Post by pinkunicorn on Sept 23, 2012 22:12:42 GMT
My dear little leopard slug Neptune died of gut extrusion yesterday, poor little thing. 
Today I noticed the body actually hadn't started to decompose yet, and wasn't even smelly though it had been in a warm terrarium for about 18 hours after death. He still felt like a live slug feels, too. Of course he was dead, despite the odd feeling and no smell, but anyway. I wanted to conserve the body as a specimen, an example of gut extrusion. I rinsed and dried the remains and placed the body into a jar filled with 70% medical spirits.
Has anyone conserved molluscs before? I'm wondering if my technique is proper and will keep the body in decent shape. I know that molluscs will always deteriorate somewhat, and accept that fact of life. But I wonder if alcohol is normally used for molluscs in particular? Or should it be formaldehyde? Or what? And if alcohol is good, is my 70% strong enough or should it be stronger still?
I noticed some tiny, transparent flakes coming off the body, and now after three hours in the alcohol there is a bit more fluff fallen from the body to the bottom of the jar.
Today I noticed the body actually hadn't started to decompose yet, and wasn't even smelly though it had been in a warm terrarium for about 18 hours after death. He still felt like a live slug feels, too. Of course he was dead, despite the odd feeling and no smell, but anyway. I wanted to conserve the body as a specimen, an example of gut extrusion. I rinsed and dried the remains and placed the body into a jar filled with 70% medical spirits.Has anyone conserved molluscs before? I'm wondering if my technique is proper and will keep the body in decent shape. I know that molluscs will always deteriorate somewhat, and accept that fact of life. But I wonder if alcohol is normally used for molluscs in particular? Or should it be formaldehyde? Or what? And if alcohol is good, is my 70% strong enough or should it be stronger still?
I noticed some tiny, transparent flakes coming off the body, and now after three hours in the alcohol there is a bit more fluff fallen from the body to the bottom of the jar.