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Conjoined Twin Mice

Conjoined Twin Mice
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Mouse taxidermy 2.0: conjoined twins.
Warning: dead mice in decorative form. If you disapprove of this concept on principle, please peruse some of the other new Instructables instead.
 
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Step 1Learn Mouse Taxidermy

Learn Mouse Taxidermy
First, check out my Mouse Taxidermy Instructable. It covers all of the basic skills and tools you'll need to prepare your mice.

This Instructable will provide the extra steps necessary to create conjoined mice.

An aside:
If you're ethically opposed to the concept of creative and/or decorative taxidermy (and have chosen to look anyway) I have two questions for you: do you wear leather, and do you eat meat? If you answered yes to either, can you/would you kill and prepare the animals necessary to procure this meat and leather? Willfully ignoring the source of your food and clothing hypocritically outsources the ethical questions and is ultimately disrespectful to the animals involved. If you're an ethical vegan and eschew leather, I respect your opinion and your desire to avoid viewing discomfiting images. Thus I carefully label the Intro page of these Instructables, hide the more graphic pictures on the later pages, and promise not to send you any taxidermy for Christmas.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled Instructable.
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164 comments
1-40 of 164next »
May 5, 2012. 10:16 PMladieslilman98 says:
ahaaa thats sick :)
Jan 17, 2012. 6:08 AMLei_Kei says:
I don't see why people have such a problem with it. I think it's cute.

-The mice are already dead and bought at a store, it's not they they hit them with a hammer and used them just for this.
- The mouse doesn't care.
- Some humans even want to be made into art like this, and they can. I', sure you guys have heard of those body galleries.

People have different opinions on this, and thats fine. Let's just not be so didsrespeactfil. If you don't like it, you should quitely leave.
Oct 14, 2010. 5:11 AMplanetsideplayer14billion says:
OMG why would you killl mice!!! besides its a 6 year old doing it
Jan 17, 2012. 6:00 AMLei_Kei says:
She didn't kill them. Most pet stores sell dead mice for snake food.
Nov 19, 2008. 7:44 PMStarFace says:
I totally agree with Beanie... What kind of parent lets a child play with dead animals? Whether they are preserved or rotting is totally beside the point! Dont be suprised when you're not winning any parenting/responsibility/ethical awards! It's not that people are vegetarian/vegan/squeamish... I wear leather, I eat meat etc... But this is just sick! Really, it's disgusting, I think you have a problem... I mean once again, surely it's one thing to be showing people the proper methods of taxidermy... But to be attaching dead animals together or dressing them up is just completely warped and not to mention disrespectful. And it can't be having a healthy influence on that poor kid.
Jan 17, 2012. 5:58 AMLei_Kei says:
You know, I've been poking the eyes out of fish with a knife since I was 3 and I grew up fine. I see nothing wrong with this. My dad, being a hunter and taxidermist, allowed me to always play with his dead animals and help him around. I say it's good parenting.
Feb 18, 2011. 1:58 PMcoolhan says:
congratulations canida! you have won the responsibile ethical parenting award!
Feb 27, 2010. 1:04 PMBECKBERRY says:
ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! GROSS!
Feb 26, 2010. 9:07 PMekobor says:
 But... you play with live animals, don't you? 

What is the point in teaching a child to fear death? They are going to die some day. 

I don't personally do taxidermy, simply because I fear doing a poor job, which is the line I consider to be disrespectful to an animal. 

But once a creature is dead, what is the point in letting the creature go to waste? 

You are teaching the child that death isn't something to fear, and that all creatures can continue to be useful even after death. How is that a bad thing?
Mar 29, 2010. 2:02 PMPikminRed says:
You are going to die someday.


And what if we don't die? What if we find some way to live forever?

Mar 8, 2009. 6:36 PMXkidXhavocX says:
god hates you
Nov 30, 2008. 9:34 PMizi says:
you should research rogue taxidermy and Anthropomorphic taxidermy its been around since 1851 thanks to Hermann Ploucquet. Competitions are held each year for rogue taxidermy. besides its rather rude to say someone has a problem, when its you who just can't handle it. your pushing your own insecurites onto others
Feb 6, 2011. 9:38 AMajdommer says:
I can't believe some of you all are so intolerant of taxidermy like this.

We're making the world our trashcans in so many ways. In contrast this is green, like when you kill an animal for one purpose and at least then you use all the parts of it, rather than wasting them. Like how theyr'e trying to recycle chicken feathers into something useful; so we don't just kill them for the meat and then have to find a way to get rid of 60 million cubic yards of waste per year.
Dec 12, 2007. 3:34 PMmasterme120 says:
I can't believe that you killed mice for decoration!
Feb 6, 2011. 2:29 AMTheEbonyEmoFairy says:
I know!....I kill hamsters
Feb 26, 2010. 9:10 PMekobor says:
 If I recall, Canida uses feeder mice or mice that she raised and lets die naturally. Not many people kill simply for the taxidermy. 
Jan 15, 2011. 5:09 AMnarmolania says:
reminds me of bearix potters works XD (i meant eh girl who has those little critters in her hands XD )
Oct 30, 2010. 9:29 AMMunchys says:
This scares me... ima go back to the elctronics and try to forget this
Jun 29, 2010. 9:54 AMajkl27 says:
Oh so cute and twisted =) I think I love you.
Oct 19, 2008. 3:35 PMdeadeye5720 says:
what are you head of PETA? they were dead already, and even if they weren't, do you want them chewing holes in wires, pooing in your house, or eating your food and pooping where it used to be? by the way, rats carried fleas with the bubonic plague, they are filthy animals.
Mar 2, 2010. 1:05 PMsomeniceguyon says:
I think hes using pet lab mice, so this doesn't really apply.
Dec 11, 2008. 7:57 PMDELETED_lovethyscent says:
(removed by author or community request)
Dec 11, 2009. 1:19 PMkt2112 says:
It is not cruel. because the mice are already dead. how ever some may find is gross lol
Nov 24, 2009. 4:56 AMcasemaster5 says:
totally
Jul 25, 2009. 6:29 PMwenpherd says:
the disgusting and sick part may be true but this is not cruel.
Jun 20, 2009. 9:40 AMRotten194 says:
Let me go out and ask if you even read the instructable.
I have two questions for you: do you wear leather, and do you eat meat? If you answered yes to either, can you/would you kill and prepare the animals necessary to procure this meat and leather? Willfully ignoring the source of your food and clothing hypocritically outsources the ethical questions and is ultimately disrespectful to the animals involved.
Do you? Before insulting this instructable, maybe you should think about it. Here, let me do your thinking for you, if you cant.

These mice were already dead, in a pet shop. Yes? Yes.

Two things could happen. One, is the DEAD mouse is bought. The other is that it rots in a trash can. Which is more disrespectful to the mouse? Rotting? Yes, I agree.

So the more respectful path is that the mouse is bought. Now, two things can happen. One, the mouse is left to rot/thrown away. Or it is used. Which is more disrespectful? Rotting? Again, I agree.

Now, three things could happen. The mouse could be eaten by the person (D:), eaten by their pet, or used in some way. I'm pretty sure we both agree using the mouse is the most respectful.

So, you can use the mouse in two ways. Use it in taxidermy, or bury it.

I finalize my argument with why the mouse SHOULD NOT be buried.

1. Burial is a religious rite, mainly. I HIGHLY DOUBT that mouse was Christian/Jewish/Islamic/whatever, and thus would take offense. Feel free to prove me wrong on this case, but I doubt I will see any tangible evidence.

2. Mice carry parasites and diseases. Even if your pet can deal with these (e.g. millions of years of evolution has allowed it to grow protections against these diseases), then its fine for your pet. But birds and earthworms and other animals which use your "burial site" for food or shelter can contract these diseases/parasites and die.

3. Rotting. Don't pretend your burial will stop the mouse from rotting, unless you bury it Egyptian mummy style (which is basically taxidermy anyways). Unless you bury your little friend 6 feet under in a metal coffin, expect things you may not want showing up at the surface, like fungi, maggots, flies, and all the other lovely things that come with dead, rotting animals.

if you have any valid arguments against me, feel free to, but I wont listen unless you actually have a point beyond "ugh how crul and dasrespectfuo!!1"
Mar 2, 2010. 1:03 PMsomeniceguyon says:
You have some pretty good points and I agree with almost all of them. But in the end, it's human opinion on what is right or wrong. I'm not going to bring up leather cause most people in America wear it for fashion instead of warmth so that in mind, we are no different that this person with dis-respecting the dead. When I die, I want to be burned (less chemicals). But even if I was buried, Id prefer rotting over having my body messed with. I don't think that mice are smart enough to care, but it's still the idea. There are a lot of tiny facts that can make this right or wrong but like I said before, it's really up to you. I personally think though that it doesn't matter who does or doesn't have rights, we all should be given respect. If nobody sees the way I do, I couldn't care less cause I know this isn't the worst thing human kind has done. But if this long badly spelled rant has convinced you that this is messed up in some ways, then I will be happy.

(Hope this was a valid argument even though I'm not really trying to pick sides.)
Mar 2, 2010. 1:21 PMsomeniceguyon says:
Ohh ya, I forgot to add that I think these are lab mice sold as pets so the whole parasite carrying thing doesn't really apply too much. Not saying that they don't have them, just saying that I don't think that they would be legal to sell in pet stores if that were the case.
Oct 16, 2009. 12:47 AMShoopDaWhoop says:
so i could do the same thing to my dead grandma?
Mar 10, 2010. 4:55 PMRotten194 says:
Unless you bury your little friend 6 feet under
The typical human burial is more than enough to prevent most of the problems I mentioned. On the religious point, your grandma would probably have said how she wanted to be buried.
Feb 23, 2009. 5:38 AMcasanova831 says:
tell me bout it
Oct 15, 2009. 10:34 PMtenaciousbd says:
I'm stumped.  Anyone have any animatronic ideas to go along withthis?  I've been on the look out for small motors and ways I canincorporate them into this project, but I am having seriousbuilders block thus far.  If my concept inspires you and you areable to fabricate something, drop me a line and let me know.  I'mthinkin biomechstyle, larger animal maybe???  Also PETA, pleasedon't respond to me, I still haven't been able to get out all thatdamn red paint you threw on my cinchilla fur coat.  Damn you.
Mar 8, 2009. 6:42 PMXkidXhavocX says:
oh but it was only 1 mouse
Mar 8, 2009. 6:41 PMXkidXhavocX says:
the one that i made had a blowfish beak, blowfish fins, and a birds tail... i spent 3 days with no sleep on that thing... i want to do autopsys (sp) for a career.
Feb 24, 2009. 1:11 PMOuchimoo says:
BFF!! ROLF! You win random picture of the day.
Dec 18, 2008. 6:56 AMFlamboyantHobo says:
Ahaha, thats really clever. I like it.
Oct 19, 2008. 3:35 PMdeadeye5720 says:
also nice instructable :)
Oct 11, 2006. 10:24 AMXsimonXcoreX says:
(removed by author or community request)
Oct 3, 2008. 5:12 PMbassclarinet23 says:
It is very creative, but pretty gross. Where are you even getting so many dead mice?
Sep 21, 2008. 11:56 AMskidude28 says:
Name a better use for a mouse skin.
1-40 of 164next »

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Author:canida
I've been posting Instructables since the site's inception, and now run Community and Marketing. Follow me for food and more!