07/07/2025
We know oddities and curiosities are all the rage now, but consider the source. We see some many boxes full of dyed rabbit feet with 'made in China' and cant help but think about all the suffering behind it.
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Time to make some of you mad, but thems the breaks
I still to this day get requests for these things in this picture. I DO NOT sell or purchase any of these anymore, not even if you send me your own. The reason being that none of the above are ever ethically sourced. If you find a seller who SAYS theirs are ethically sourced/died naturally/came from a farm, just run. They are either misinformed themselves or they are lying to you.
Bats: Bats can only reproduce ONE time per year. ONE BABY. They cannot be farmed. The bats you see for sale in bulk are being mass culled and caught from the wild to fuel the oddities industry. Overseas they are considered pests in some areas, where they are then freeze dried or mummified (NOT TAXIDERMIED LIKE THEY LEAD YOU TO BELIEVE) and then packaged already spread. Artists who use these do not do any work to them besides glue them to a frame or dome. I know, because when I started I used to be one of them until I learned more! Bats are so important to the environment. They are pollinators, they eat mosquitos, and they’ve even led to some medical and technological advancements. We cannot lose bats, they deserve better.
Ducks: these ducks are baby ducks that are also bred just to be mass culled for the oddities industry. They come from overseas already sewn together and stuffed with poly fil. There is no taxidermy involved for people who buy them and use them in their art. Again, I know, because I had them at one point.
Snake skeletons: Also mass culled, thought of as pests. They come pre articulated, greasy, with pieces of flesh still on the bones most of the time. Find someone who actually did the work on a snake that passed naturally!
Lizards/frogs: AGAIN, mass culled, no work involved, they come pre packaged.
Cat/Other skulls: Mass culled, you can spot them by the rubber bands around them and the gross grease pockets that have been trapped in the bone because instead of properly cleaning them, they boil them, which makes it impossible to clean fully.
As a community, we have to do better. Do your own research, but trust me when I tell you that you can still have a successful business while using none of these things.
