How to preserve feathers from my macaw?

[akrrm]

After being a member of our family for more than 30 years, my husband and I made the decision to euthanize our blue and gold macaw, Swoop, on February 23, after finding out he had PDD/Avian Bornavirus. He was our last parrot and we really loved him. It is so quiet here, I really can't take it. I miss him beyond words, he was my boy.

I saved his tail feathers, they are in a bookcase with glass doors in my kitchen, I noticed one of them looked like it has a line chewed through it. I have vases with his feathers around the house and never really worried about them too much before, I would just use a hand vac on them.

I figured I should find a way to protect/preserve them from whatever it was. I looked online, one article said you can freeze the feathers for a day to get rid of anything, another said to put them in a paper bag with borax. I will eventually store them in a container with cedar blocks, I just want to make sure whatever it was is gone.

Has anyone here tried any of these of the methods or can recommend one?

 

[Joon]

I'd try looking up how taxidermists do it, or try contacting someone like Mary who works at the Field Museum in Chicago to ask her how they preserve bird specimens.

 

[Rival_of_the_Rickeybird]

My wife has saved the Rb's feathers for up to 35 years by gluing them in scrapbooks, putting them in vases, or making ornaments out of them, and they've stayed very nicely preserved. So in MY experience, anyway, they last well under normal circumstances.

Condolences on the loss of your wonderful companion. I know you'll hold him in your heart forever. Rest in peace, Swoop.

 

[akrrm]

Thank you both, very much