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How to Salt a Rattlesnake Skin

Snake skins are used to make very beautiful decorations and accessories. One of the most popular snake skins you will see is that of the rattlesnake because of the scales' beautiful diamond designs and the rattlesnake's fearsome legacy as one of the most dangerous snakes in the world. When making snake skin products or displays there is a process to clean and preserve the snake skin, called tanning. One of the essential steps in the tanning process is drying the skin and the most popular way to do this is with salt.

Things You'll Need

Knife
Gloves
Spoon
Staple gun
Netting
Non-ionized salt

Instructions

- 1
  Slice the rattlesnake down the middle of the belly from tail to head. Cut off the snake's head. Place the snakes head in a plastic bag, tie the bag so that it does not fall out and throw the bag away in the trash. Do this while wearing gloves.
- 2
  Gently spread the skin apart and remove it from the meat of the snake. Use the knife and spoon to scrape any residual meat from the skin. Scrape from tail to head to avoid tearing the skin.
- 3
  Lay the rattlesnake skin on a flat surface and staple it down on either end so that it does not curl. Rub non-ionized salt all over the skin.
- 4
  Lay the netting over the salted rattlesnake skin and staple it down so that nothing will disturb the skin while it dries. Let the rattlesnake skin sit for 12 to 24 hours and then rinse with water to prepare for tanning.

Animals & Science