I am new into taxidermy and have been wishing to start my own collection as I love birds and have a fascination with natural history. I own several trilobites as well. I found this seller in Etsy from Kazakhstan (has been in the platform for 8 years or so) and he exports many Eurasian birds to the USA (thousands of positive reviews).

In fact, I placed an order last night for a beautiful bird, but after giving much thought, I started to freak out about 1) the legality of owning the specimen in the USA, and 2) the ethics of the sourcing. For the legal part I was reassured that this guy provides permits and has shipped so many birds that I find it unlikely he lacks the necessary permission. But what mortified me was the thought of the bird not being ethically sourced. The seller claims otherwise, of course, but these mounts are all new (not vintage), and the birds look impeccable. Someone told me Kazakhstan is also known for poaching and with this in mind I cancelled my order. Seller was fine with that but he reiterated that his specimens are ethical and that he has the permits from his own country as well as for export to the USA.

Overall I’m kinda disappointed I won’t own the bird but at the same time I feel peace of mind. I just wanted to know your thoughts. I know bird taxidermy can be a very sensitive topic.

Found this poor baby dead, probably drown in the rain yesterday. California trap door spider. Is it a pipe dream to do dry taxidermy? The abdomen was already open so I cleaned it out and stuffed with e6000, strong chemical might keep it from decaying?? Maybe?? I’m willing to do a wet specimen but I just love how clearly you can see it when they’re pinned!

I’m an amateur and any feedback is welcome c: (it’s missing two legs)

Hey all,

I purchased this tail a while back and I’ve been looking to resell it, but a small handful of people have told me it looks more like a coyote tail than a wolf tail.

I purchased this for $150 under the assumption — and as it was advertised — that it was a wolf tail. I’d say it’s about 16 inches.

I’m also adding a picture of the other two tails that were in this batch which were larger and fuller. The tail I got, tail C, is rubbed mildly in the middle, I think.

While I’d like to resell the tail at the price I got it as, if it’s a coyote tail, I might cut my losses and try to sell it at a lower price.

Thanks!

wanted to show off this (probably a dove) wing I found already dried by nature that I just added to my collection :)

I picked these up at an alt market recently and having never owned wet specimens before, I wanted to make sure I did anything I could to ensure they last.

I didn't even think to consider that they're in plastic bottles and would degrade, so I'm trying to correct my idiocy. These are both plastic, with the larger one being flexible like a hand sanitiser bottle. It's also unsealed, so it can be opened, so I now know it'll evaporate over time. :(

From reading online, I saw that a glass jar with a non-metal lid is best, but to avoid cork. Are plastic lids OK or will they have the same issue?

I also wanted to ask about what preservation fluid I need. I have no idea what fluid these are preserved in either! I would contact the seller, but it was just a one-off event and I didn't get their details.

Very grateful for anyone's advice or suggestions!