Funny Bunny

Minor update: After much feedback I decided to patch him up with some spare printed canvas:

From lawnmower victim to adorable desktop companion...

This tiny cottontail was an accidental victim of the grounds department where my bf and I work...he was thoughtful enough to acquire it for me ^.^

Here's something I'm quickly learning about taxidermy: tiny animals are fucking difficult. Their skin is very thin to begin with and the tanning process can ruin the strength if not done extremely carefully (I over-neutralized a squirrel pelt recently and large patches of fur fell out). Never-the-less this little fellow came out pretty good, minus the gaping tear in his right side. The rabbit kit was skinned, the feet and adorable little tail were left on, and into the pickle jar it went. The skin was so thin it clearly pickled through in only about 2 hours. 

A first I tried simply stuffing the sock-like bunny with just cotton balls, but it didn't hold much of a shape.  I pulled out most of the cotton balls, except for the neck and head which looked decent and was starting to dry in place. I then constructed a lovely little wire frame and messed with it and the cotton balls until, after a few solid hours of work, I had recreated the baby bunny.