what to do with my snake after he dies

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youngy

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I have had my carpet python for about 12 years now and was thinking what it will be like after he is gone. He has been a great companion over the years and its sad the thought of him dying. I was thinking what i would do with him after he dies.....bury him, get him stuffed or use his skin to make a belt or shoes or akubra hat. Would that be disrespectful to the friend he has been to me over the years?? i dont know. atm my thoughts are that it wouldn't be. I dont think i would just like to bury him and never see him again. he is a good 10foot now and I think making something out of his skin would be good. Something as cool as he was and that i would see everyday and remind me of him and the time we had spent together. Has anyone had there pet snakes pass away? What did you do with them?
 
haha KFS.
nah yeh im serious, sounds strange i know. Even when i first considered it i laughed at the idea. but im considering it more and more. im just not into the burying them in the yard thing.
 
how about getting him made into one of those cool mounted skeletons they have at museums?
no idea who to talk to about it, but thats what im thinking of doing with the darwin i lost to cancer this year. (depending on price)

or cremation,..that way u have a box/ashes you can keep,....
 
I have had my carpet python for about 12 years now and was thinking what it will be like after he is gone. He has been a great companion over the years and its sad the thought of him dying. I was thinking what i would do with him after he dies.....bury him, get him stuffed or use his skin to make a belt or shoes or akubra hat. Would that be disrespectful to the friend he has been to me over the years?? i dont know. atm my thoughts are that it wouldn't be. I dont think i would just like to bury him and never see him again. he is a good 10foot now and I think making something out of his skin would be good. Something as cool as he was and that i would see everyday and remind me of him and the time we had spent together. Has anyone had there pet snakes pass away? What did you do with them?

I would just want to lay him to rest in a lovely peaceful spot where he would not be disturbed and cherish the memories I had of him. As fpor me making a belt out of his skin would be like me considering making a lamp shade out of my Uncles tattooed back, don't like that idea at all.


Kindest regards


Endeavour
 
Well Youngy if you've only had him 12 years he's got more than another half of a life time for you to consider it.... depending on how old he was when you got him of course and the quality of food you've been feeding him... he's only middle age tops... 25 to 30 years.... so I'm guessing barring disease, escape etc. start worrying about it in another 8 or so years...
 
The best you can do is bury him. Let him return to the earth; it's where he belongs.

Don't butcher his body by getting him stuffed etc. Taxidermy for the sake of it is distasteful, in my opinion. His memory can live on through photographs. Choose your favourite photo of him and have it enlarged to poster size, then get it framed and put it on your wall.
 
Yes well we are all made man and all animals made from dust and dust we shall return although If you wish to preseve your snake when It dies I think put it in a jar of metho or similair just google it
 
People mourn/celebrate the life of a loved one in different ways. If getting him stuffed is what works for you, go for it.
I intended to have my first rat stuffed, but she was too old when she died and I couldn't find a taxidermist willing to do it (she was about 3 and a half when I had her PTS), so I got her cremated. She hangs in a tiny jar from my rear vision mirror, so I see her every day. She died 5 years ago, and I've got no plans to take her down any time soon.
I'm actually in the process of digging up our front yard to find my two ferrets that died about a year ago now, I've decided to mount their skeletons (or pay someone else to do it:)) I would have gotten them stuffed, but they died by falling into the drain and not being found for a month. It was unpleasant to say the least.

It might not seem tasteful to some, but the pet does not belong to them, so stuff 'em:D

On the other hand, a baby rat that I bought recently got very ill and died (yes, I do have rats as pets, though I do not have any qualms about feeding rats to snakes, and do intend to breed my own food eventually when my situation allows), and though I mourned his loss, his corpse is in the freezer and will be fed to a snake next feeding day.

When I die, I want to be ground up and fed to the dogs, but apparently that's illegal. Pfft. rude.

- - - Updated - - -

Another suggestion if you are leaning towards using his skin: personally I'm not a fan of snakeskin products, I just don't like the way they look, and generally judge the hell out of people I see wearing them because I think it makes them look super-douchey. But that's just me:)
Maybe something small and tasteful, like a custom made keyring. You could get his hide inlaid on one side, and his name and date of birth/death engraved on the other.
 
I think he has a few good years left , But we have often joked about turning our snakes into walking sticks :D
 
I always say avoid pet taxidermy - there are not enough competent taxidermists here in Australia, or even overseas, that can pull off pets properly. The main reason being is that living with an animal so long, they develop their own personalities and quirks which just can't be replicated by a taxidermist who never knew the animal.

Wild animals are another matter enitrely, they don't need to hold a specific 'personality' to look good.
 
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Making a belt , in my opinion would not be considered dis-respectful. Once he is dead he will not know any different. If you believe in spirituality, consider his death as he has just moved homes. His old body was no good to him anymore so he left it to get a new one. So what you do with the "old house" will not be any concern to him.
 
do what you want, i reckon a belt would be cool! saying its disrespectful is silly if you ask me! i plan on getting mine skinned and hanging them on my wall!
 
I agree with the belt part. It's not disrespectful at all, you didn't kill him for the skin and it would honor his spirit to be preserved & remembered.

I'm a huge animal lover and donate alot of my money into conservation work, but I also own quite a few animal bits and pieces.. skins / hides, skulls etc. It's my way of honoring them, and I know I never killed anything or ever would so I don't see a problem. I like sharing my home with animals, whether living or passed on. :)
 
Actually this is a really good topic. What's the go in QLD though? I remember reading a post on an ex pet GTP and wanting it's skull for a collection and QLD saying no.... wouldn't it be the same with having them cremated?
 
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