Imagine the stories you can tell if you have acquired a rattle from a rattlesnake. If you have a rattlesnake rattle that you wish to save, you must preserve it properly. Before drying a rattlesnake tail, make sure no meat remains inside the tail. After performing this delicate procedure, the rattlesnake tail will be ready to dry for posterity.
Items you will need
Rattlesnake tail
Sharp paring knife
Tweezers
Step 1
Find the piece of the rattlesnake tail that is closest to the rattlesnake's body. Inside this rattle is the “blood rattler” (meat tissue).
Step 2
Cut through the end of the snake’s body directly above this rattle using the paring knife. Remove the rattle from the snake’s body.
Step 3
Reach inside the rattle using your fingers or tweezers and pull this piece of meat out. If you pull carefully and slowly the meat should come out in one piece.
Step 4
Place the rattle in a warm and dry location until it dries completely. Without the meat inside the rattle, it will dry quickly to produce a rattle that will last indefinitely.
Tips
- Handle the rattle carefully after it dries because it might be brittle. Taxidermists use an epoxy adhesive to seal the area where the meat was attached to the tail. Some people also apply all-purpose oil to their rattles to keep them moist so they will not crack.
References
Tips
- Handle the rattle carefully after it dries because it might be brittle. Taxidermists use an epoxy adhesive to seal the area where the meat was attached to the tail. Some people also apply all-purpose oil to their rattles to keep them moist so they will not crack.
Writer Bio
Kathryn Hatter is a veteran home-school educator, as well as an accomplished gardener, quilter, crocheter, cook, decorator and digital graphics creator. As a regular contributor to Natural News, many of Hatter's Internet publications focus on natural health and parenting. Hatter has also had publication on home improvement websites such as Redbeacon.
