Preparation

• Most kit supplying companies will send the squirrel manikin with the same dimensions as the squirrel you have for mounting. Choose between a running squirrel, climbing squirrel or sitting squirrel shape. Measure the length of the squirrel from the head to the base of the tail. The manikin does not include a feature for stuffing the tail; the part will be a separate element in the kit.
  
  Clean out the insides of the squirrel a couple of days before you plan to mount it. Use a scraping tool to remove tissue from the underside of the skin. Any muscle or tissue left attached to the skin while it dries will prevent that area from stretching properly. Blunt metal objects such as a spoon work well for scraping because they are not sharp enough to penetrate the skin when you apply moderate to gentle pressure. After scraping out all internal organs and tissues, let most of the moisture in the squirrel carcass dry, but be sure to begin mounting while the squirrel skin is still pliable because you need to wrap the skin completely around the manikin.
  
  The kit will include synthetic eyes so remove the eyes from the squirrel while you are cleaning out the inside. Removing the eyes is one of the first steps in cleaning the squirrel; this allows the eye socket to dry in proper shape. Remove the tail after the soft tissue and eyes are gone, and clean out the inside of the tail as far as you can without rupturing the skin of the tail. Let the tail dry along with the squirrel shell.
  
  

Stuffing

• Put the squirrel manikin inside of the squirrel carcass and add the synthetic eyes before you seal the skin closed. This allows you to find the proper location for the eyes and cover the outer edges with the rims of the eye socket. This technique creates the most real-looking squirrel because a squirrel's eyes do not bulge far past its eye socket. After the eyes are in place, seal the squirrel skin so that the manikin substance is not visible. Stuff the tail with the component in the kit and attach it to the manikin through the hole in the squirrel's skin where the tail was removed.
  
  

Finishing

• Depending on what type of action you choose for the squirrel manikin, you can add other features for the stuffed squirrel scene. For instance, you can place a running squirrel on top of a piece of petrified wood. Attach a climbing squirrel to a piece of vertical wood to show the animal in its natural habitat.