Preserving a dead spider.

[SkyeSpider]

Wow! I did not expect to see a thread I started 16 years ago start up again. O_O

After going to school and studying entomology, all my spiders I want to keep are preserved in ethyl alcohol (70%). They don't dry well and tend to just rot otherwise. Same goes for any arachnids, really. The dry preservation only seems to work with smaller arthropods.

 

[Bug Bane]

Wow! I did not expect to see a thread I started 16 years ago start up again. O_O

After going to school and studying entomology, all my spiders I want to keep are preserved in ethyl alcohol (70%). They don't dry well and tend to just rot otherwise. Same goes for any arachnids, really. The dry preservation only seems to work with smaller arthropods.

I’m glad I could start it up again :j
I’ve done dry preservation with one of my scorpions before. It didn't rot and dried in the position I wanted. The fading isn’t really that bad either, maybe a slight discoloration. But that’s only one. I’ve done grasshoppers plenty and some rot on the spread board while others are fine, which confuses and annoys me plenty.

 

[MrsHaas]

Do you just stick them in the freezer like I do or do you use something with lower temps that may be faster (Dry Ice? Liquid Nitrogen?)

Are you stick them in the freezer for about four months. That usually freeze dries all of the insights into sort of a sick call particle things. So that when you defrost them the insides also dry out and decomposition doesn’t become an issue. Are you stick them in the freezer for about four months. That usually freeze dries all of the insides into sort of basic call particle things. So that when you defrost them the insides also dry out and decomposition doesn’t become an issue. But you have to make sure you thoroughly dry them out - like stick them frozen under a bright, hot light… Anything from a heat lamp to a regular house hold lamp. Though a heat lamp I think would probably dry it out a lot faster I just don’t have one. You will notice that water will begin to pool on top of the Carapace as it thaws and once it is malleable enough you can position it the way you want, and then continue to dry it out under the lamp for the next two or three hours depending on size. You can use a Q-tip to absorb the fluid that leaked from the carcass and Once the liquid stops draining out of the Carapace and the abdomen shrivels up, you can Turn off the lamp, leave them there to dry for a short time some more. And then you can go about canning/gluing the carcass to whatever it is you’re going to use for your backing in the shadowbox.

 

[MrsHaas]

I’m glad I could start it up again :j
I’ve done dry preservation with one of my scorpions before. It didn't rot and dried in the position I wanted. The fading isn’t really that bad either, maybe a slight discoloration. But that’s only one. I’ve done grasshoppers plenty and some rot on the spread board while others are fine, which confuses and annoys me plenty.

I think in like 2012 when I first joined her active words I made a post about preserving a dead tarantula and displaying it in a shadowbox. It had step-by-step pictures and written directions. I don’t know if it is still part of the database on Arachnoboards. Especially after all the changes that have been made in the past years. But you could always use the search button and put my user name in and see if something pops up. However personally, I have zero idea how to preserve a tarantula in a liquid such as alcohol. So if that’s what you want to do I’m sure there are tons of folks on this site that could give you a hand and some ideas. Good luck.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

However personally, I have zero idea how to preserve a tarantula in a liquid such as alcohol. So if that’s what you want to do I’m sure there are tons of folks on this site that could give you a hand and some ideas. Good luck.

Preserving tarantulas in alcohol is quite easy, but doing it the way the academic crowd does it can be costly to the amateur. I will provide a quick outline below.

Preservative
Ethanol/ ethyl alcohol is the best preservative to use on arachnids. For the amateur, ethanol can be bought in liquor stores as Everclear. Everclear can come in two strengths: 75% and 95%. You will need ethanol of 70% to 80% so if one can only find 95% it needs to be diluted to 70-80%. I can only find Everclear in 95% APV in my area so I dilute to 80%. Of course, if one is under the age of 21 or there are some state, county, or city restrictions on alcohol, preservation in this manner won't be possible.

Specimen Jars
I get all of my specimen jars for wet preservation from Carolina Biological. They sell glass jars in 2 fluid ounce to 16 fluid ounce volumes. I would recommend getting a set of each to accommodate a variety of different size tarantulas. For the most part, a tarantula with a 3-4 inch legspan can be preserved in a 4 fl. oz. jar; larger tarantulas can be kept in 8 fl. oz. and above. There is no standard when it comes to how large the jar is. One just needs to use a jar just big enough for a dead tarantula to be completely submerged in alcohol. Too big of a jar and you waste the expensive Everclear and the jars take up too much space. For preserving just one or two dead tarantulas, one can use a standard canning jar from any hobby or grocery store. Canning jars specifically need to be used since they have a seal of some kind on the lid. If the canning jars used are the ones with the orange rubber gasket, one should keep in mind the rubber gasket will eventually dry out and will need to be replaced. I learned that one the hard way before switching to proper specimen jars.

Specimen Preparation
No real preparation is needed. I'm not going to go into the proper and humane way to kill tarantulas for alcohol preservation since I will assume no one here wants to do that. Instead I will just note that for proper alcohol preservation, one really needs to put a dead tarantula in alcohol or the freezer as quickly as possible after death. Too long and it will start to rot and smell. More on that later. If I notice one of my tarantulas is on its way out and can't be revived, I go ahead and place it in the refrigerator for about 24 hours then the freezer for another 48 hours or more to make sure it is dead. Some tarantulas can tolerate cold temperatures better than others so it is better to be sure it is dead before drowning it in alcohol. Although if a tarantula is so far gone it can't move, killing it by drowning it in alcohol is the best way to go for preservation. I just can't bring myself to do that.

Other Notes/ Observations
Alcohol preserved tarantulas do stink. None of the arachnological guides on collecting and maintaining arachnid alcohol collections make note of this. It smells like pure grain alcohol (the Everclear) and spoiled shellfish. Just because it smells, doesn't mean your specimen is badly preserved. The smell eventually gets weaker as time goes by but it will never go completely away.

It takes time to pickle a dead tarantula in alcohol. For the first week or two a dead tarantula is placed into a jar of alcohol, the fluid will turn yellowish brown. The alcohol will need to be replaced enough times for the alcohol to stay clear. One will also notice various bits of tissue and excrement floating around in the alcohol as well. All of this means the alcohol is doing its job of displacing the water in the tarantula's body. The alcohol needs to be replaced during the process to keep that process going. Otherwise you will have a smelly rotting tarantula sitting in a jar. The bigger and fatter the tarantula, the worse it can be and the longer it takes to completely dehydrate.

Tarantulas will definitely lose their color when preserved in alcohol. Tarantulas will usually start darkening and eventually turn black after time in alcohol. Doesn't matter how brightly or dull colored they are. Patterns tend to stay intact though. For example, I have an adult female Poecilotheria regalis that has been in alcohol for years now and it still has it leg banding and "belly band". The whites just aren't as bright and the coloration in general darkened and isn't as pretty. One can still tell visually it is a Poecilotheria regalis though. By contrast, I have adult male and female Euathlus species in alcohol and I can't tell them apart visually from the Aphonopelma species I also have in alcohol.

Labels are very important! Since tarantulas lose their color, one will definitely forget what they have. Since we are talking about preserving pet tarantulas, writing out the species you have, where it came from, when it died, gender, or any other information you want and putting that information into the jar is paramount. One can't just use plain old paper and pen though. Alcohol will dissolve ink and discolor plain paper. For labels, you have to get a package of cotton resume paper and use a plain old pencil or India ink. Alcohol will not dissolve or discolor these materials. For my specimen labels, I use cotton resume paper and a regular number 2 pencil.

That's all I can think of for now. If anyone is interested in knowing more about this process, feel free to PM me.

 

[Buznme2010]

This how I preserved my spider
First I put in water overnight to make him moveable.
I then positioned him the way I wanted him on the felt covered backing for the display case ( don't glue him down yet)
I then put him in my food dehydrator and left him for 2 days.
I then glued him down to the board and it worked great and he looks great too.
Here he is before I glued him in.
Its important to dry him on felt as it will hold the legs in place as he dries. Or he will shrivel up and the legs will fold in.
Good thing is if it don't look right just pop him back in the water over night and try again the next day.

 

[Cheeka the Spooder]

This how I preserved my spider
First I put in water overnight to make him moveable.
I then positioned him the way I wanted him on the felt covered backing for the display case ( don't glue him down yet)
I then put him in my food dehydrator and left him for 2 days.
I then glued him down to the board and it worked great and he looks great too.
Here he is before I glued him in.
Its important to dry him on felt as it will hold the legs in place as he dries. Or he will shrivel up and the legs will fold in.
Good thing is if it don't look right just pop him back in the water over night and try again the next day.

Bro that looks like a wolf spider... what type is it

 

[9Gembe9]

at the ATS conference, Rhys did a demonstration on preserving them in resin. However, it will cost a bit for the right materials, and it was alot of trial and error for him at first. You might want to freeze her, then email Rhys and ask him for the steps to do it. If it's done right, it looks awesome
Holley

 

[9Gembe9]

Can I pay someone to put my pet T in resin? Thank you for your kindness.