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lostnwilderness

Treating Fox Tail

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So there are a number of post about this but I am just wanting to make sure I have tail treatment down correctly (I just got a red fox tail).

 

1. Flesh it out (get the bone out of it)

2. Wash thoroughly with Dawn dish detergent

3. Allow to dry well and comb out

4. Secure it to a board and apply borax to the flesh side and allow to dry

 

 

 

Am I missing anything? Thanks All!

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It looks like you have all of the bases covered. Be sure to have it in a dry area instead of a damp or humid area while it is drying.. Years back I got a nice fox tail and just tried to hang it and dry it like I would a squirrel or raccoon tail but it didn't work out very well for me. I had it hanging in my garage and after a few days I started smelling something funky and after a week or so it had to go. My garage was right beside a creek and it was always damp in there so the tail never had a chance.

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table salt is just fine. I would say to comb and blow-dry the tail. All the foxes I've ever tanned had to be either tumble-dried (not something normal people can do at home) or blow-dried on low or no heat and with a comb. The under fur on the tail is so dense that it holds so much moisture that it will probably not dry nearly fast enough to prevent bacteria growth, unless you live in the desert southwest somewhere. This is especially important if you are not taking the wet tail after washing and immediately putting it in a low ph acid pickle. Once you let the bacteria growth get to the point of hair slip, it is too late.

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Borax works fine for mammals too. Sad to say I have furs older than many posters. I have never used salt it draws too much moisture. Everyone has their own preference.

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Im not sure you need to remove the bone either. I have a skin and tail from a European red fox and the tail is still on the bone. No issues with it but maybe I was lucky?

I use non ionized salt or borax and haven't noticed big difference in either, other than the skins salted do attract moisture from the air if not managed properly. The borax means i can be a bit more lazy with taking it down from the frame before it draws in moisture. All depends on your local humidity I guess.

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Im not sure you need to remove the bone either. I have a skin and tail from a European red fox and the tail is still on the bone. No issues with it but maybe I was lucky?

 

!!!! nothing worse than a tail (of any sort) left bone-in !!! If you have a fox tail that has not been skinned, and there are no issues with it such as stink and hair loss, you are very lucky indeed.

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I've done a number of gray squirrel tails bone-in with no problem. It's all bone and sinew. You can skin the tail, however, like peeling a banana. I did this once, but didn't repeat it because it wasn't a problem. Never done any other tails, though.

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The calf or kip tails that you buy still have the bone in them. I like the bone in the calf or squirrel tails because it is ridged and you can hold it and snip off the hair as you need it. I have seen quite a few fox tails that folks have and all they did was hang it and let it dry with the bone still in. I screwed up because my garage was damp and the tail couldn't dry properly so it just rotted. A lot of the raccoon tails that hung from old hot rod car antennae's still had the bone in them too.

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yep thats my experience with squirrel, calf and fox. I think some materials labelled as fox which are actually dog from the korean meat trade, are boned because there are more muscle/blood vessels in a dogs tail????

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It's a matter of getting the "meat" to dry out before it begins to rot. If you can dry it fast enough, there will never be any smell. I've had deer tails that were winter dried, with the bone in, that were fine. I've had others that weren't OK. Soaking the tail in salt water for a few days may help, as the salt draws out a lot of the moisture and inhibits decay.

 

If you are drying with the bone in, find a cool dry (low humidity) place to dry them out. You might even consider packing the tail in sawdust or wood chips to further reduce the humidity as it dries.

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even my squirrel tails, I strip, zip, pin out and dry. I find it so much nicer to work with snipping the hair I need off a flat skin than a stiff thing with the bone left in. Takes very little time, and to me the results are well worth it. I have had calf tails recently which stunk to high heaven. I just can't abide bone-in tails.

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