This came at the PERFECT time!! We found two baby bunnies that were killed, and I want to preserve them this way! one looks so so so perfect. I've been looking into it for a long time actually, haha! : ) Thank you for such a good educational tutorial!!!!
So glad I found this video! Very easy to follow and I can't wait to get started! I have a little bird in my freezer, that hit a window and died... im wondering how thawed it will need to be to inject and then to position it in the jar?
Sorry to be offtopic but does anybody know of a trick to log back into an instagram account..? I was stupid forgot my login password. I would love any tips you can offer me!
My 3rd grade teacher had a goats brain in a jar on her desk. Just a goat brain, that was also juicy. And near the end of the year a teacher accidentally knocked it over in all the goat brain juice went on the floor.
This is perfect for my latest project! It might sound weird, but after getting my dog neutered, I asked to keep the “bits” and to preserve them as a little joke project. Something about having a jar of balls just on my shelf is funny to me 😂 Can’t wait to see it through!
@@TheLittleBlackShadeTreeomg I just got this notification a year later for some reason. 😭 it went well! I’ve got them in a decorative jar on my shelf and I’m planning on building a mini cabinet of curiosities for it to stay in once we move house. 😂
Dr's wouldn't let my mom keep the tumor removed from my brothers brain, but the surgeon did take pictures (sister here with photographic evidence that my brother does, in fact, have a brain). My mom was a little ticked (US Healthcare) that they wouldn't let her keep removed tumors to do this. "Those are $80k tumors. Cmon." 🙄🙄🙄 (bio/health thing blah blah blah but that's our Mom. Love to see where my weird came from in real time.) At least I have proof my bro has a brain. So when he does dumb ish, I can show him the picture of his brain. "HEY. Use this."
Over time the liquid will yellow. This is caused by the release of natural fats that would regularly release in the decomposition of whatever creature you’re preserving. Make sure to replace the formalin or ethanol in the jar as needed.
Im so glad to see actual correct information being shared on the wet specimen process! See way too many people spread inaccurate information and tell people to just throw their animals (even pets!) in alcohol🙄
Idk how correct it is... No mention of neutralizing formalin and it looks like she uses puppy pee pads to catch spills which doesn’t neutralize formalin like formalin pads... Formalin is a hazardous waste and cannot be dumped down the drain OR thrown in the trash without neutralizing..
@@JChappee because alcohol is not a tissue fixative. Alcohol will only slow the decomp process of the outside of an animal if its plopped in a jar of it, while it also slowly rots on the inside (even if injected with alcohol, it is still going to decompose). When injected and fixed with formalin it alters the proteins and amino acids in the tissue, preventing decomposition all together.
I really wish I came across this a month ago. One of my bettas died and I wanted to preserve him, but I didn’t know I couldn’t put him straight into resin with some of his gravel. So he rotted while the resin was baking:(
@@jillbrown1411 no, they just get dull/ not as bright. They will get slightly grey in some areas but other than that they preserve well. I wish there was a way to keep all their color though :/
Heyboisitsme_yurmum I currently have my dead fish in a borax solution rn and am wondering if that would work or should I just use the alcohol solution? Also how long do you leave it soaking until I can put it in resin? thank you for responding!
hey, thank you so much for this! your video has assisted me in starting the process to preserve my first wet specimen; a seahorse I found on the edge of the beach, barely being brushed by the waves. Cannot wait for the remainder of supplies to be delivered to finish the preservation!
Hello! It's probably too late to stop you by now, but a hermit crab's molted husk is really high in calcium and they instinctually wanna eat that to recover the nutrients they lost while molting. It probably won't kill your crab, but they can have a deficiency and be sick. I've had hermit crabs for over 8 years and never had one turn down eating its own molt, so I can't recommend taking it for preserving.
Thank you for this tutorial! You're quite charming, and didn't fill any space with content that wouldn't further the message, which is awesome to come across on RU-vid. I hope to utilize more of your videos in the future, as I run a farm, and we have our share of losses, which are now in my freezer, waiting for me to learn this trade. Thank you!
Thank you so much! That means a lot to me. I love that you run a farm, and you're right, loss is a part of farm life. Let me know how your preserving goes!
Thanks for this. My first Betta fish passed away yesterday and I wished to preserve him since I loved him so much. Hopefully I'll have as much success as you did with your wet specimens!!
@@TheLittleBlackShadeTree hii I know it's been a while since you posted this vid but I had a question, if I wanna preserve JUST an ear that I found, do I still need to inject it with formalin or do I go ahead and soak it without that step?
Thank u for this video, i had a really tough week with my hatchling bearded dragon. Was such a beautiful bright red hypo translucent baby.. but he was born with complications and i did as much as i could. This will be my first dragon that i plan to make as a wet specimen. Just a remembrance of all the struggle and hardship it is to take care of a sick baby dragon. RIP Xeno. 🙏 ♥️ 🦎
I’m sorry about your baby dragon! Animals are so wonderful and it’s hard when we can’t save them. I love that you’re honoring it by preserving it. Let me know how it goes!
Thank you for this video! Very easy to follow. One question I can’t seem to find the answer to confidently is what to do with used, dirty Formalin. How do we dispose of it properly? I know it can be bad for the environment. Thank you!
That’s a great question! I’ve been storing my used formalin (filtered) for future projects because you can use it more than once. However, I have not had a need yet to dispose of any so I haven’t researched it. I’ll ask my vet and get back to you!
Hy Luca und Hy Stefan Vielen, vielen Dank fürs mitnehmen und uns diese wunderschöne wenn auch misteriösische Location. Zu den Tieren in den Flaschen. 1. Werden die nicht mit wasser eingekocht, sonst hättest du einfach nen gekochten fisch drin. 2. Man legt das lebewesen in formaldehyd eingelegt und luftdicht verschlossen Da kenn ich mich mit den einzelnen schritten och selbst zu wenig aus.
Hey! I found a poor dead frog in my pool, so I decided to not let it be in vain and make a we specimen of it. Would you like to work together on a video, if you’re interested in growing your channel collars often help.
That's awesome! I definitely hope to do a collab in the future but I'm not able to do one quite yet; I have a lot of other things going on right now, both with my channel and holidays. However, I really hope you do a video so I can see how your frog turns out!
I don't have access to formalin so I use food grade preserving powder and Isopropyl Alcohol. Have a dead new born puppy to wet Specimen Taxidermy now... Nice collection
I’m sorry about the puppy but that will be a really neat specimen. Unfortunately, isopropyl alcohol will not be enough for a puppy. Eventually, it will start to decompose, but you might be able to prolong it by make sure its heavily injected with the alcohol. Let me know how it goes!
Thanks, when my 2 rescued african clawed frogs pass away I’m going to preserve them in jars. I could never leave their bodies behind they mean too much to me. They’re both still young so it’ll be a couple decades hopefully before they pass, but I will reference this video one day when the time comes
Hi there!! I work at a fish store, and we got in a stingray that sadly didn’t make it. This is going to be the first time I ever do a wet specimen. Any tips and/or advice?? Im so excited and scared to do it lol. Idk if I over looked it but when you did your octopus did you inject him with the formalin too??
That’s so cool! Sorry the stingray didn’t make it but I’m glad you’ll be preserving it. I didn’t inject my octopus but that was only because the fish market “cleaned” it out. It didn’t have any guts and it’s insides were all open to the formalin. I would definitely suggest you inject your stingray. Let me know how it goes!
A really well done and informative video. Thank you! I was thinking about doing this to tattooed pig skin, would I still need to do injections? Would it even work as a wet specimen? Thanks!
This would definitely work on pig skin and I doubt it would change the tattoo in any way. If it’s just skin than I’m sure injections wouldn’t be necessary. You’re welcome to do it as a precaution anyways though. Cool idea! Let me know how it goes 😀
My pleco I got for my birthday a couple years ago passed away, not sure why or how. Poor guy is sitting in my freezer, this vid helps me see how its done. Now I can finally get him out of the freezer and stop giving my poor mother a scare everytime she gets food. 😅
Ha ha, your poor mother! Sounds like what I put my husband through. I'm sorry your sweet pet passed away. I'm excited for you to preserve it. Let me know how it goes!
I love this this tickles my autistic Brain. I want to persevere all the animals (humanly of course) and have a collection. Can you do the same with fish and reptiles?
Amazing work and video, I would like to ask if it's needed to clean and get out all the insides or just fill them with the Formalin? Sorry for the silly question.
That’s not a silly question at all! You definitely don’t need to clean out the insides, just inject with some formalin. The bigger the animal, the more formalin it will need but as long as most all the tissues come in contact with it than you’re good to go. Good luck!
this is a very similar process to embalming. you should be very careful with formalin because if the concentration is too strong it WILL burn your nose like the worst onions you've ever cut and if i gets in your eyes you'll probably go blind. this was very neat to watch and i didn't know you could just... buy formalin. I'd be very interested in this process if i found any dead animals. also I will point out that formalin CAN go bad and should be kept in a cool, dark environment away from the light unless it's out for use.
That’s good to know! Yes, I store my formalin in a dark, cool place so hopefully it’ll last a while. I also made sure to wear goggles whenever I handled it. Thanks for the tips!
Very informative video! I have goldfish that should have many years ahead of them, but I just wanted to make sure I know how to preserve them when that time comes.
Hi! You most definitely could use this wet specimen technique and put it in formalin. I know a lot of people also like to take their pets to a taxidermist but that can be expensive.
Hi! I just lost my ferret today. She passed in my and my husband's arms. I really want to preserve her. She was very small for a ferret. How long would you say it best to keep her in the focaline (I already forgot how to spell it lol) solution and is there a specific temperature she should be kept at while in that solution the first time around? Thank you 💜
I'm so sorry about your sweet ferret! They are such sweet furballs. I'm sure she had a happy and full life with you. I would keep her in the formalin for at least 4 months, I know that's a long time, but it isn't when it comes to preservation. But make sure to give her lots of injections. Not only will those help plump her up so she looks healthy and alive, but it is essential in preserving her for the long term. Let me know how it goes, I'd love to hear. Good luck!
Oussama Lasfer Yes it could but it’s not really necessary as long as you fill the abdomen (and other meaty areas) with formalin. It would mean cutting into the animal and having to sew them back up. Not what I would recommend when the interior formalin will preserve it just fine.
@@mattblankensopp7493 I’ve never tried jellyfish but that would be so neat to have! I have no reason to suspect this technique would not work on a jellyfish. Let me know how it goes!
Hey, when cleaning out the formalin and washing your wet specimen wirh distilled water, do you get overwhelmed by a "pungent smell" or does formallin take care of that from happening? Thank you
i found a baby little brown skink and i took care of it for over a week and it started acting sick a couple of days ago and today i found him dead. i wanna keep the baby so i’m researching
Hey! Loved your video!! I’m wondering if I could just store my specimen in 10% buffered formalin instead of storing it in isopropyl alcohol after the fixation. Will it last longer? Or does it cause any damage to the skin and it’ll be flakey and stuff?
That’s a great question! I actually don’t know the answer to that but since stronger methods of preservation are used often, I would bet it would work just fine. Let me know how it goes or if you find anything else out!
keeping it in formalin, even if its buffered can still damage the specimen over time. but that takes a lot of time, many old specimens in museums are still stored in it so its not really a problem 70% ethanol is the best medium, or isopropanol if you can't get ethanol
This method will last many, many years. It’s the longest preservation method I know of but let me know if you hear of a longer one! I guess freezing might last longer. I know freezing will keep stuff for decades.
Awesome video, it’s informative! I have recent had a hatchling snake pass away and I would like to preserve it. Would I need the formalin or could I just put it in 70% alcohol? What’s the benefits of the formalin? 😊
Thank you! Yes, you would definitely need the formalin because it does the majority of the preserving. If you skip the formalin and put it only in alcohol, like a lot of RU-vid videos show, than the snake will only last for a short period of time before starting to deteriorate. Let me know how it goes!
@@TheLittleBlackShadeTree thank you so much for your fast reply! sounds like such a shady question, but can I ask were you get your needles from? I’m just finding the “blunt” needles but the snake is tiny so I don’t want to risk damaging it with a blunt needle. Again thank you you for your help, it’s been super helpful. I have also subscribed and I’m looking forward to seeing more of your video’s 😊
@@shaunoneil3068 Ha ha, yes that is a shady sounding question and I love it. I'm pretty sure I got my needles from my mother-in-law when she sold her horses. She administered her horeses shots herself under the direction of her vet. If I ever need more, I my vet would probably be willing to sell me some. He knows I don't do drugs, ha ha. I've heard you can find them at drugstores like Walgreens but I haven't looked myself. I hope that helps but it probably wasn't as helpful as you hoped it would be. Let me know if you find any!
Um, ha ha, that's very interesting! Yes, just use these steps and you'll do great. I'm sorry my reply is so late after you posted this comment so long ago! I'd love to hear how it goes if you did it already or not.
@@TheLittleBlackShadeTree uw.. I can't wait to try it I wanna do some more gruesome art, and I know the cooler weather, will yield some awesome animal fur!
That’s a good point and some metal lids come with rubber seals, which are definitely ideal. I’ll keep a close eye on my jars and replace them if they start showing any signs of rust.
@@TheLittleBlackShadeTree You're welcome. I would have loved a science setup like that as a kid. Hell, I would like one like that today. I am in love with science.
Wow, that’s neat! I’m sure you can, but you need to make sure it gets plenty of the formalin in its abdomen. It’ll be tricky because of the shell but I’m sure you can do it. Let me know how it goes!
That's a really good question! From my research, I would say no. Any time you put something in resin, it should be all dried out. If it's been sitting in formalin then it's going to be wet. If you want to use resin, go ahead and dry out your specimen, although what you're preserving will be a big factor. If it's a beetle, dry it out. If it's a rat, resin won't be the road you want :)
@@TheLittleBlackShadeTree thank you! Well then if you don't mind helping me out finding a different solution, it's a mouse. What I really want is to have a mouse in almost frozen pose in a little vile, that's why I went to epoxy resin...is there anything else I could do for the same effect?
I just lost my 3 baby rats under unfortunate circumstances, however I'd love to preserve them so they're still with me since I really bonded to them. How long would I keep them in Formalin so they don't get ruined? They're week old pinkies, barely any fur on them. They meant everything to me in the short time I had them
I’m so sorry about your sweet little rats. Since they’re so small, leaving them in the formalin for a month should be sufficient. And I would always error a little on the safe side of too much than not enough. I hope that helps. Let me know how it goes!
Ok, so a couple months ago in my last science class of high school, we dissected a pregnant rat, and we were able to keep a couple babies, we just put them straight in formaldehyde, so am I able to take them out and put them into isopropyl alcohol to make sure they stay preserved?
I have a question, because the lamb came to me in jar and it is filled with formalin,so can formaldehyde leak into the room if it is only taped with insulating tape?
That's a really good question. I would say yes, it can evaporate slowly into the air. I had that issue with some of my jars that didn't have a rubber seal. I hope that helps!
Hey so we found some baby bunnies that looked to be about 2-3 months deceased but still perfectly in tact but they haven’t been frozen nor were they freshly killed could we still make them into a wet specimen?
Wow, that’s crazy that they still look perfectly intact after all that time. Whatever state they are in, should be the state they stay in once preserved so I would definitely go ahead and use them for wet specimens! Let me know how it goes!
Thank you for the awesome informative video I have a question though If we were to preserve a huge specimen like Rhincodon typus would we put it in a huge glass aquarium and fill it up with formalin?then alcohol?
I have three dead sand dollars I'd like to preserve. They have a slightly delicate body that's mostly hard like most urchins. Would I need to find a way to put some solution in the body?
Wow!! I never considered that! What a cool idea! I’ll have to check to check if that would work on them to make sure the gut doesn’t rot inside. Thanks for the idea!
One of my snakes passed today and I'm hoping I can preserve her in time as she's with my parents at the moment and not sure how to keep her safe before I go see her
I'm so sorry about your snake! It's easy to preserve them until you're ready to use the formalin. Just have your parents put the snake in the freezer, probably not bare, I'm sure your parents would prefer it in something like a grocery bag or zip lock bag. But yes, just have them freeze her until you are ready. Good luck! I'd love to know how it goes!
@@TheLittleBlackShadeTree Hi! She's a large female western hognose and was really sweet, I miss her a lot but don't think I'm ready to let go of her just yet so thought preservation was the best option so thank you for this tutorial. My dad just put her in a bag and box in our freezer we use for our frozen mice so hopefully that'll work
@@blakieu That’s perfect, I’m glad you got her in the freezer. Make sure to thaw her out completely before putting her in the formalin, but don’t let her sit at room temp, at least not for long. We don’t want the bacteria to increase. I love that she was a hognose! Those snakes are so neat and (dare I say) cute! I also love that they’re great at playing opossum.
That's a great question! You don't need to keep it in the fridge anymore. I liked keeping mine outside or in an outbuilding just to be extra safe from the fumes. I hope that helps. Let me know how it goes!
Hi! I'm doing a biology project and using your video as my guide, what size/gauge needle would you think is best for an animal the size of the mouse? or what size needle are you using in this video? thank you :)
Hi Monique! That's a great question! I'd say just about any guage would work well. I used whatever needle I had access to, which I believe came from my mother-in-law's medical kit for her horses. I hope that helps, but let me know if you have any more questions!
I saw some on Amazon but you're right, it was expensive. I think some of that price was the shipping weight. I bought mine from my veterinarian who regularly keeps some stocked. It was quite inexpensive that way. I hope that helps!
That's a great question! You could probably get away with just putting them in alcohol...maybe. It would be a risk but it might work. The tinier and more delicate the specimen (especially moth wings) may not hold up to the harsh chemicals. You could always preserve them in resin, but soft-bellied creatures like spiders need to be boiled beforehand. I learned about it from a university that released a tutorial on it. They talked about needing to boil the specimen for a short period of time (like 10 seconds or something, I can't remember) before being placed in the resin. I apologize for not having more detailed info, but I hope it helps. Let me know how it goes!
