With Several Products Available, Here's How to Choose the Right One.
Which Mount Saver Product Is Right for Your Mount?
Mount Medix offers a full line of products designed for different mount types, materials, and stages of treatment — from active infestation to long-term prevention. With several options available, it’s common for both first-time and experienced customers to wonder which product actually fits their specific situation. This guide breaks it down so you can choose with confidence.
TL;DR: Choosing the Right Product
- Mount Saver (water-based) is the standard choice for most mammal mounts with hair, while Mount Saver ProAd (solvent-based) is designed for delicate mounts, birds, feathers, and freeze-dried taxidermy.
- Mount Saver Powder is a dry application best suited for bird taxidermy, horn cavities, and natural habitat materials.
- Mount Protector and Fade Protector are maintenance products used after an infestation is resolved, not for treating an active infestation.
What's the Difference Between Mount Saver and Mount Saver ProAd?
Mount Saver is a water-based product and the standard choice for treating insect infestation in mounts with hair. Mount Saver ProAd is a solvent-based version, mixed with a solvent like acetone, denatured alcohol, or methyl acetate, and is designed specifically for mounts that are delicate or have fine hair or feathers. The key difference comes down to the mount type: water can mat down fine hair or feathers and create extra grooming work, which is why ProAd is the better choice for birds and especially delicate mounts.
Should I Use a Water-Based or Solvent-Based Insect Treatment on My Mount?
If your mount has standard hair, such as a deer, elk, or similar mammal mount, the water-based Mount Saver is typically the right choice. If your mount has fine hair, feathers, or is otherwise delicate, the solvent-based ProAd is recommended, since it won’t mat down the hair or feathers the way a water-based product can.
What Product Should I Use on Bird Taxidermy or Delicate Feathers?
For bird taxidermy and other mounts with delicate feathers, Mount Saver ProAd is generally the better option due to its solvent base, which avoids the matting and extra grooming that a water-based treatment can cause. Mount Saver Powder is also commonly used in bird taxidermy, often as a replacement or supplement for Borax during the mounting process itself.
Can I Use Mount Saver on a Freeze-Dried Mount?
Mount Saver ProAd is the recommended product for freeze-dried mounts, since it will not rehydrate the mount the way a water-based product could. It can be used as an insect-proofing treatment either after the freeze-drying process is complete or prior to delivering a freeze-dried mount to a client.
What's the Difference Between Mount Saver Liquid and Mount Saver Powder?
Mount Saver liquid (in its water-based or solvent-based ProAd form) is applied as a spray treatment to the surface of a mount. Mount Saver Powder is a dry application, blended with diatomaceous earth, and is typically used in different contexts — inside horn cavities, mixed into tumbling media during processing, sprinkled into natural habitat materials like moss or grass, or used in bird taxidermy as a Borax alternative. The two are not necessarily interchangeable, since they’re designed for different application methods and use cases.
How Do I Treat Insect Infestation in Horns or Antlers Specifically?
Mount Saver Hoof & Horn is designed specifically for treating horns, antlers, and hooves, including hard-to-reach areas like the cavity beneath the boss on mounts such as Cape Buffalo or Muskox. Because it’s often impossible to remove all soft tissue from inside a horn or hoof during preparation, this targeted treatment helps prevent future insect damage in areas that are otherwise difficult to fully treat.
What's the Best Way to Insect-Proof a Mount:
During the Mounting Process Itself, Rather Than After?
For taxidermists building insect prevention into the mounting process, Mount Saver Glue Additive can be mixed directly into commonly used taxidermy adhesives, pastes, two-part epoxies, and even PU foam, without affecting set-up time or adhesion. Mount Saver Hide Pre-Soak is another option used prior to mounting, treating the hide itself before the mount is constructed. Building in protection at this stage helps eliminate the mount as a future food source for insects from the very beginning, rather than relying solely on surface treatment later.
Still Not Sure Which Product You Need?
Every mount is a little different, and choosing the right product often comes down to the specific material, condition, and type of mount you’re working with. Contact us with details about your mount and we’ll help point you to the right solution.
Find Your Answers Here
Product Selection FAQs
No. Mount Protector and Fade Protector are maintenance products meant to be used once an infestation has already been resolved, typically once or twice a year for ongoing prevention. To treat an active infestation, start with Mount Saver, ProAd, or Powder depending on your mount type.
Many customers use more than one product together as part of a complete treatment and maintenance routine — for example, treating an active infestation with Mount Saver, then maintaining the mount going forward with Mount Protector and Fade Protector. The Mount Keeper Maintenance Kits bundle several maintenance products together for this exact purpose.
Mount Saver Glue Additive and Mount Saver Hide Pre-Soak are both designed to be incorporated during the mounting process itself, helping insect-proof a mount from the start rather than treating it after the fact.
Mount Saver Hoof & Horn is specifically recommended for these types of mounts, since the horn cavity and area beneath the boss are common locations where residual tissue can remain and attract insects.
Mount Protector is not recommended for use on fish without testing compatibility with the mount's specific clear coats and finishes first. If you're treating a fish mount, it's worth testing on a small area first or reaching out for product-specific guidance.
If you're seeing signs of active infestation, such as loose hair, sand-like debris, or visible insects, you'll want an active treatment product like Mount Saver, ProAd, or Powder. If your mount is currently free of infestation and you simply want to keep it that way, a maintenance product like Mount Protector or a Mount Keeper Kit is the better fit.
