When a turtle dies how can you preserve the shell for a keepsake?

Question

My turtle died yesterday and I would really like to keep the shell but do not know how to get the body out of it so I can keep it.

Answer 1

Well... a taxidermist with the proper equipment can freeze dry it for you for a chunk of money, or...

Find an anthill and put the turtle near it. Build a loose 'cage' of bricks around it so nothing moves the turtle away. Check on it so they don't start to eat the tissues on the shell. Remove, rinse well, let dry. Cut out any remaining 'leather'.

Answer 2

TAKE IT TO A  PERSON THAT STUFFS ANIMALS..

Answer 3

If u want it out put it in your yard. Bugs will eat all the flesh after about a week or so then just take out the bones. you can also take it to a taxidermy instead and they will stuff it and they can also tke out the body for you and just leave the shell. Also my friend had a turtle and had it cremated at the vet and put its ashes in a box.

Answer 4

Bring the turtle to a taxidermist.

Taxidermists are people who stuff animals for display. Any taxidermist would be more than happy to reproduce your turtle's shell for display as a keepsake.

I suggest checking the yellow pages for a local taxidermy business quickly before your dead turtle spreads bacteria!

Answer 5

Cut away all the soft parts that you can with a scalpel. You can let ants or other insects clean out most of the rest if you can keep larger animals from carrying away the shell. Museums keep colonies of dermestid beetles for that purpose. Don't ignore aquatic critters for a cleanup. They are usually quite fast. After the soft parts are gone, you may wish to clean up any remains with an old toothbrush. Grease can be removed with carbon tetrachloride ( do it outside) and you may or may not want to bleach the shell.