Hi Vicky,

I'm coming late to the party but I can't resist adding
my two cents. I use Hawaiian Tropics dark tanning oil
(0 factor) to preserve the periostrocum on tritons and
cones. (I love the smell.) My preferred method for
getting rid of the animal when I want to keep the
periostrocum is freeze / thaw cycling, usually two or
three cycles with one day in the freezer and one day
thawing with the shell positioned so the decaying
animal goo does not contact any visible surfaces.
Shake, shake, shake and with a triton you may need to
soak in saltwater for up to a week or even longer
after the freeze / thawing. Change the water daily
with a daily dose of shaking out the shell.  If you
don't keep the water changed you are likely to have
organisms grow on the periostrocum and spoil it. Good
luck!

John Flynn

--- Vicky Wall <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

>
>
> Hi Everyone,
>
> I found a hairy triton this weekend and need advice
> on how to preserve the periostracum. The shell also
> has some animal still stuck that I can't get out. I
> have put hydrogen peroxide in the opening carefully
> as to not hurt the peri and tried flushing out the
> aperture but no luck yet. I wondered if there were
> something else that might dissolve the meat faster.
> Is pine oil an option? I remembered hearing about
> that sometime but I'm not sure. Thanks for any help
> you can give me. The shell is wonderful and I don't
> want to damage it!  Vicky Wall

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