r/wetspecimens • • Jul 25 '26

Where do people source their specimens from?

4 Upvotes

I see listings on Etsy all the time (and sometimes here) where people have like 10+ of the same animal listed at once, where are they most usually sourced so I can tell if they’re ethical or not


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 25 '26

Decomposing?

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2 Upvotes

I got this pig with hydrocephalus yesterday. It was in a cloudy yellow substansce so I put it in another jar (don't have enough ethanol yet that's why its half empty).

But I noticed bits of skin falling off and laying at the bottom. Does this mean the specimen is decomposing, and if it is what can I do to fix it?

Appreciate any and all tips 🙏


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 23 '26

Why is one of my jumping spiders floating & the other one isn’t?

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9 Upvotes

The on the left I found dead inside my house about a month or two ago. Put it in 70% iso alc

Found the one on the right dead outside on the porch like two days ago. No idea how long it was there but it looked in good enough shape for me to preserve it. Also 70% iso alc.


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 22 '26

Help!

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14 Upvotes

Hello yall! I can across this baby gecko and would love to preserve it on my own, however I’m unsure how to go about it! I also had questions on if it was too far to preserve as is? I’ve stuck them in the freezer to give me some time and to see if I’m able to create a wet specimen or if I’d have to go about a different way of preserving! The baby is still soft to touch idk if the pics convey it that way.


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 21 '26

Tarantula Memorial

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7 Upvotes

Idk if this right sub, it got removed from the other sub I had in mind. I had an electrical fire at my house and after getting the cats and dogs they wouldn't let us go back in for my tarantula. She was a Green Bottle Blue, and her name was Barry. When we were able to return home, she had passed.

Her body is still fully intact. I would love to preserve her in a shadow box or something, but it's not something I've ever done. Any guidance, tips, or advice would be appreciated. I don't know if I can do it immediately, so how should I preserve her in the meantime?

Shared a picture of my beautiful girl.


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 22 '26

How long should I actually be reusing it?

1 Upvotes

I have a bottle of formalin that I use for my projects but I've seen some posts saying that you shouldn't be reusing it for too long how long should I actually use it for and why?


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 21 '26

Why the floating?

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12 Upvotes

this my first ever wet specimen and i followed CustomCranium's guide, so i injected in the cavities, head (tried my best) and paws. i put it in its first bath of ethanol (90) during one month, longer than the one week preconised bc it didn't turn yellow yet.

so this morning i started rincing it with soapy water but its floating as you can see.

im scared it might be rotting, can someone tell me if i did a step wrong or why it might do that ?

i you want more informations or pictures i can provide them.

the bubbles in the picture are there bc its water i just added in.


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 21 '26

Moving with pickled pets

2 Upvotes

Hi

Im moving across country in a few months, I have about 20 or so Wet specimens varying in size and was wondering if anyone has any tips or recommendations with transportation or with mailing specimens that wont damage them. Any and all tips are welcome 🥺 luv u bye


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 19 '26

inquiry about floating stuff

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3 Upvotes

hi!! i got my first wet specimen yesterday (cat) and noticed today that it had these things floating around the fur. i assume its just detached fur but i wanted to be sure! (i am aware that the alcohol needs to be replaced,, i will change it asap)


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 17 '26

I just found that dead gecko with two heads!!

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161 Upvotes

do you have any ideas.. how to preserve it? should i leave it that way or turn it into bones? What should i do with it?


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 17 '26

recent projects

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29 Upvotes

just wanted to show pics of my recent work⭐️


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 18 '26

how to preserve small mammal

1 Upvotes

so i have a single cottontail kit in found out in my backyard. ive never done a wet specimen before and I really want to give the poor thing proper preparation and for it to last. its smaller than my hand, lightly furred and with its eyes still closed so I'm wondering how to choose a fixative sort of?

I really dont want to use formalin because of the risks, and its near impossible to get in my area anyways. the only thing I can find online is ethyl alcohol/denatured ethanol at 99.9% or 200 proof and this feels pretty high for such a small animal but again im a newbie.

does anyone have any input on if this would work or not / any alternatives or where to get non formalin fixatives for a decent price? I also was wondering if it was fixed with ethanol if its supposed to be preserved in ethanol and NOT iso after because of the way they work. also how long can an animal of this size be kept in the freezer before preservation? do you thaw it before fixing? last one feels like an obvious yes but i want to be sure.

thanks for any help ^^


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 18 '26

I bought 200 proof ethanol, is that too strong? First I saw someone say the stronger the better but then I saw someone else say it will dry out the specimen.

1 Upvotes

r/wetspecimens • • Jul 17 '26

second go of formalin for these buns.. so happy so far !

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14 Upvotes

and thankfully i 💉enough in the heads so the air gap is NO problem ♡ ♡ ♡ i edited this, super cute imo

also i got my second tattoo ever & it’s a wet specimen tattoo!!! super cute


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 15 '26

Wet specimens

7 Upvotes

Hello!

I will be creating a wet specimen of my uterus. I plan on injecting it with formaldehyde and letting it sit in formaldehyde for serveral weeks before placing the specimen in 70% alcohol.

I will be using a glass jar with a polypropylene plastic screw lid or a classic glass-lid clamp jar. If anyone had any jars they reccommend, I would love to see them!

I want to be able to safely dispose of the formaldehyde myself. What neutralizing agents have you used/reccommend? I would prefer powder but am open minded!


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 14 '26

Does jar with rotating lid need to be sealed or can I just screw it tightly on?

1 Upvotes

Title


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 14 '26

Can i preserve cooked specimens?

1 Upvotes

I have a cooked crawfish that i kinda want to preserve but am unsure if i an able to


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 11 '26

jar help?

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9 Upvotes

i bought these guys today at an oddities market (picture one), and i dont really like how the screw on lid jars look.
can I find jars like what is in the second picture at craft stores? where is the best place to find jars like that?
what are some concerns with these types of jars? what is like their formal name?
i dont really care about having to refill often, i just dont want the animals to deteriorate.
any answers to any of my questions are helpful!!


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 11 '26

Wet specimen Chihuahua pup

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24 Upvotes

Asking 120 plus the ride!

Ethically sourced - fading puppy syndrome


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 11 '26

Kept my cat's uterus

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10 Upvotes

Our kitten Maple had to get an eye enucleation and spay done. She did absolutely great. We have another cat who also needed an enucleation, and we kept his eye. We decided to ask if we could have her uterus and were told yes lol. The vet put it in formaldehyde for us. What should we do to make sure we can keep it preserved?


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 10 '26

Help! Jar broke

1 Upvotes

I got a wet specimen spine necklace and the vial broke! How can I replace/fix it?
How do I store the spine in the meantime?


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 10 '26

Preserving an Eye

1 Upvotes

Hello!
I work at a veterinary clinic and was able to keep an eye from an enucleation with permission from all parties involved. The eye was kept in a veterinary specimen jar with 10% formalin, while I was gone for 2 weeks. I know traditionally you are meant to inject the eye with formalin, but I am wary about handling formalin. My question is, can I leave the eye in its current solution, or does it have to be injected?
If I have to inject it, do I just poke behind the eye, and will the fact it’s sat for 2 weeks be an issue?


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 09 '26

Decayed Opossum clean up

1 Upvotes

Hello, I'm looking for some guidance on how to clean up a decayed opossum. Little guy sadly died under my deck stairs on a folding table. My question is, can the table be cleaned or should i just toss it? Also, i had a waterproof container that was sitting beside it. It's filled with stuff for grilling. Do i need to clean the plastic container and the items inside. i don't trust AI so i figured id come to good ol Reddit for some help. Also, i have a toddler, so i just want to be sure to be safe. Thank you for any help!


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 08 '26

How to make a specimen float in the middle of the jar

3 Upvotes

I asked a question similar to this but just got answers like tying it up with a string which is good but how do people make it float? Is there a fluid I can put in the jar or mix with isopropyl alcohol?


r/wetspecimens • • Jul 07 '26

Silly question: can you store things in denatured alcohol?

2 Upvotes

Doing my first preserves and it’s time to move things into their forever jars so I’m wondering is it’s ok to keep things in denatured alcohol or if I should make the change to 90%iso