FAQs
Animal Remains FAQs
Are your animal remains ethically sourced?
We do not prefer to use the term 'ethically sourced' due to the fact there is no standard ethical code for taxidermists/oddity dealers to be held to as a group.
The majority of our products are sustainably sourced; found remains while hiking, natural age/health related deaths, stillborn/failure to thrive fetuses/baby animals, leftovers from food/necessity hunters, or up-cycled roadkill.
Keeping our products sustainably sourced is our highest priority, we do not support the culling of animals for sport nor wasting animal products.
For more information on why we use the term 'sustainably sourced' rather that 'ethically sourced'; a fellow oddity enthusiast (Mickey Alice Kwapis) has written a very well detailed post about it that can be found HERE.
How are your animal products obtained?
Our animal products are obtained from various local places and other oddity dealers as well. I also process roadkill/donated specimens in house.
Do you sell bats?
We do not offer bat taxidermy, wet preservation, or any other means of display due to important conservation concerns. Here is a more detailed article on why it is becoming a conservation issue: The Unethical Practice of Bat Taxidermy
Do you process/preserve your own animal remains?
What about bones, do you process them in house as well?
How do you process your remains/bones?
I have bones I want to donate! Do you accept packages?
Feel free to connect with me on Instagram @unfortunatecadaver or through email at unfortunatecadaver@gmail.com to coordinate shipping/custom work.
Do you take custom work?
What about pet memorials? Will you do these?
Wet Specimen FAQS
Unpacking
- Once you receive a package from us containing a wet specimen, there is a paper containing instructions on how to care for these types of oddities. It includes: How to refill the liquid (70% isopropyl alcohol is recommended) and Location/Temperature care, and more information. This information can also be found below as well!
Refilling
- Refilling your wet specimen is an easy two-step process.
- Remove the specimen from the alcohol-soaked towel, gloves are recommended but not required (If you choose not to use gloves, please wash your hands thoroughly with soap afterwards).
- Once towel is disposed of, re-home specimen in the jar of your choice and fill with alcohol (70% percent alcohol is highly recommended here for the best preservation of wet specimen, 90% will cause specimens to shrivel over time due to the high alcohol content) until specimen is completely submerged. Replace and tighten the lid.
Long Term Care
- Keep the container lid sealed tightly.
- It is normal for the alcohol that the specimen is stored in to evaporate over time (months/years). When this happens, do NOT top the solution off, instead completely change and refill the container with 70% alcohol* (It is not advisable to change from 70% to 90% alcohol once wet specimen have been stored with 70% alcohol). The reason for not topping off fluids is due to the evaporation of the alcohol, when it evaporates it will leave the distilled water behind. This will alter your alcohol percentage if it is topped off instead of completely changed out and can damage the specimen in time by not having the correct percentage of alcohol for storage.
- Isopropyl alcohol has an expiration date. It is printed on the bottle or on the lid in most cases, and should be noted when you are changing the fluids.
- It is also possible that the alcohol could get cloudy or discolored over time. If this happens, dispose of the current alcohol and refill with 70% isopropyl alcohol.
- 70% alcohol can be obtained at any grocery store, pharmacy, or supermarket. It is found with the other isopropyl (rubbing) alcohols (usually in the first aid section of the store).
- To keep your wet specimens in the best shape possible, please avoid storing them in direct sunlight or extreme heat/cold conditions.
- Wet specimens are nontoxic unless ingested (please don't eat them), and free of any harmful biological or chemical material.
Human Remains FAQs
Where are they purchased from?
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Human bones we receive come from antiquated and/or retired medical skeletons/specimens unless noted otherwise in the listing.
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We do not support the practice of buying black market remains, nor do we support grave robbing or stealing from the catacombs/sacred places of this world.
Shipping/Purchasing Policies:
- Since we are located in Ohio, we are unable to sell or ship any human remains to Georgia, Louisiana or Tennessee due to the following state laws:
Lousiana:
- Owning human remains (with exceptions to teeth, fingernails, gall stones, or cremated remains) is completely prohibited. This means you can not own ANY human bones if you live in Louisiana.
Georgia:
- In Georgia you can own human remains within the state, but you cannot import/export or buy/sell any parts in or out of the state, including human teeth. If you live in Georgia and wish to obtain a human skull you must be gifted one within the state, and it cannot be sold or leave the state. This law has recently changed as of 2023.
Tennessee:
- In Tennessee you can own, buy, sell, and trade human remains within the state, but you cannot import or export any parts in or out of the state. Meaning if you live in Tennessee and want to buy human bones, you will have to find them for sale within your state, and if you ever move out of the state, you legally cannot take them with you.