OK.Hoofed animals have hollow hair that is somewhat fragile if roughed up or brushed backwards etc..You might keep that in mind when handling them.Bears,foxes etc. with fur are more durable.The only possibility of damage that I could foresee would be if the chemical would be so caustic that it would burn the hair or fade it's color and I doubt if that's the case.I can tell you for sure that the moths will completely destroy the entire collection if untreated and if I were the homeowner I would be willing to accept some risk in order to get them under control.You might try a smaller,less valuable animal as a test.If it doesn't fade or singe the hair,you are good to go.Good luck.Let us know how it goes.
If I hired a company to treat my mounted specimens I would expect that company to at least have a clue as to what they are doing. Elisa, don't you feel embarrassed that you must request information on this site for something you should know - AND are already charging someone money for. Find a local taxidermist who you can consult and PAY. Or, I can supply names of people who do this for a living, or will direct you to people you can pay a consulting fee for information dispenced to you, but a charging company should not get the information free.
People hire Taxidermists everyday who have no clue what they are doing. How many people ask questions on here that any taxidermist should know? That is how you learn by asking questions.
It is a COMPANY who already took on the job. Would you consent to putting an engine inside a car without knowing how to do it if you had already accepted money for the job. I have absolutely no problem with beginners, average taxidermists, or extremely experienced taxidermists asking questions on new techniques or variations on how things might be done, but this case struck me wrong. Here is a company already in business that has no idea what repercussions might occur on mounted animals as a result of particular fumigation practice. Professional Taxidermists should be doing the consulting business and getting the pay deserved for the knowledge they possess. If "John Doe" posted that moths were eating his taxidermy mounts, it would be a different... Besides, an on site examination would allow an experienced taxidermist to know if Dry Preserve, Alum Tanning, or Syntan was used on the mount. If wax was used on finishing, or epoxy compounds, what implications there would be with a Cervid versus a Carnivore hair, would be able to judge the age of the mounts based on the form and glass eyes, and dozens of other relevant pieces of info. I still say, find an experienced taxidermist who will do the job for a fee.