Amphibian taxidermy

nephiarising · Nov 10, 2013

I'm interested in preserving my pets when they pass but I'm not really too familiar with taxidermy in amphibians. I know you can use alcohol and mason jars, but I've heard that the liquid can get cloudy. I'd also love to collect other specimens - so if anyone has any dead herps, please PM me if you'd be willing to let me buy them off of you.

Jennewt · Nov 11, 2013

I've preserved dead herps in ethyl alcohol and haven't had any problems with the liquid getting cloudy. I use Everclear, which is drinkable 95% ethyl alcohol.

froggy · Nov 11, 2013

You can get fats leaching out of the animal eventually, but you can easily remove the animal from the jar, change the alcohol and replace it if you want it to look crystal clear and clean. Very large animals (e.g. adult tiger salamander) can be injected with alcohol as well as immersed to ensure rapid preservation.

Jen, where on earth do you get drinkable 95% alcohol?! I assume its drinkable in that it doesn't have methanol in it, I'm sure it isn't all that palatable!

Kaysie · Nov 11, 2013

Chris, you buy it at the liquor store. Everclear is illegal in some areas, but it's pretty widely available.

Thanassi07 · Apr 1, 2021

To actually taxidermy an amphibian (from what I've heard) is difficult, you either have to create a mold or freeze-dry it I believe. But for cheap, you can just get a (Glass!) jar and fill it with alcohol. I use 91% Isopropyl Alchohol but any concentration of isopropyl alcohol above 70% works. Also some other kinds of alcohol work like ethyl alcohol. The preservative will corrode away plastic jars, btw color fades 100% of the time if you create a wet specimen (like in a jar).

Creekratt · Sep 10, 2022

Thanassi07 said:
To actually taxidermy an amphibian (from what I've heard) is difficult, you either have to create a mold or freeze-dry it I believe. But for cheap, you can just get a (Glass!) jar and fill it with alcohol. I use 91% Isopropyl Alchohol but any concentration of isopropyl alcohol above 70% works. Also some other kinds of alcohol work like ethyl alcohol. The preservative will corrode away plastic jars, btw color fades 100% of the time if you create a wet specimen (like in a jar).

I've heard there is an additive for the alcohol to step the color leaching out.Not sure which type of alcohol. It wasn't mentioned. I used isopropyl (forget which strength) to preserve a Greyband King snake. It pulled every bit of the beautiful brilliant pumpkin orange out of the animal. The band is totally white now. I've searched high/ low for the additive online, every site you could imagine. Everything to published works to your general hobbyist and found nothing. If anyone has info on this, please share. Thanx in advance.

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