It doesn't really matter how much you prepare for a small animal practical exam, but having first had a nice little cute male, syrian hamster and assessed every possible husbandry aspect of hamsters that there ever was, you don't expect the examiner to look over a huge, solid, looming, kennel-like cage door and casually ask you to pick up a 3-legged iguana. (No, not the pictured one, although I think I should have asked for a snap-shot). Having never picked up such a beast before, I stared momentarily at it in all it's glory: at approximately 2 metres long, whip-like tail, powerful jaws, beady eyes and amputated leg. I walked into the enclosure, kneeled down, kicked over the water-bowl, and picked up the iguana. Perhaps not perfectly, but very correctly and successfully none the less. He still has all his remaining limbs intact and I had no injuries, except for a very wet leg. Think I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for the slightly more catchable tortoise next time.Thursday, 26 April 2007
An iguana? With three legs? I didn't see that coming.
It doesn't really matter how much you prepare for a small animal practical exam, but having first had a nice little cute male, syrian hamster and assessed every possible husbandry aspect of hamsters that there ever was, you don't expect the examiner to look over a huge, solid, looming, kennel-like cage door and casually ask you to pick up a 3-legged iguana. (No, not the pictured one, although I think I should have asked for a snap-shot). Having never picked up such a beast before, I stared momentarily at it in all it's glory: at approximately 2 metres long, whip-like tail, powerful jaws, beady eyes and amputated leg. I walked into the enclosure, kneeled down, kicked over the water-bowl, and picked up the iguana. Perhaps not perfectly, but very correctly and successfully none the less. He still has all his remaining limbs intact and I had no injuries, except for a very wet leg. Think I'll be keeping my fingers crossed for the slightly more catchable tortoise next time.
