ONE Star of Our Dynamic Earth’s October break show, Snowball the albino hedgehog, sits in the hands of gift shop assistant Colin Gibson blissfully unaware of the preparations going on all around him.

Three-month-old Snowball and his animal chums will be part of the Jay’s Animal Encounters show which runs daily at the award-winning venue at Holyrood from today until next Friday.

The show features a menagerie of domestic and exotic animals, from Frankie and Fudge the polecat ferrets to Meeka the meerkat. Then there is Maximus the reticulated python.

At just six feet he is still a baby, but one of his cousins became the longest snake ever recorded, at 33 feet.

Ziggy, the green iguana, at nearly two yards long, may look like a living dinosaur but is a gentle vegetarian giant.

Scottish expert Jay Gunn from Inverkeithing runs the show and is responsible for looking after one of the biggest private pet collections in the country.

He said, “My passion for animals started with my first pet as a child and I have never really lost the fascination to keep learning more about them.

“I have spent most of my life trying to share that passion and campaign for animal welfare and conservation.

“Hopefully by coming along to visit Our Dynamic Earth and spending some time with the animals the audience will also see how amazing our planet and all the creatures in it are.”

Catriona Bruce, marketing director at the Edinburgh attraction, added, “Jay is the most enthusiastic animal person I have ever met.

“Jay and the animals have been a huge hit wherever they have been in the country and we are fortunate to have such a fascinating show running over the holidays.”