Waterrat - I love her images. I find I sell most of my images to stock libraries with white backgrounds. I have set up some fake backgrounds after seeing your article though.
That yellow levis I got from you Kuppa. She was red when I got her but has become yellow with age.. Go figure!
Another way of doing is to place a light under the perspex. If I shoot a frog or a gecko that doesn't move (for a while), I use this light table, fluoros overhead and time exposure. Alternatively, you can place a flashguns under and over. This way, you don't have any shadow from the animal.