I am unable to give free valuations as I am self-employed and cannot take excessive time on such enquiries unless there is some form of payment to cover my time. Please do not think me rude but with many emails a day, I could spend an hour or two each day earning nothing.

Taxidermy items are like any form of art ie it is down to who did it and how well it is done. An average item can be from £0.50 to over £1,000.

If you do not have any luck finding the information yourself, I can provide an approximate valuation for a small fee of £20.00 for a simple item or more if the item is complex. Please send a photo and cheque to:

Mike Gadd
Hollydean Cottage
Padmans Lane
Boston Spa
West Yorkshire
LS23 6BR England UK

I provide a service for you to sell on my website - for more details, please see Guest Items, however I am only interested in better quality or named cased items. Please provide as much information as you can about each item. I would also need photographs.
If you wish to sell your item yourself, you can try local auctions or ebay but please remember that many items require appropriate licences. Ebay is monitored by the authorities and any items offered for sale without the appropriate licences will be deleted from their site and you may be liable to prosecution.

I am unable to give advice on this due to the complexity and possible legal implications. It depends on the item and you should get in contact with Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) at Rm 8/22 Tollgate House Bristol BS2 9DJ, the governing body for UK Taxidermy or you could contact a dedicated taxidermy law expert (www.taxidermylaw.co.uk) who will be able to help but will need to charge for this work.

I get quite a few enquiries asking for a " local" taxidermist. I do not have a database of taxidermists although I know a few.
Taxidermists are artists - there are good artists and there are bad artists and in the UK, they can obtain qualifications for this art. There are more than 2,000 taxidermists in the UK of which only 49 (as of 2006) have some form of qualification - 16 of these are bird specialist taxidermists and 6 are mammal specialist taxidermists. I am a specialist in Birds, Mammals, Game Heads, and have advanced qualifications in Birds and Mammals. Like purchasing an oil painting you would go to an artist who's work you liked and you could afford. Items can also be sent around the country and aboard.
If you are just looking for a taxidermist near to you and you do not wish to use my services, try your local Yellow Pages.
When choosing a taxidermist, they should be a member of the Guild of Taxidermists which is the only recognised body representing taxidermists in the UK. Please have a look at Choosing a Taxidermist which will have further useful information.

This is not " dip in magic ingredient A". It is a complex area and not for the faint hearted. Do a web search for tanning/ tanning kits this may get you in the right direction. in the mean time keep the skin in a freezer. if the item is already tanned it may not be possible to do much with it but you may be able to re-oil and stake, again this is complex and is realy for a skilled person.

A good starting point is one of the courses I offer which is a great starting point http://www.taxidermy.co.uk/training/training.htm

I would then suggest becoming a member of the Guild of Taxidermists where you will meet fellow taxidermists and be able to attend lectures on taxidermy. Having attended one of my courses, the more complex demonstrations of some advanced areas of taxidermy provided by the Guild will make more sense. www.taxidermy.org.uk

At the moment, I have no recommendation for any training books video's or DVD's excluding Breakthrough which is a USA publication but this is more for advanced taxidermists.

Please see my very comprehensive Price List. There may be an extra charge if you are interested in an item from stock.

I use Lorne Supplies and Snowdonia Taxidermy Supplies. There are also many American supply companies if you are serious about order size or complexity.

You can keep an item (bird, fish or mammal) in a freezer. This will be fine and will keep for several years wrapped in polythene. Put it in a box if it is small/fragile to protect it.

If an item is too large, it would need to be skinned and this needs to be done by a taxidermist. It can then be frozen.

Please look at the information below the Price List which is relevant to the appropriate species ie Birds, Mammals, Fish, Game Heads.

Please look at the information on my Price List page which will help Pets.

I get a considerable number of journalists wishing to talk to me or customers of mine about pet taxidermy. I actually get more enquiries from journalists regarding pets than I do from pet owners!. Taxidermists in the UK usually do wild UK animals and the usual cause of death of these are typically the general public eg road traffic accidents, flying into windows, power lines, pollution etc. Please only contact me if you appreciate the fact that pet taxidermy is a minuscule part of the trade. You will also find more information on the art of taxidermy at the Guild of Taxidermists' website.