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I had seen someone wearing a wolf tail a few years ago, but I just thought it was neat. And I thought it was obviously fake, it had to be, you know?
Then today someone at work wore one, and I asked her about it. She said a friend got it for her, and it felt like real fur. Just amazingly soft, obviously not fake.

So I just looked up wolf tails... apparently they're actually sold to be worn. Someone on etsy is selling them for about $20. They say they're byproducts and they respect the animal, etc... So I was thinking "eh, maybe?" because I really like how they look, and I've love to have one.

Then my boyfriend said "why pay that much for something you could find on the side of the road?" Well... that's a pretty good idea, I think at least. For a dead animal that's been hit by a car and would otherwise go to waste, would it be so bad for me to take it's tail and take care of it and wear it occasionally?


I really like the idea of it not going to waste, and me knowing exactly where it came from and the circumstances in which it died (instead of possibly being hunted, which I don't like the idea of), but... I don't know. It makes me kinda sad, the idea that it's a real tail. But it'd be reusing a tail that'd otherwise be tossed into a fire and burned like I think roadkill tends to be.

Opinions? Please don't flame me. crying I'm not doing anything mean to any animals, and I'd never kill one for it's fur. (and I've never owned anything made of real fur before, I've only felt it in stores)

Wouldn't it stink?

Ah, that's a good point. smile I guess I needed to hear something like that, thanks.

To prevent an animal skin [including the tail] from stinking and rotting they must be tanned. Tanning is a chemical process that turns skin into leather, and usually also involves degreasing and cleaning. Rabbit-feet on keychains and the tails you have seen have already been through this process, which is why they don't rot or smell.

If you want to scavenge roadkill with the aim of keeping the fur, there are a few things you need to be aware of.

1] Freshness. You have a finite amount of time to get the skin off the animal. If you leave it too long bacteria will cause the hair follicles to loosen, which results in 'hair slip'- the fur will simply fall out if you attempt to tan it. The amount of time the animal has been dead and the weather conditions dictate how long an animal will stay good for...all night is usually fine. More than a few hours of direct sunlight on a warm day will be too much. If the animal has softened up again after rigormortis, don't bother.

2] Caring for the skin after removal. This includes scraping away all fat and tissue, then either heavily salting or tacking the skin out flat so it can air dry. Tails need to be split and the bone removed, then air dried or salted. This will preserve the tail, but not forever. Nor will it remove grease, odour, blood. You need to prevent skins from becoming damp whilst in this state, or they will be rot. Don't do it properly and the hair will slip.


Sooo, basically, if you want a nice tail that you can touch, take places, keep inside etc, just buy one. It will already be degreased and tanned.

I have scavenged plenty of things from the road, but I also do my own tanning, and I can tell if an animal is worth skinning.

im wondering how much it would cost to buy a fox tail from you, though shipping would proably be a b***h since im in the US XD

i know i would much rather buy a tail from someone who i know hunted the fox for a good reason other than just the fur. im not even sure if its legal to hunt foxes in my area

$10 or so would be fine and I'm sure we could sort out reasonable postage as fox tails don't weigh very much. The wait might be an issue though, as my supply of dead things very much depends on luck and the season, and I don't tan until I have enough to do a full batch. Unfortunately we are heading into summer now so the foxes are all pretty shabby, so it may take a while to get enough furs worth tanning.