Female Jamaican field cricket (Gryllus assimilis). This one has just reached sexual maturity. After its moult, the insect first has to harden and take on color. The long sting is called ovipositor and is used to lay eggs in the ground. But that will never happen, because crickets taste best that tender to my geckos.😋

We want sunshine and warmth!
🌞🌡️

Luckily, spring is coming.
My leopard geckos ended their winter rest 10 days ago. On Monday they move back into the big terrarium.

I have made a few improvements to the terrarium. You can also look forward to a live cam, which will be available on my website soon.

In the photo you can see me together with Nameless.🤍

Two years ago I adopted the clutch of a Giant African land snail (Achatina fulica, "White Jade" ). 🐌

Crazy how fast time flies. In this video they were just a month old. It plays at 11x speed. I hope they are doing well in their new homes now. I last saw them 9 months ago.

The little animals are predatory mites. They feed on small insects, springtails and mites. This is useful because they leave the snails alone but eliminate pests.

Mites are arachnids just like spiders and scorpions. There are many specialized mite species worldwide, including blood-sucking ticks and dust mites.

Warning! Not suitable for imitation! Even slightly poisonous animals can be fatal and any animal can behave unexpectedly at any time.

I've had a persistent fascination for getting bees, wasps and spiders on my fingers since early childhood. I've always wondered why everyone panics when an animal like that is around. Panic isn't necessary. Only respect and prudence. I've never been stung or bitten, apart from a few accidents, when I stepped on or reached into it unnoticed. Still, I wouldn't dare to pick up my Chilean rose tarantula (Grammostola rosea). I don't think that's even possible without stressing both of us.

With my deeply relaxed Vietnam forest scorpion (Heterometrus laoticus) I had the impression that it was easily possible and I couldn't resist giving it a one-time try. The species is known for its peacefulness. He crawled onto the hand by himself and behaved relatively calmly. Scorpions always observe their surroundings very closely with all their senses and sometimes react to it in a startled way. He moves backwards away from the potential danger and can easily fall off the hand.

Scorpion stings are described as extremely painful. It's considered to be one of the most painful poisons in the world. The reason for this are special acids it contains. A good first remedy for the pain is said to be strong chewing tobacco that is applied to the area. According to scorpion researcher Martin Handjaba, who handles many different species, he and his colleagues have been stung many times. With the first sting, usually no poison is injected. Young scorpions like to shoot a full load straight away and every animal is different! You shouldn't try to figure out. They feel most comfortable in a natural or nature-like environment anyway.

Yesterday I spotted a little rainbow over the clinic 🌈🏥

(Hochtaunus-Klinik in Bad Homburg)

Merry Christmas from my 21 year old me!✨🐣🎄✨
I'm Santa, Bruce Willis... and an angel. 😇

My 35 year old wishes you a Merry Christmas too! May the spirit of love and harmony be with you!❤️✌️✨

Back then I loved to create such compositions with Photoshop. There are many more like this, for example of me as a robot, a lizard and a naked mole rat on space vacation. But I don't think I'll show you. Better let your imagination run wild.😋

Loki runs outside in her pajamas as soon as she hears that an isopod is in the neighborhood.🤍

Life is a journey 😊

Exactly half a year ago, on a warm and rainy summer night. I love walking through the night, enjoying the silence, discovering beauty and letting the mind and emotions breathe.😊

The abbot's house and the church of Averbode Abbey.