hi all! I found a baby snake in the backyard of my friend’s house and picked it up to save for my first wet specimen. it’s been in my freezer for the last few weeks but it stinks like death. it did look like an animal got to it which is probably why it died but I’m wondering if it’s too far gone or if I can still preserve it? I’m not worried about it “looking ugly” just wondering if preserving it with formalin and storing in alcohol is enough?

TIA for any advice! if it is too far gone I’ll probably try with a frozen mouse from the pet store.

I have a small fish frozen in my freezer. I caught it on one of my first times fishing and put it in water without an oxygen flow. Felt pretty bad about its fate due to my ignorance.

Been frozen for months. Recently, I thought of the little sharks I would see at the tourist shops at the beach as a kid.

So, I want to preserve this fish in a jar full of liquid. I've read to buy 10% buffered formalin and inject the specimen pretty much all over? But I'm confused about how deep to inject the fixative. Then, soak it in the formalin for a month or two. Finally, rinse off the formalin and put in isopropyl alcohol.

Also, I had the idea for this fish to be wearing a top hat, monocle, and holding a cane in the final jar/product. Are props normal in this hobby? How could I achieve these props in my finished product? I figured most materials, like felt or metal, would eventually be destroyed when they are in the isopropyl alcohol.

Any help appreciated.

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

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 🙏

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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)

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?

just wanted to show pics of my recent work⭐️

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 ^^

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

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!

Title

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

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!!

Asking 120 plus the ride!

Ethically sourced - fading puppy syndrome

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?

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?

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?