PERMAFROST EXOTICS
Who am I, where did it all begin?
My name is Ronja Uusitalo, I'm 20 years old and live in Lapland, Finland. I'm a reptile enthusiast, light- and audio technician and soon-to-graduate media assistant. All my life I've loved animals and been interested in learning all I can about them. It's very rewarding to see pets thrive in their environments.
After a long time of dreaming I bought my very first reptile ever in the summer of 2022; a ball python. I spent a lot of time researching this species' needs and natural behaviors and quickly realized how far behind all Finnish sources were with their care guides. Especially in comparison to those of English speaking people who actively research up-to-date science based ethical care. Even in English you have to know where to look to find proper sources and not ones that are decades old encouraging minimum requirements.
Since then I've actively researched reptile care with other well educated people on the latest standards, produced educating content on social media and tried my best to bring awareness to the issues present in common outdated beliefs all over different group chats.
What do I do?
I have just recently started my first ever small business to try my luck as an independent small-scale business owner. This mainly includes custom made or pre-made artwork and other crafts, my work as a sound and light technician as well as selling vivarium setups converted from unwanted old aquariums. I plan to eventually include photography, other forms of graphic design as well as selling live animals from my own future breeding projects.
My main "business channels" include TikTok, Etsy and this website alongside email contact. There's still loads of work to do and more ideas are forming.