Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
desirable commercially. The highest quality furs come from rabbits that are more than five
months old. The fur is thicker, and the pelts are of better quality for clothing.
Removing the rabbit's pelt
If you would like to harvest your rabbit's pelt, while the carcass is hanging by one of its hind
legs, you should make a cut around the hock joint to release the skin from the body. The hock
joint is the rear knee joint of the animal's leg. Do this for both rear legs. You can use the same
knife you are using to cut the rabbit, or you can use a skinning knife. Next, cut the skin
between these hock joints on the lower part of the body. Remove the tail and pull the skin
down over the body toward the animal's head. The skin of young rabbits is loose and easy to
remove. It is a little more difficult to remove the skin from older rabbits, but if you work care-
fully, you can remove it without much trouble. Be careful to avoid cutting or tearing the skin,
as this will lessen its value.
Once the skin is removed from the rabbit, turn it inside out while it is still warm and soft.
Place the skin on a wire hanger or stretcher with the leg casings on one side of the hanger.
You can make a shaper or hanger from a piece of No. 9 gauge galvanized wire. A shaper helps
extend or expand the pelt to its full size without stretching it out of shape. You can fasten the
rear legs to the wire with a clothespin or another fastener to hold them in place. Hang the pelt
in a well-ventilated place so it can dry, but do not place it in direct sunlight. Once the skin is
dry, you can remove the hanger.
Preparing your rabbit skins
Once you have as many rabbit skins as you want, you can move on to tanning them. There are
several methods for tanning, but before tanning, you will need to prepare the skins. Preparing
the skins means softening them, removing any fat or flesh remaining on them, and removing
the oil from the skins. After the skin is dry, open it by making a cut along the midline or the
stomach so you can stretch it out on a flat surface. Use a blunt knife to scrape off any flesh or
fat still on the skin. Remove the remaining oil from the skin by working it in a fat solvent.
Soften the dried skins by soaking them in several different vats of water over a one- to three-
hour period. Depending on the rabbit skin, it can take more or less time to soften. You will
need to keep the soaking time to a minimum, as too much soaking will loosen the fur. Adding
one ounce of borax or bicarbonate of soda to a gallon of water for soaking will help soften the
skins. Putting some soap or detergent in the mix can help remove fat.
