I need to know how to skin a snake. I have a 9 foot snake to skin.Thanks Tim

I skinned it and let me say I will do anything once! snake skinning is for the birds.
The stairs are 12 feet long and it was less than a foot away from the other end.

 

I always start by splitting the belly and be carefull around the vent(you will have to clip to the edges kinda making a diamond shape around it back to your center line).Then you just peel the skin carfully off,taking care again around the vent.they come fairly clean any fleshing i do with a butterknife.The only knife work is done around the head and your initial split.Then stretch and salt or roll up and salt.

Do you need to skin the head from around the lips or just cut around the base of the head ?

Depends on how much of the head you want to keep on the skin.

Killdeer

It's my first time skinning a snake. Is keeping the head important?

"It's my first time skinning a snake. Is keeping the head important?"

Not if you're putting it on a bow.

i cut the head off no fun getting a fang in your finger, then split it down the belly and pull it off like a sock. loyd

There aren't many 9' snakes that have fangs except king cobras.

If you want to hang it on the wall or use it on a bow you can cut the head off.

If you want to leave the head on the skin for the wall or taxidermy,it has to be skinned completely out to the lips.It can cling tight to the skull on top of the head and from the eyes forward.It is just a matter of skinning it free from the bone with a small,sharp knife or scalpel.

Many North American snakes,you can easily pull the skin off the carcass but the tail needs to be skinned carefully-that area from vent to tail tip.

I suspect yours may be a boa or python and if so,there skin clings much tighter to the carcass and you may have to use knife work the full length to get it free.Fleshing would be more work also.

A lot of NA snakes could be fleshed with a spoon or dull knife but I don't think you could get away with that on a boa or python.

Where in the heck did you get a 9 foot Snake in New Jersey???  :eek:    :eek:

Sewer python... rare but not yet on the protected or invasive list....  LOL

They were released in order to provide a food supply for the alligators. Saved wear and tear on pets in Passaic.

Killdeer

QuoteOriginally posted by Gator1:
Where in the heck did you get a 9 foot Snake in New Jersey???   :eek:      :eek:  

I know a guy.   :cool:

I forgot to mention a good way to make the belly incision is with tin snips or heavy duty scissors.Start the cut with a sharp knife.

Nail the head to a board first make a cut all around the neck and peel off like a sock.

I leave the head on pythons or boas if it is one. Gives you a place to tie them off at cause it takes alot off pulling to get the skin off. If its a rat snake or the like, the skin usually peels off real easy.

First, make sure it's dead.

So are we gonna get some pics Tim or do we just have to use our imagination?
I don't think it's fair to keep us guessing what kind of snake your butchering.  

Soak the meat in Italian Dressing over night and fry it up...

Its a Boa, It and another died and a friend of mine gave it to me. He breads them and they sometime get sick from mice and die, so I said I wanted a few skins. he gave me two whole snakes.the second is smaller but the big one is 6-8" in diameter.Pretty intimidating in the looks department.

Those are tough snakes but beautiful.