More Than One Way to Skin a Rat
Okay, I'm sure there are more, but I only know the one way. Learning it was a bitch too, I ended up altering a squirrel skinning article that didn't even have any pictures.I resolved that when I get a clue and a camera I'd post my own small animal skinning tutorial with pictures. I'm using that tutorial I just linked and editing it heavily to suit the techniques I developed on my own.
Yes I know, they're low quality camera phone pictures, but this is what I have to work with.
Enjoy, comment please, and remember I'm pretty new at this. If you have a critique or suggestion, I'm all ears.
I know some of my readers have weak stomachs, so rather than putting it all out there, I made it so that in order to see the show you need to click
Ok first up an overview of the equipment.
We’re going to skin this rat so that we preserve the face, legs and tail, as well as the main pelt. The first step with something this small is to pin it down. Pin it's paws so that it's laying belly up.
Apply more pins to spread the skin taught as you go along. This helps things to stay neat and organized, as well as works wonders towards holding them still. Little critters have proportionately thin skin, so don't over stretch or it will tear. Also, periodically spray the inside of the pelt down with water, this keeps it from drying out (dry skin shrinks and tears on pins, also if it's dry for too long, hair will start falling out.
The first incision we are going to make is down the belly. You want to make a cut along the chest with your scalpel, than go the rest of the way with your scissors,
Make sure you don’t cut too deeply, or you’ll pierce the gut sack, remember you only want the skin! As you go along, you’ll get used to the depth you should be cutting at, its just practice. Don't worry, it's easier than it sounds.
So now you have 2 “skin flaps” one either side of the cut. Let’s work on the right hand one first. Use your fingers and tweezers to lift the edge of the skin and tease it off the body. Tease it along with the scissors and scalpel, but you'll rarely need to apply pressure (try to avoid pressure or risk damaging the pelt). Just go slow and steady. Take your time and this part does its self. The warmer and fresher the rodent, the easier the skinning process is. Then start on the other skin flap, doing the same, teasing the skin off the body, cutting the membrane as you go. Eventually you’ll be able to peel the skin off to near the back.
Next stop is the legs. These are quite difficult to explain but very simple to do, hopefully the picture I provide will make things a bit easier.
Let start with the back legs, say the right one. Put your scissors under the skin through the belly cut you made and cut through the skin down the rat’s thigh where all the meat is. Right on down the calf to the ankle.
Now leave your scissors, you’ll just need your hands, and maybe your tweezers for this bit. Holding onto the foot, push the foot and leg through the skin, keep pushing until you get to the bottom of the paw pad, then snip thru the bone with either your scissors so the foot is left attached to the skin. Remember the membrane! Keep cutting at this membrane throughout the whole process, will make it so much easier. Yes, the foot is still attached to the leg skin, there’s just not yucky meat! Do this with all four legs. Be patient, I know it’s quite fiddly.
Ok so the legs are out, now the tail. I find it easier to debone the tail after you’ve skinned the entire animal, but it’s your choice, if you want to debone it, now is a good time. I’m going to explain how to keep the tail attached to the skin, and then debone it later.
So now we have the tail, separate the back skin and underside skin where the tail starts and chop through the bone, BUT NOT THE SKIN, so the tail is still attached by the back skin, much like you did for the feet.
Using your fingers or tweezers (degloved rats are slippery) pick it up by the hine legs and begin peeling it away from the skin, remember the membrane!
When you get to the neck, this is where the fun begins; you’ll need your scalpel for this. Gently tease the skin over the head, cutting lightly at that membrane as you along. When you get to the ears, you need to cut through the ear buds (where the ears sprout out of the skull) this will leave the ears still attached to the pelt, and will separate them from the skull. Do this with both of them.
At this point you need to flip the rat over and get the chin skin off, this is quite delicate and is easily messed up, so patience is needed. Once this is free turn the rat back over and continue teasing the skin off of the face, remembering the thin membrane. When you get to the eyes, cut into them, don’t worry, if you’re careful you won’t pierce the eyeballs themselves, just the skin, leaving a hole where the eye would be. Be careful with that part; do this with both eyes, once that’s done, breathe a sigh of relief. Now it’s just a case of pulling the skin over the nose. All done! Sort of...
If you haven’t deboned the tail do it now, simply split the tail with your scalple a little bit, then using some pliers pull the bone out, its tricky but eventually it comes out. If you are skinning a mouse, don't bother, like the feet there's no nasty meat.
Fleshing
Most time consuming and boring part, put on Lord of the Rings or something. Basically holding your scissors flat against the skin, keep snipping until all the flesh comes off, I really can’t explain it better than that. Its like a thin membrane attached to the skin, its see through but when you snip it off its actually pink, you can’t tan without fleshing, it’s very important you thoroughly get rid of all the flesh for the best results.
Tanning
Put your rat pelt on ice (the freezer will keep it nicely) and wait for the weather to cool down some, as that's when I'll be making part 2 of “More Than One Way to Skin a Rat”
Part 2 is done! you can find it by clicking here.