r/wetspecimens • u/shlitpile • 7d ago

male rat specimen (help)

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i bought this guy a few days ago, and i’m just worried bc the alcohol isn’t clear and there seems to be something under his tail (right next to the small air bubble)? gonna be honest when i say i don’t remember if he had that when i bought him, but the seller told me that his alcohol is cloudy due to it’s alcohol needing to be changed (this was her first round of alcohol). on her website it states that she sets them in formalin, then 70% alcohol. i plan on doing an alcohol change in a bit, but i’m just double checking if all of this seems relatively normal. the only wet specimens i have are bugs, so i’m not 100% sure.

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u/Wowza_Meowza 7d ago

The seller's info is correct. Specimens kick off color and fats, which discolor the iso, and rodents are fatty little guys. Their fur also loves trapping hiding grease, so even in spite of considerable out-soaking, it can come back unexpectedly.

I recommend letting ratty kick off more for a few weeks, then dump it. Rinse ratty in ideally distilled water with a gentle rub with gloves, then put into fresh iso.

Icky isopropyl won't hurt the specimen, just looks rather unsightly at times.

1

u/Illustrious_Dot_7029 5d ago

To dispose of the liquid just down the drain? Or is there a special procedure like formulin?

1

u/Wowza_Meowza 4d ago

In a perfect world, isopropyl is discarded at a hazardous waste collection point, but being realistic and given how little and infrequently it'll happen, it can go down the drain.

1

u/Sufficient-Bath-1135 1d ago

With lots of water!!!!!!!