Wet SPECIMENS - A Full general GUIDE

A follow-up to this post has been published here. Information technology includes a history of fluid preservation and the exact methods I utilize for my own specimens, which I recommend if you lot are able to buy the materials in your location. Please read through this post and that one for best results.

Merely like cleaning bones and collecting taxidermy, collecting weird dead things in jars is a new favorite hobby of many people. The oddities business is booming, and the going rate for a thing in a jar is on the rise. There are lots of people selling jarred specimens as well as many others who want to collect things for themselves without trying to brand a business out of it. Regardless of why you're interested in learning to make a decent wet specimen, unless you follow instructions and properly preserve the specimen, it'll stop upwardly rotting, floating, stinky, and ruined. Let'due south learn about some museum-quality techniques, shall we?

Disclosure: This postal service contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I may make a very very very small-scale commission if yous click on the links and buy the items. I only link to items I actually use, and the commission allows me to keep writing informative posts like this one.

This guide may include some graphic descriptions that are not for everyone - if you are easily grossed out, preserving expressionless animals is likely not a great hobby for you lot to partake in. This guide is intended for people who already have a basic agreement of moisture specimen practices. I volition not be including footstep-by-step photos for this post but rather, general guidelines and photos of a few finished products so that every reader tin can take the bones guidelines and develop their own technique.

I published a guide to taxidermy with step-by-step photos and a materials listing at this link for $20, or follow my Instagram folio hither. I also offering classes on specimen preservation around the United States, if you take a larger budget of $150-200.

Please make sure to read this unabridged guide thoroughly before embarking on any type of embalming project.

A geriatric hedgehog preserved in a very tight jar.

A geriatric hedgehog preserved in a very tight jar.

It's hard to observe a concise guide to making a wet specimen because at that place are so many ways to do it. Read through this unabridged guide before y'all attempt the process so you can determine whether this is the guide you desire to employ. I volition be providing links to others as well, which are swell supplementary reading.

At that place are many dissimilar things that tin be made into wet specimens. The virtually popular are fetal animals, organs, prosections and dissections (specimens that have been cut open or prepared to let the viewer to see internal structures), and juvenile or adult animals that are fully formed. Regardless of what type of specimen you're using, information technology needs to be injected or embalmed with fluid, fixed in a preservative, and transferred to new preservative earlier being sealed in a jar and stored or displayed safely.

1 thing I can tell you is that every single tutorial on YouTube I have seen is incorrect. You CANNOT simply dump rubbing booze onto a specimen and call it good. If you desire high-quality specimens that last a long time, you lot accept to follow a series of steps to ensure your specimens are preserved correctly.

First things showtime - where do you get an animal to work on? This is a tricky thing. Lots of people have varying opinions on what is or is not "kosher" in these situations. You tin can read this postal service I wrote about "ethically sourced" taxidermy and specimens. Spoiler alert: stop using the term "ethically sourced" to describe annihilation. It'due south cryptic and annoying. Sustainability is what matters, and I wrote about information technology in the post I only linked.

The bulk of specimens I work on for i-offs similar private taxidermy or specimen preservation projects come from 2 places, a wildlife rehabber and a reptile breeder. I capeesh both of these sources because I know those ii people personally and they care deeply for their animals. I am 100% sure that the animals have not suffered whatsoever type of corruption. Where you get your animals is up to you, merely the near important thing when it comes to a high-quality specimen is to brand sure the beast was frozen as soon equally possible after decease to avoid any type of decay or contamination.

Sheep eyeballs, a byproduct of the meat industry.

Sheep eyeballs, a byproduct of the meat industry.

Got your frozen dead affair? Absurd. Thaw it out for several hours - the amount of time depends on the size of the specimen. Ideally you lot want the specimen to be pliable and thawed, but not room-temperature (notwithstanding cold is better and inhibits bacterial activity).

Find a well-ventilated area (outdoors is easiest) and ALWAYS wear a respirator. Using nonporous, hypoallergenic pulverisation-free nitrile gloves and a puppy pee pad with a plastic backing, which absorbs actress fluid and doesn't allow information technology to leak through, prepare your piece of work station. Y'all'll need a hypodermic needle, a syringe, and a fixative, typically formalin simply I'll hash out other options farther down the page. Inject the fixative into the entire specimen - the rima oris, through the ears, if the eyes are going to be closed inject the eyeballs, the trunk cavity, through the anus, into all the large muscles including the ones in limbs. You desire the entire specimen to be filled and bloated-looking with fixative. For larger specimens with pilus, yous can make tiny incisions in the skin to allow the fixative to soak in (explained in the next paragraph). The goal is to become the whole specimen, including nether the peel, as filled with fixative as possible. Do non use isopropyl alcohol for this step, equally it is not a strong enough chemical.

Next, identify the specimen in a large jar in the position you lot want it to stay in for display - it will stay in that position once you are washed. Make full the container with the same fixative you used to inject the specimen and seal it. Almost fixatives like humectant fluid and formalin crusade all of the tissues to start to harden, then remember that all the same you preserve it at this stage will be how the specimen is positioned forever. Leave the specimen for several days, weeks, or months depending on the size. Shake the jar (with the lid on) every few days in lodge to arouse the fixative and encourage fluid exchange.

NOTES Here:

  • Specimen containers MUST exist made of glass or if you admittedly have your eye fix on using plastic jars, you lot have to brand sure it won't chemically react with your preserving fluid or your final chemical bath - otherwise information technology could melt and leak!

  • If your specimen floats, information technology'south possible that information technology'southward rotten or that y'all injected air bubbles. Make pocket-sized incisions to allow gases to escape. Shaking helps with floating likewise - birds are more likely to float early because of their bones.

A mouse tail, which was eventually made into a pendant.

A mouse tail, which was somewhen made into a pendant.

When that time period is over, transfer the specimen into a secondary solution of diluted isopropyl or ethanol alcohol for storage in the container of your selection for brandish. My preferred percentage is lxx%, specially for animals with no hair or for organ specimens as stronger booze (90% or more) can cause the tissue to contraction and shrivel. I also prefer glass jars with lids that seal completely. Leave the specimen in the secondary solution for virtually a week, shaking the jar gently each day. Information technology is typical that the liquid will change color due to blood and other liquid leaking out of the body - don't be alarmed by this. After a week or 2, drain all the liquid, rinse the specimen and put it dorsum in the jar, and replace the secondary solution with fresh new liquid. Afterward this liquid replacement, the jar can exist sealed indefinitely.

One time your specimen is transferred from your outset solution (the initial type you as well injected) into your second solution (alcohol) you tin can filter your initial solution through a coffee filter and funnel and re-apply it.

In one case the jar is sealed, your work is not completed. Properly caring for your drove of jarred specimens is important, not but so they stay in proficient condition but likewise so that yous don't burn down your house downwardly. NEVER shop a moisture specimen somewhere that is overly warm (a house in the summer with no air workout) and ever proceed them abroad from direct sunlight. Never ever ever smoke or burn candles nearby  and never shop your specimens near a heater or fireplace - they are extremely flammable!

The first wet specimen I ever made - a young ball python. This piece has held up very well over the years and is still part of my collection.

The start wet specimen I ever made - a young ball python. This piece has held upward very well over the years and is still part of my collection.

The chemicals used in preservation processes are harsh and some are known carcinogens. It is your responsibleness to read the MSDS data on these chemicals and shop them in a safe way. It is also your responsibility to make sure the specimens you are processing are legal to possess in your city, state, or region. Some things are federally protected. Utilise your brain and don't end up in prison. Charlie Kelly's references to "bird constabulary" are rooted in fact, y'all.

If you are using a whole animal specimen that is on the larger size, consider removing its intestines prior to storage. This can exist accomplished by pulling them out through the anus using forceps and then disposing of them. A strong stomach (yours, not the brute's stomach!) is a must - this is not for the faint of heart. (Oh, come up on, I can't resist dumb beefcake puns!)

Here is the same snake after more than three years. I never changed the liquid, but it still looks alright!

Here is the same serpent later on more than three years. I never changed the liquid, just it still looks alright!

Hither is a list of preserving chemicals and their uses. Access to a chemistry lab is likely all-time for those attempting to mix their ain solutions. If you are diluting anything, always use distilled water as it does not take mineral impurities like spring h2o or tap water. If you're not a Walter White, there are nonetheless plenty of options for obtaining chemicals legally and safely.

  • Formalin: you may be able to acquire it from a chemic supply warehouse but typically those institutions require you to obtain licensing as either a medical facility or an educator/school in order for you to brand a buy. As stated above, do not leave your specimen in formalin forever - it is acidic and will eventually destroy the specimen if left forever. Use it to fix the specimen so transfer it to a less harsh solution. Brand sure y'all use buffered ten% formalin.

  • Ethanol is available at any hardware shop or online. If you tin't observe it, ask - it'south used as fuel and usually sold in metal containers. When using ethanol, dilute it to 70% if information technology does non come already diluted. Remember - dilute with distilled water just - no other h2o.

  • Denatured booze and isopropyl booze are besides available online or at at hardware stores or pharmacies, respectively.

This is a partially dissected frog. He could probably stand to be in a larger jar, but is otherwise in great shape.

This is a partially dissected frog. He could probably stand to exist in a larger jar, but is otherwise in dandy shape.

Additional reading:

  • Larn virtually preserving reptiles and amphibians on Mark D. Scherz' blog.

  • Isopropyl Alcohol and Propylene Glycol combined makes humectant fluid (used near often in museums in Australia) which you tin buy already mixed here.

  • This is an article about preserving specimens for collections in museums and other institutions.

  • Here is a list of rules nigh animal parts and their laws.

  • Some other great resource is taxidermy.internet, if you know where to look.

Want to effort something different? Preserve found life in the same way! I'm sure information technology'll add a nice flair to your collection. I've really preserved a pineapple for a client. Update: I as well preserved some other pineapple and an apple for other clients.

This is a baby chipmunk that needs its liquid changed. You can see in the background that over time, the liquid starts to darken no matter what. Fun fact: in museum archives, the liquid is considered to be "part of" the specimen. The liquid can be t…

This is a infant chipmunk that needs its liquid changed. You can see in the background that over time, the liquid starts to darken no matter what. Fun fact: in museum archives, the liquid is considered to exist "part of" the specimen. The liquid can be topped off, but never replaced - so in that location are jars in the Field Museum that are over 100 years old that are pitch black. We only know what'southward in them considering of the labels!

The curt version: apply gloves and a puppy pee pad for handling your specimen. Utilise a hypodermic needle and luer-lock syringe to inject your specimen with an initial solution (either humectant fluid, which you tin can make from ethyl or isopropyl booze or ethanol and propylene glycol, or formalin) and allow information technology to soak in a jar total of the initial solution for several weeks. Shake the jar gently every few days and so transfer the specimen to a jar of secondary solution (either isopropyl booze, ethyl alcohol, or denatured booze) and repeat the process for 2 to iii weeks. It does non matter which initial and secondary solutions you lot choose - just once you utilize one blazon of initial solution, practise not cross-contaminate by switching to a different initial solution in the same specimen. Similarly, stick to but i secondary solution and practice not mix dissimilar types of alcohol. Subsequently three weeks of soaking in the initial solution and three weeks in your secondary solution, supersede your secondary solution with the same type of alcohol and seal your jar for permanent storage. Brand a note of what you did and when y'all did it, in pencil on an acid-gratis piece of newspaper and use archival tape to record it to the bottom. That manner, you or anyone else who handles the specimen in the future volition know what's in there.

Restoring old specimens

If you are trying to restore an former specimen, in my experience this has worked well. Utilize gloves and a puppy pad in a well-ventilated area. Gently rinse your specimen with distilled water, using a clasp bottle if necessary to remove any debris. Make sure your jar has been washed with soap and rinsed with distilled water and fully stale before replacing your specimen in the jar. Supplant the liquid with lxx% isopropyl booze (this is the near neutral of the secondary solutions I take listed) and ensure that the jar is sealed. Make a note of what you did and when you did it, in pencil, on an acid-free piece of paper and utilise archival tape to tape it to the bottom. That fashion, you or anyone else who handles the specimen in the future volition know what'southward in there.

Thank you for stopping by! I hope yous found this post interesting and helpful. Due to overwhelming response, I am unable to troubleshoot what you may exist doing wrong or offer farther advice on making moisture specimens if you have not paid me for my services. I volition be approving comments but not responding to questions. This is non an spread-out guide but meant to exist a starting signal. Preserving animals is how I make my living - if y'all would like to proceeds some hands-on feel as well every bit support my small business organisation, please consider:

  • Purchasing my taxidermy due east-volume for $xx and teaching yourself how to make professional-grade taxidermy.

  • Signing up for one of my many specimen preservation classes offered around the world.

I capeesh your back up!

-Mickey