Today we were joined in studio by, Anthony head of the Frog and Reptile show, CJ, his father Colin and their grand champion Bluetongue, Orpheus. Announcer Rob learned what makes a Grand Champion lizard.
Orpheus is a lovely young lizard of twelve months. Bluetongue lizards can live up to 25 years of age. The healthy lustre of his fine variegated scales impressed the judges who conferred Orpheus: the blue ribbon in the Bluetongue section and the Grand Champion rosette for the best lizard in the show. CJ also walked home with the award for the highest placed youth lizard owner. Impressive! It’s great to see young people getting involved in animal husbandry.
One interesting fact we learnt was the difficulty in distinguishing between male and female Bluetongue lizards. According to Anthony, head of the Frog and Reptile Show, it is difficult to tell on external observation. Colin explained the process owners who want to classify their Bluetounge’s gender need to undertake. The lizard needs to be taken to the vet who will inject a dye into the lizard. Under x-ray examination, this dye will reveal the internal structure of the lizard and thereby identify the gender.
Thank you to Anthony, CJ, Colin, and Orpheus for joining us, it was great fun and we learnt a lot.
