Ok here is a weird question.

I did not know where else to post this so I guess this is the place.

Does anyone have any idea on how to preserve reptile eggs after they hatch and/or slugs for later display?

I know this may sound weird but I was reading recently of someone who received the egg their snake hatched out of with their snake. My wife & I loved the idea and since we hope to have our internet sales going this year we would like to incorporate this idea into our internet sales but have no idea on how to preserve the eggs so they will not crush or deteriorate.

The slugs I would just like to preserve for use in educational programs but want them be like they are when laid so the kids et al can get a real feel what a snakes egg really is.

Any ideas?

John E Dove

The slugs can be preserved by fixing them in a 10% formalin solution, or possibly just 95% ethyl alcohol. I would use the formalin myself, then after a few weeks switch them over to a 75% alcohol solution. I haven't had the best luck using just alcohol to preserve full voucher specimens, but it might work for the slugs. There are a few websites that detail how to prepare voucher specimens, and these may help further. Here is one that I found - Preserving Amphibians.

As for the egg shells, I have heard of someone using expanding foam to fill in the empty egg shells, then writting some info on the egg once it is cured. Other than that, you can just clean them out a little, let them dry, then put them in a small baggy for storage. Egg shells don't contain any tissue to break down over time, so there is nothing to preserve.

I've seen folks that have done the egg shell filled with foam thing, and then I think they coated it with some sort of shellac or something. Turned out pretty cool.