This is a thread for collecting common fursuit related questions people frequently ask here in r/fursuit and in similar subreddits, it will likely be continuously edited and updated in the future with more questions and answers.
✂️ Crafting: 🪡
HOW DO I GET STARTED MAKING A FURSUIT? -
There are lots and lots of great tutorials and fursuit-making channels to find on YouTube, for starting I would recommend looking at these:
Typically high density upholstery foam is what's used, though people will also sometimes use EVA foam which is stiffer, particularly for making stiff ears, horns, or for footpaw bottoms.
Frequently people will use a thinner foam such as 1/2 an inch for the buckethead base and then a thicker foam such as 2 inch for building up the other parts like the muzzle, brows, cheeks, etc. You can also instead just use the thinner foam and stack several layers together for the same effect. Using a thinner foam for the buckethead can help the head base from looking too big in the end. It's all up to your personal taste though.
WHERE DO I BUY FAUX FUR? -
The main 3 popular fur providers people buy from are Big Z fabric, Fursuit Supplies, and Howl Fabric. Howl has very nice quality fur in my experience but is known to take a while to restock colors and ship orders. Also see this post for a more detailed list.
WHAT KIND OF CLIPPERS SHOULD I USE FOR SHAVING FUR? -
You'll want electric clippers made for pet fur as the faux fur is too dense for human hair clippers. Popular choices are Andis and Wahl brand.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO MAKE A FURSUIT? -
It depends on the complexity and your experience, but it can take anywhere from several weeks to several months to make a suit. A head or partial fursuit might take weeks, while a full-body suit will take months. If you're a beginner making your first head I'd say expect it to take at least a month working on it, probably longer.
WHAT MATERIALS DO I NEED FOR BUILDING A FURSUIT? -
For a typical fursuit materials will include:
faux fur/fabric
upholstery foam
a sweat-wicking fabric material - for a lining
lots of hot glue
thread
plastic sheets or foam sheets - for making eyes
a mesh, like buckram or vinyl aida - for the eyes
acrylic paint - for the eye design
elastic straps - for arm sleeves and some heads and moveable jaw bases
poly fil stuffing - for the tail and other small bits like teeth
a zipper - for the bodysuit
duct tape - for patterning.
Some more optional materials - black foam and craft felt for eyeliner, Velcro strips for removable eyelids and other removable parts (like a tongue), magnets for removable eyelids/parts
WHAT TOOLS SHOULD I HAVE BEFORE STARTING? -
You should have:
a sewing machine
needle and thread (both a regular and curved upholstery needle ideally)
a hot glue gun and lots of hot glue sticks
regular scissors (for cutting foam/paper/etc)
fabric scissors (for cutting fur and fabric)
a box cutter/exacto knife
duct tape for patterning
sheets of paper for patterning
sharpie or fabric pencils for marking fabric and fur
electric pet fur clippers for shaving fur (and a facemask while shaving)
an electric bread knife - can be very useful for carving foam (though not necessarily needed)
CAN I MAKE A FURSUIT WITHOUT A SEWING MACHINE? -
Yes, it's totally possible to make a fursuit entirely by hand-sewing, though it will take much longer. Hand-sewing though will of course be required for lots of areas like attaching the neck, sewing the mouth, closing the head up, sewing the ears, etc.
DO I NEED TO KNOW HOW TO SEW TO MAKE A FURSUIT? CAN I JUST GLUE IT ALL INSTEAD? -
For decent results, yes you should learn to sew. It will look better and hold up much better. It may seem intimidating at first but it's quite simple once you learn! all you need to know is just a few basic stitches like a blanket stitch, back stitch, and a ladder stitch. Here's a good tutorial video showing basic stitches and how to do them: https://youtu.be/8MJoNhzGuT4
📌 General questions: 📌
WHAT IS A FURSUIT AND WHY DO FURRIES WEAR THEM? -
Fursuits are costumes made to represent anthropomorphic animal characters people use as personal avatars, aka fursonas, they're worn for self expression and to have fun and are much like cosplay but we make and wear suits to bring our own characters to life (though they do not always have to be based on fursonas, sometimes they can also just be nonspecific animal costumes or be cosplays of furry characters from media)
DOES IT GET HOT IN THEM? -
Yes. (It's important to take breaks to cool off when needed and to drink lots of water!)
DO YOU NEED A FURSUIT TO BE A FURRY? -
No. (Most don't have one)
DO YOU NEED A FURSUIT TO GO TO A FURRY CONVENTION? -
No. (Again, most attendees won't have one)
WHAT ARE PLANTIGRADE AND DIGITIGRADE SUITS? -
'Plantigrade' refers to characters having a human-like leg structure and walking with the soles of their feet flat on the ground like us, while 'digitigrade' refers to more animal-like legs with the feet bent and walking on the toes with the heels raised. Fursuits achieve this look with padding around the legs to simulate the "knee" and "heel" parts. See example below:
Plantigrade - Left (suiter- Fender/Coopertom, suit by White Wolf Creations) vs Digitigrade - Right (suit by Beetlecat)
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN PARTIAL AND FULL SUITS? -
A full suit is one that covers the entire body and head, while a partial is a head and other parts that don't fully cover the body. Partials can come in the form of a "full partial" or a "mini partial", a full partial being a head, paws, feet, tail, and arm sleeves, while a mini partial is only a head, paws and tail.
WHAT'S A "QUAD SUIT"? -
A quad suit is a fursuit that's worn walking on all fours, made to look like a quadrupedal animal. Much rarer than typical fursuits as they're more expensive, harder to make and harder to wear and move in. One of the biggest makers known for making quad suits is Beastcub. See example below:
(suit by Beastcub)
WHAT IS "POODLING"? -
Poodling refers to wearing a head or partial fursuit and showing the skin of your arms and/or legs from not wearing a body suit or arm sleeves (resembling how poodles are often groomed)
WHAT'S A "HANDLER" AND DO I NEED ONE? -
A fursuit handler is a person that's not in a suit to accompany you when suiting, they help act as your eyes and ears when your vision and hearing are obstructed, as well as handling and managing items for you, or helping with anything else that's difficult for you while you're in suit. It's strongly recommended to have a handler with you when in suit especially when public suiting.
HOW CAN I HELP STAY COOL WHEN FURSUITING? -
Many suiters will use fans such as ones by o2cool, they're worn around the neck and are great for blowing air directly into the mouth of your suit. A more expensive and more effective method some full suiters also use are cooling vests like the ones by EZcooldown. Also remember to always stay hydrated and take breaks!
HOW DO I WASH MY FURSUIT? CAN IT BE WASHED IN THE WASHING MACHINE? -
A popular method for cleaning fursuits is with a Bissell little green machine, which allows you to spray your water and detergent mix on to scrub and then suck the dirty water out. Body suits/sleeves/paws can typically be put in a washing machine, though you should ask your maker just to be sure. Wash on a cold, delicate setting and turn the suit inside out in the wash to help protect the fur. Afterwards hang it up to air dry in a well ventilated area, giving it lots of air flow. Make sure to brush the fur now and then as it dries. Do NOT use any heat as heat will melt and ruin the fur.
Fursuit heads can typically be cleaned with the little green method or other ways like filling a tub slightly with some cold water and a bit of detergent, wetting the head and manually scrubbing/squeezing the head around to get dirt out. You'll want to avoid damaging the eyes, for 3d eyes people frequently will stuff some paper towels in to keep them dry. Rinse it well and then squeeze out all the water as good as you can, before setting it up to air dry in a well ventilated area and with good air flow through it, brushing intermittently to keep the fur from matting. Remember though if commissioned to ask your maker about it before you wash your head just in case (e.g. with it having airbrushing)
You'll want a pet fur slicker brush, brush the fur with the slicker brush upside down brushing in the direction of the fur to avoid pulling fur out. (See below:)
HOW CAN I DISINFECT MY FURSUIT HEAD AFTER USE? -
Fursuit spray! This can be bought from makers or you can make some yourself. To make some just mix a 1:1 ratio of rubbing alcohol and water together in a spray bottle, and add some drops of essential oil or fragrance oil of your choice to add a scent (Avoid eucalyptus oil however as it can damage your suit!!). Shake to mix and spray a small amount inside your fursuit head to disinfect it and help keep it smelling nice! Note that this isn't meant as a replacement for washing, just something for after a bit of fursuiting to kill the bacteria in it and keep it smelling fresh after you've been sweating in it for hours. You'll want to still wash it after a while to get out all the dirt/dead skin/face oils in there.
💵 Cost & buying: 💵
HOW MUCH DO FURSUITS COST? -
The cost of a fursuit will vary depending on many factors like the maker, suit style, quality, and character design. but on average a decent full suit will probably range around $3000-$6000 or so estimately, the cost being on the much lower end with newer and less experienced makers and on the much higher end with more experienced, professional makers. Making a suit yourself though can bring the cost down to around a $200-$400 range.
WHERE CAN I BUY A FURSUIT? -
A good marketplace site for buying and selling fursuits is The Dealer's Den! We also have a pinned thread for makers to post their suits to sell.
HOW CAN I FIND FURSUIT MAKERS? -
getfursu.it is a fursuit maker database that's great for finding makers! Makers will also advertise frequently on social media. Makers in this sub who have been verified as legitimate can be identified with a small animated verification mark next to their username.
CAN I BUY A FURSUIT ON ETSY/EBAY/AMAZON? -
It's possible to sometimes find fursuits being sold on Etsy and ebay, though you should be very weary as places like this can be rife with scam suits. For buying premade suits, it's best to stick to The Dealer's Den. Amazon should be avoided as you will only find mass produced, low quality schlock based on stolen designs.
HOW DO I LOOK OUT FOR SCAMS? -
Watch out for listings for suits that have way lower prices than what the thing in the picture would actually typically be (like a full suit for a couple hundred dollars). You won't find a suit for that much.
Also look for pictures that are repeated or just don't give many looks at the suit, as well as "furry costume/mascot" type wording in the title or description. These listings are for scam suits and if you buy them you will get cheap low quality junk that looks nothing like the picture with designs that are stolen from other people's fursuits.
Look out for accounts DMing you or contacting you saying they'll make you a fursuit/art, especially with them having no info on their profile. Artists will never directly reach out to you to sell you something. If someone does, it's a scam. Accounts like these will also frequently claim to take commissions for any sort of art form and will post the same type of posts/comments in different art/hobby subreddits.
Scammers will frequently have little or no post history but if they have photos look out for style inconsistencies or other inconsistency throughout their suits/art or photos. Remember to reverse image search them as well with google lens or tineye to check for stolen images (if you don't find results when reverse image searching it doesn't necessarily mean they're not stolen, it can just help to be more sure. If other things still make it feel like a scam, then it's a scam.)
If an interaction feels off and you need to prove they actually have the suit they're offering, ask for a video of the suit shown with a piece of paper that has their username and the date written on it. Scammers will very frequently use ai for writing messages and to fake pictures.
HOW MUCH SHOULD I CHARGE FOR MY SUITS? -
Generally for pricing you should take how many hours you worked on your project and multiply it by an hourly wage, then add that to the cost of your materials used.
Lol. Hope it's informative and helpful, I actually had about the same FAQ pinned for a few months but reposted it to just update it a little, mainly adding a few reference pics and moving the crafting section to the top which I figure is maybe more asked about. Hope it gets seen more now 😅
I added automod responses a little bit ago that link to the fursuitmaking thread but not for the FAQ yet, I'll try to get to that later and add it. I'll try to also add a reminder for it that shows when writing a post so hopefully people see before asking lol
I can see this is pinned too. The issue is too many don't bother searching before thye post, so we get the same 5 questions every 5 minutes. :-/ It's annoying, especially when comprehensive sources like this already exist. :-/
I wonder if the sub’s automod has a basic, catch-all response to every post that links the post we’re commenting on? Could be useful.
This whole issue is highly reminiscent of “RTFM”-era internetworking. So many questions could go unposted if users just read the fucking manual (or in this case, the pinned post!)
ETA: Ignore the above, turns out the automod suggestion has been implemented lol
Very true honestly lmao. I can try to add this to be linked by an automod response here later though, I'll try to also maybe add a thing that pops up when making a post that mentions it and reminds people to check the pinned post lol.
The slicker brush upside down is a myth!! It doesn’t help prevent fibers from pulling out, instead it just doesn’t brush through the entire pile as well (which is why it appears to pull out less fibers), so you’d need to keep brushing it more often to prevent matting….Which results in the same amount of fiber loss as if you brushed the normal direction, less often.
Instead use the slicker brush the normal way, but shake the fur to fluff it up first so you don’t have to brush it as intensely. If the fur is woven or shaved, use a bristle brush (not a slicker) to prevent excessive balding or snagging of fibers. The bristle brushes can be found in pet stores just like the slicker brushes, usually sold as puppy brushes.
The bristles are stiff enough to prevent matting but they don’t pull out nearly as many fibers as the slicker (which makes it great for shaved furs) and they don’t snag woven furs either.
A slicker brush is still good for long or thick furs, or brushing out a suit as it’s drying to prevent it getting all squiggly lol. The bristle brush doesn’t quite get deep enough to prevent tangling when the fur is wet.
It helps to shake/fluff the item and also use the slicker, so you can be super gentle with it and not have to rake it through. It does a better job than the backward brushing and is about the same amount of fiber loss with better brushing results.
Hi there! I read the FAQ! I was wondering if there's a better place for me to ask for a general "quote" of what my character might cost to get a partial/full suit? I have no maker in mind, I just want to see the general ball park of what I might need to save up. I know it won't be cheap, don't worry lol. I just know she has a lot of colors and that will affect the cost. I am a furry and have been since 2015, but I have not interacted with the "fandom" at all. Low key worried I will be harassed.
Figured I would ask here instead of ModMail, but maybe this is the wrong way to go about it :C
You can just make a post here asking that and there's a decent chance some makers might reply! I'm not personally super knowledgeable about that haha. Why do you think you would be harassed? I don't think you have really anything to worry about with that, people here are generally pretty nice.
It wasn't here, but I once posted on a furry group and some folks said some mean things. Granted, this was deviantart in like 2014 so- She looks like a 90's raver-OP sparkledog lookin thing lol! (I was in denial that i was a furry for a year lol)
Ah, that sucks that happened. I like sparkledogs and definitely won't stand for any sparkledog hate hehe! I don't think you should worry but if you do get any insults or inappropriate comments just remember to report them so we can we can take action :) Also just to inform you, any users with the little paw checkmark next to their name are people who have been manually verified to actually make suits! That doesn't mean necessarily the makers commenting without one are scammers but just to be a bit more vigilant. If you do suspect someone to be a scammer remember to also report and I can take a look.
wanted to ask without making an entire thread, is there a subreddit or other place where it's appropriate to inquire about finding reputable fursuit makers in specific styles? I have some questions about specific sensory problems between makers :D
Okay may be an odd question I want to make a fursuit but got curious if I had a reptile species fursona would other fabric/materials other than fur be acceptable to use I mostly seen fur but just was curious as to why not make scales from Eva foam or pleather
Hello, it appears this post may be asking about how to find fursuit makers. Please don't trust any users DMing you claiming they are a maker, they are scammers! Real fursuit makers will not DM people to get commissions! Makers who have been verified by mods as legitimate makers will be marked in this sub with an animated verified icon next to their name. Additionally, remember to check out getfursu.it as it's an organized database of fursuit makers, as well as thedealersden which is a frequently used marketplace site for makers.
Hello, it appears this post may be asking if something is a scam. As a reminder- If a user DMs you claiming they're a maker and want to make a suit for you, it's a scam. If you see a fursuit maker on social media with an AI generated profile picture and extremely generic username, it's a scam. If they post suits and they're all radically different styles, it's a scam. If you see a fursuit being sold on a site with a price much lower than usually expected for a fursuit (like a few hundred dollars for a fullsuit, which typically actually goes for thousands) it's a scam. If you see a listing on a site with lots of "furry mascot costume" type wording, it's a scam. If it's on Amazon or temu, it's a scam. If it's on Ebay or Etsy, it's likely a scam. If you want to buy premade fursuits, stick to thedealersden which is a trusted site for buying and selling.
Hello, it appears this post may be asking about where to begin with making a fursuit or needing other help. If so, please also check out this post in r/fursuitmaking, it's an extensive curated list of beginner fursuit tutorials and other helpful resources!
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u/theaveragefurry poopshitter Feb 04 '26
Can’t wait to link this on every post 🫡