If you half-heartedly go through the motions you will, most certainly, have a specimen that shrinks and distorts so badly that it will be basically useless. There is more to the process than most people normally think. Because I teach taxidermy, I am well aware of all the mistakes and shortcuts people make. Anything worth doing is worth doing right. The water moccasin was the biggest test for the Taxi-Dry system.
Reptiles normally take longer to dry and are more susceptible to shrinkage.
The results were impressive. The Taxi-Dry machine I mentioned earlier is a neat unit. It is very quiet when running, and to an old grouch like me, that is a definite plus. I m not very mechanically inclined, but I find it very easy to change the oil and remove the ice block. The machine is constructed in such a way that it makes the process and operation very easy.