Hope not to offend, anyone articulated?

[lele]

lele here, haven't posted for a very long time. This is a little long, but want to get some background in. I was going to post this on the memorial page but thought that might be too sensitive for some.

A little background...
Darwin, translucent (from way back) is still with me, he will be 12 y.o. Feb 10th. Every day I am so glad (and amazed) when I take off his blankets, or turn over (yes, he sleeps with me some nights to see those almost black eyes look up and say "Hi mom!" I recently went to a new vet (in RI) who was amazed he is still alive considering his issues almost from day one - one being a trans. I say it is because I love him and he loves me.

Darwin has started to show his age in the last two years. I thought he was going last night (slept next to me on heating pad), but again, there he was opening his eyes just after I did. I have had a lot of loss in the past 5 years, but I know this one will be one of the hardest. Only recently have I begun to think of what to do after he passes. I had a panther chameleon pass in 2005 and was either going to have him cremated or cleaned and articulated, but I did not have the money for either so wrapped him and put him in fridge. By the time I was ready he had become petrified and skin could not be separated from bones to articulate. Since he doesn't smell, he still lives in his small box in the fridge. I know some will think that horrific, but we all deal differently.

I am wondering if anyone has had his or her dear beardie cleaned and articulated. I am not religious in anyway so I do not see this as something "wrong" where I just want my buddy sitting on a shelf as if still alive. In fact, for me it is educational, and yes, a way to celebrate our special friendship. I have not made up my mind, but want input (not judgement).

I would guess that someone here has done this and interested in your experience, issues or obstacles. I am NOT looking to be judged or flamed. If you are offended that's OK, (I won't judge you) but please leave it off here - unless you want to have an actual discussion - not a debate.

Thank you in advance
lele & my baby boy, Darwin

 

[jayce82]

I personally see nothing wrong with that. it's no different then someone mounting a fish they caught. he apparently means a lot to you and if that's what you want to do with him then that's your decision.

 

[CooperDragon]

Everyone grieves in different ways. It's a very personal and individual thing. If setting Darwin up on a shelf will bring you comfort, then that's a good way to go for you. I like his name. My current dragon is Darwin too =).
When my guys have died I buried them sealed up in a metal turkey roaster along with their favorite things and their namesake beer (Dundee Honey Brown for Dundee and Cooper's Ale for Cooper) so they'd have what they need to be happy going forward. I also put a photo of them in and a note sealed in a bag so if they are ever dug back up they can be identified and a bit of their story shared (I hope that never happens, but just in case).
Another way to go might be to 3D Print a model of him. An artist could probably put together a rendering and print a copy in 3D. There was a med student on here at one point who took a copy of Dundee's CT scan and used the data to 3D print a model of his skeleton. It was pretty interesting. Not exactly what you're talking about but something else to consider.
All that said, I hope you still have many happy years with your buddy going forward!

 

[Rankins]

Nah, ain't nothing wrong with that at all. You didn't kill the chameleon , it died on its own. So your just trying to save a memory.
If you decide to do it you can have the bones cleaned with dermestid larva and beetles. You probably would have a lot if bones to wire together though.

 

[lele]

Thanks to all of you. Interesting idea about the 3D. For me, actually doing the work is what would be so interesting it might take me another 12+ years!

I guess my trepidation was an experience I had with a rescued snapper (1 month) who had a deformity and could not be released. She died at 4 yrs and b/c this was nothing ever studied in the wild I let Tufts Vet School Path Lab in MA do a necropsy, run tests, x-rays, etc. I asked for her carapace if they could keep it as complete as possible, again more for educational (I do nature programs). She went to a turtle rescue (all agreed, I knew them and they had done an assessment a couple years before) who was then to send it to me. Alexxia hi-jacked her carapace and accused me of keeping it “as a trophy” and judged me for having Cyrus in my fridge, etc. It was horrible – it went on for weeks. I was so distraught. At one point, she even told me that she had buried it near a pond! She didn’t. How the F#$%? could someone do that? I was in such pain from the loss and three more that same summer (including Darwin’s best friend to a tragic cancer). Therefore, I really did not know how this was going to go over today. So thank you.

She did finally send her to me. Due to my living situation (staying with a friend), I was unable to do the dermestid colony. I worked out another innovative, albeit tricky, solution and it worked out well. Unfortunately, her scutes are separating a bit. You can see part of her story & carapace and also Darwin and his best friend, Kyndra – not another dragon - here. My Collections

I may look into the dermestids this time (I hate them as I have several insect collections!). I live near Providence and I know Brown Univ uses them at times. Maybe they will let me do it there :-/

 

[Rankins]

Some people are just ignorant and like to judge people instead of seeing logic. Sorry you had to go through that though. Heck, I see it more as learning tool and saving a memory.
I would have a human skeleton if they were not so expensive. Its not because I'm weird, its because I'm a nurse and would like to use it for education. I could buy a plastic one I guess, but would rather use the real thing.

 

[SLIMESLAYER10]

if that would make you happy i think you should do it. who cares what others think

 

[Rankins]

Way too expensive...
It would cut into my lizard funds. Ugghh, promised myself I wouldnt buy any more until my Mexican beaded lizards hatch. But I ran into an awesome deal on a pair of beadeds ($1850) Could have almost bought the skeleton for that much
Good luck on your project.

 

[Taterbug]

I think it's a really neat idea. If you don't have luck with the uni maybe some area taxidermists would know someone?

I've seen a few places online as well where you can ship a frozen specimen for preservation. This person does some lovely articulations and their diaphonization method yields some realy interesting specimens. I wonder if those sort of places would do the cleaning for you and leave you the reassembly work.
http://arsanatomica.tumblr.com

 

[lele]

I think it's a really neat idea. If you don't have luck with the uni maybe some area taxidermists would know someone?

I've seen a few places online as well where you can ship a frozen specimen for preservation. This person does some lovely articulations and their diaphonization method yields some realy interesting specimens. I wonder if those sort of places would do the cleaning for you and leave you the reassembly work.
http://arsanatomica.tumblr.com

Very interesting work! I doubt they would just do a cleaning. There is a place in CA http://www.skullsunlimited.com/ that does museum (quality) work but will also clean and return. They were a huge help when I was trying how to figure the best way to process Wellie's carapace. I think I will call them to see how expensive it would be to clean if I can't set up dermestids here. Hopefully, I am WAY ahead of myself. My boy is snoozing on his favorite purple pillow. When he was younger, and showed his colors more (yellow), the contrast was stunning!

Some people are just ignorant and like to judge people instead of seeing logic. Sorry you had to go through that though. Heck, I see it more as learning tool and saving a memory.
I would have a human skeleton if they were not so expensive. Its not because I'm weird, its because I'm a nurse and would like to use it for education. I could buy a plastic one I guess, but would rather use the real thing.

Yes, for about $5000 you can have your very own life size human skeleton in your closet! :laughing6: OR if you live near a university, nature lab, art school, etc. you may be able to visit one in someone else's closet, so to speak, and use for your own reference. Skeletons of all living things are fascinating. I think that is why I love insects so much - theirs is on the outside!!

Thanks again.

 

[Rankins]

Yes human skeletons are expensive. Last time I priced them it was about 20 years ago and prices were not much different than the $5000 price range. I use to do advanced first aid and CPR training for medical professionals, wound care classes, diabetes instruction for patients, colostomy care training...and a few others. So always wished I had one for training purposes. Contemplated just a skull because it was cheaper, but a skull alone wasn't very useful for training and it was still pretty expensive.
However, I could have bought 5 or 6 complete skeletons for the amount of money I have invested into my reptile collection. So you can see where my priorities really are....I chose the reptiles