Dyed Death

 Wet, Fuzzy, and Weird: 

Dead and Dyed

When the dead died did they die to be dyed?

Many of us wanted a pink pony growing up, only to be told that pink ponies do not exist and forcing one to exist would be cruel. (Some people do still inhumanely dye live animals with non-pet safe dyes. Don't do that. Here's a link to a page that recommends pet-safe dyes for your use!) 

not a pink pony, but a pink two-headed rat by

Sarina Brewer

Dying taxidermy has always been something controversial between the different subcultures of taxidermy. Traditional taxidermists claim it is treachery that is just out to shame the animal and show it no respect. Others look at it and go "woah, that's pretty neat, colorful animals look awesome!" I can see both sides of the argument, but I think dying taxidermy can be awesome! 

Some people dye animals to give them a more "alive" look. They will just rejuvenate the already present colors using airbrushing for details. Museums use this technique paired with specialized paints just for this very important job. Hobby taxidermists typically use cheaper paints, or even just hair dye for entire pieces. 

Example of rejuvenated taxidermy from
the American Museum of Natural History

Others dye taxidermy to make a bold statement pieces, to have an animal that looks out of this world. Especially this galaxy deer by Crystal Remains on Facebook, literally out of this world! A lof of people give old taxidermy new life by dying them, making them something unique, strange, and all around amazing. 

Some people just use paints, others use permanent human hair dye. Dying Taxidermy is actually a pretty easy process, it's just like dying human hair! You get your hair dye and just follow the directions. The only difference is after rinsing, you want to be sure to quickly dry the mount. Let it outside in the sun, dry it with a hairdryer, or other techniques. You do not want the skin to rehydrate on the mount to minimize the amount of movement that happens to the tanned skin. 

American whitetail dyed to be black piebald
by Instagram user ourdeerlydeparted