Hi! I'm Maria.
I'm a private keeper and breeder of various reptiles from Europe. I live in Turku, Finland with my three cats and a few dozen reptiles. I've got a Bachelor's degree in Media Arts and currently work as a tattoo artist.
I've always been artistically talented and I like to utilize my creativity in the reptile hobby as well. I've designed the logo and website for Luel Reptiles by myself. I also like to photograph my reptiles in my free time, even though I'm only an amateur at it.
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ABOUT ME
I got my first reptile in 2018 and the collection has been steadily expanding ever since. It started as a hobby and pretty quickly took over most of my freetime. Nowadays, working with reptiles is more of a lifestyle than a hobby for me. I'm a member of Responsible Herpetoculture Project, The Finnish Herpetological Society and Finnish Herp Hobbyists Society. I'm also a sponsor of the Kimboza Forest Gecko Project, by designing illustrations for the project's merchandise products. The merchandise products are sold in several European zoos which are partners of the project. The sales profits are used to support the project.
One day old Lygodactylus williamsi hatchling.
As a keeper, I really appreciate naturalistic looking terrariums. I always try to replicate the natural habitat and diet of the animal as well as possible. It's really rewarding to see an animal thrive in captivity and be able to behave in a species-specific manner. As a breeder, I'm currently focused on breeding rare gecko species in captivity and preserving them in nature. I also actively support the protection of endangered species.
I've been breeding Lygodactylus williamsi since 2019. Lygodactylus williamsi is a critically endangered species of gecko that is listed as CITES Appendix I. This species is mostly threatened by habitat loss. The Kimboza Forest Gecko Project is a conservation project that aims to save Lygodactylus williamsi from extinction. Read more and support the project here.
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One day old Uroplatus henkeli hatchling.
I've been breeding geckos of Uroplatus-genus since 2023. The Uroplatus geckos AKA leaf-tailed geckos are endemic to the island of Madagascar and most of them are listed as CITES Appendix II. Habitat loss, deforestation and collection for the pet trade threaten the existence of this genus. Currently, the Uroplatus species that I'm working with are Uroplatus henkeli and Uroplatus phantasticus. I'm really fascinated by all of the herpetofauna of Madagascar. Over 90% of the island's wildlife is endemic, which makes them really unique and interesting!
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I used to breed various frogs as well, but will only focus on geckos for now. I own a pair of Gehyra marginata and I'm planning on breeding them in the near future. In general, I'm forever curious and trying to learn something new when keeping animals. There's always room for growth and improvement, as a keeper and a breeder.
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If you have any questions or just want to have a chat with me, don't hesitate to contact! I speak fluent Finnish and English as well as a little German. I prefer to have conversations in either Finnish or English, since my skills in German are limited.
