# deceased reptiles wanted



## antman_1 (Jul 14, 2011)

i know this is a horrible subjuct and im sorry if this offends anyone in anyway.

im looking for deceased reptiles to preserve for an exhibition im looking to put together.

with hots being so much more intersting i though thismaybe the best place to start.

im willing to pay a small fee and cover all postage costs. 

again im very sorry if i have offended anyone in anyway.


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## snappingchap (Jul 31, 2010)

may i just ask how you intend to preserve the animals please?


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## antman_1 (Jul 14, 2011)

yeah sure it will be as straight forward as injecting the larger parts of the specimen with formeldahyde then preserving the animal in a formeldahyde water mix.


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## snappingchap (Jul 31, 2010)

ok mate, i appreciate you may upset some people with this because these animals have died, however, i think there will be some that support you, dont take any offence if i say i hope you dont get anything from me, im not saying i wouldnt send you any im just hoping i dont lose any. good luck with this.


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## Wolflore (Mar 3, 2010)

If only I'd seen this earlier. Had an Anole you could've had


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## antman_1 (Jul 14, 2011)

snappingchap said:


> don't take any offence if i say i hope you dont get anything from me, im not saying i wouldnt send you any im just hoping i dont lose any. good luck with this.


I totally understand dude. I'm not wishing that misfortune on anyone. Just in that sad situation when it does happen if people wouldnt mind helping me out. Thanks again buddy. 

The green anole would have been cool but no worries dude thanks anyway


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## DavidR (Mar 19, 2008)

I am hopeful that I can't help in terms of animal donations (fingers crossed!) but if you do get any, be very cautious. It is still possible to receive an envenomation from a dead snake. Treat it as if it were alive (stay away from the sharp end) and you can't go wrong. Also be very careful with formaldehyde, it is horrible stuff. I use 70% ethanol to preserve specimens.

David.


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## natureboyuk6 (May 27, 2008)

I would agree with David ... if I was you I would fix the specimen using formaldehyde and if you can get hold of ethanol then it is much better for preserving specimens. Even if you can't get hold of industry ethanol you can usually buy antiseptic alcohol (which is often 60-70% ethanol) from a pharmacy ... but I imagine you can get access to it if you have managed to source formaldehyde.

Cheers,
Si


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## antman_1 (Jul 14, 2011)

thanks for the advice gents, but the only thing im worried about is that i have read that alcohol will only last a couple of years and evaporates if not sealed properly. im looking for something that will last decades.


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## natureboyuk6 (May 27, 2008)

After decades stored in formalin the specimen will not look very nice at all and will be pretty flaky with a lot of lost tissue and probably not very recognisable. Ethanol will preserve the specimen much better and will last a lot longer. If the problem is that you can't seal the container properly the last thing you would want is a steady release of formalin fumes entering your body - that won't leave you a happy chap. An excellent way of sealing containers is parafilm which is regularly used in labs and museums across the world - if you apply this appropriately you should not have any problem with evaporation.

Cheers,
Simon


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## mikeyb (May 8, 2011)

im pretty sure dead or alive venomous snakes still come under dwa due to the ability to still deliver venom if handled incorrectly am i right in saying that u guys have to have the remains disposed of by a specialist or incinerated u cant just dig a hole like a cat or dog


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## Inky Dub (Sep 29, 2010)

i got a dead mouse in my freezer . and a couple of fruit flys.


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## ArmyBoy (Dec 9, 2011)

mikeyb said:


> im pretty sure dead or alive venomous snakes still come under dwa due to the ability to still deliver venom if handled incorrectly am i right in saying that u guys have to have the remains disposed of by a specialist or incinerated u cant just dig a hole like a cat or dog


 No, they won't be covered by the DWA list. They aren't a danger to the public.


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## REPTILEDAN88 (Sep 23, 2011)

What if you binned one and the bin man got a fang in the hand through the bag ?


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## Jb1432 (Apr 19, 2008)

ArmyBoy said:


> No, they won't be covered by the DWA list. They aren't a danger to the public.


Technically they are still a danger, a fresh dead venomous snake will still have venom and because that makes it incapable of regulating how much venom would be delivered, it would still be a danger to the public if someone were to prick their finger on the fangs of the dead snake.


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## mikeyb (May 8, 2011)

ArmyBoy said:


> No, they won't be covered by the DWA list. They aren't a danger to the public.


the why cant u buy snake venom readily on the open market because its regulated u doughnut just because the snakes dead doesnt make it any less toxic. Its still a vessle carrying toxins be no different to walking round with a hyperdermic full off snake venom i think the boys in blue would be paying u a visit in no time. :war::bash::banghead:


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## DavidR (Mar 19, 2008)

Dead venomous aren't covered by the DWA act, although many councils will stipulate how dead animals are to be disposed of (you can't just throw them out with household rubbish for obvious reasons). Although they are potentially dangerous even when dead they can't escape and endanger the public. Legally there is nothing to prevent members of the public from purchasing snake venom and carrying it around in a hypodermic syringe. In reality you would (hopefully) struggle to find a company willing to supply it. I have a collection of alcohol preserved venomous in my office at work and have never had any problems from the police or safety officer.

P.s. To the original poster, as previously stated, if you have problems with evaporation then formalin is not preservative of choice!


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## Slashware (Dec 20, 2009)

where do i send stuff?


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## mikeyb (May 8, 2011)

wat an absolute joke this countries legal system is then i cant own a native adder in my own home but its perfectly legal for me to walk round with a hyperdermic of taipan venom which imo is worse than me walking around with a saw off at least if u get winged by that ur possibly gonna survive one scratch of taipan venom and your up said creek with no paddle as its not like ur gonna know wat uve been injected with where as at least if the snakes smack bang in front of u you could at lease get ur phone out and take a pic before u pass out giving u half a chance .... sorry rant over just seems an absolute joke


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## DavidR (Mar 19, 2008)

mikeyb said:


> wat an absolute joke this countries legal system is then i cant own a native adder in my own home but its perfectly legal for me to walk round with a hyperdermic of taipan venom which imo is worse than me walking around with a saw off at least if u get winged by that ur possibly gonna survive one scratch of taipan venom and your up said creek with no paddle as its not like ur gonna know wat uve been injected with where as at least if the snakes smack bang in front of u you could at lease get ur phone out and take a pic before u pass out giving u half a chance .... sorry rant over just seems an absolute joke


You can legally own an adder with a DWA license. When I say it is legal to walk around with a hypodermic of snake venom, if you were only doing it to knock somebody off and couldn't prove a legitimate reason to carry it, then you would be in trouble I should imagine. A hypodermic of venom isn't going to survive long unless you keep it cool. I should imagine murders committed by people using snake venom have never been a problem (maybe since ancient Egypt?) and therefore there is no need to strictly regulate it! If you are worried about the regulation of items and substances used to kill people I would be far more concerned about guns, knives, insulin, pencils etc than I would about dead venomous snakes and snake venoms!

David.


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## ArmyBoy (Dec 9, 2011)

mikeyb said:


> the why cant u buy snake venom readily on the open market because its regulated u doughnut just because the snakes dead doesnt make it any less toxic. Its still a vessle carrying toxins be no different to walking round with a hyperdermic full off snake venom i think the boys in blue would be paying u a visit in no time. :war::bash::banghead:


 
Why are you insulting me? Calling me a doughnut? I'm right, you're wrong. Get over it...


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## mikeyb (May 8, 2011)

ArmyBoy said:


> Why are you insulting me? Calling me a doughnut? I'm right, you're wrong. Get over it...


well id be interested to know the legal standing on owning something potentially that leathel


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