Wet Specimen Care

So you’ve just bought your first wet specimen, you came to the right place! Learn the ins and outs of how to prep your specimen to last forever.

 

Each of our specimens is pre-preserved with formalin. We often have small specimens that are stillborn that we turn into wet specimens. Others are invasive species that passed due to population control, or byproducts of the food industry, such as our cow eyes.

 

-Specimens are all preserved with formalin and stored in 70% isopropyl alcohol. We recommend only using 70% isopropyl as 50% can be too weak and 90% can be too corrosive.

-Always store your specimens away from sources of heat, like fire, open flames, direct sunlight, a radiator, etc. Alcohol and formalin are highly flammable. Sunlight will degrade your specimens.

-Store away from pets and children.

-NEVER eat, drink, or allow anyone else (human or animal) to eat or drink any part of your specimen, including any of the liquid solutions. If your jar breaks, use gloves to carefully pick up the large glass and specimen. Dispose of all broken glass and absorb all alcohol with cat litter or sawdust. Make sure to wash the floor thoroughly afterwards.

-Over time, the alcohol in the jar will evaporate. Make sure your specimens remain fully submerged. You can add more 70% isopropyl alcohol to compensate for evaporation. It is normal for the color of the alcohol to also change over time. Specimen alcohol can be disposed of and replaced. We recommend wearing gloves anytime you open your specimen jar.

 

To protect the fragility of the piece and comply with shipping guidelines, your wet specimen will be shipped to you without alcohol. The specimen will be packaged in a sealed bag with sufficient alcohol to keep it hydrated during the journey. Each specimen has already been fixed with formalin. You will also recieve the jar shown in the listing.

 

Upon receiving your wet specimen in the mail, we advise having the proper alcohol ready to go. 70% isopropyl alcohol is what we prefer to use with wet specimens. Because each specimen was fixed with formalin, gloves are highly recommended when placing your specimen back in its jar. After positioning to your liking, fill the jar with 70% isopropyl alcohol, making sure the specimen is fully submerged.