You've heard of blue jeans, blue suede shoes, blue moons, true blue and Blue Poles but what about blue rats?
This year's Animal Nursery at the Royal Queensland Show will play host to some unusual visitors-an entire mouse circus and members of Australia's first blue rats.
Nursery Coordinator and senior lecturer at The University of Queensland School of Animal Studies, Dr Mark Hohenhaus, said around 60 mice in a myriad of different shades would slide, swing and spin in wheels around a miniature circus complete with coloured lights and music. The circus runs from 10am until noon, 1pm until 3pm and 4.30pm until 6.30pm each day.
"We will also have on display for the first time Australia's first blue rats. Rat fanciers in Australia have been trying to breed new coloured rats for years and now we have the first blue rats," Dr Hohenhaus said.
He said the Nursery would house all the usual favourites-lambs, calves, foals, ducklings, piglets, chickens and emu chicks-as well as some miniature horses and cows.
"We have a miniature cow and Belted Galloway cross calf. The cute little red calf stands less than a metre high and has a white band around her middle hence the name ?belted'. We also have a miniature horse and foal," Dr Hohenhaus said.
Dr Hohenhaus said around 20 UQ Certificate in Animal Husbandry and Agriculture students would work and live at the Animal Nursery this year. The Nursery is one of the most popular attractions for young visitors and families at the "Ekka" which runs from August 9 until August 18.
"The Animal Nursery has been staffed by UQ Gatton (formerly known as the Queensland Agricultural College) students since it opened 36 years ago," he said.
"It is also a curtain-raiser to the UQ Gatton Open Day on Sunday, August 26, when potential students and their families can find out about the great courses including animal studies on offer at the campus."
In the Agricultural Pavilion, staff from UQ's School of Agriculture and Horticulture have created a display of fruit and vegetables representing the theme "UQ Gatton can take you anywhere".
Lecturer in Fruit Crop Production Dr Gavin Porter said he and technician Victor Robertson had created a map of the world from fruit and vegetables mainly using citrus such as oranges, mandarins and lemons as well as a range of apple varieties and novel vegetables.
"The display has taken us two days to build but many months to plan and will be judged on Thursday morning, August 9," Dr Porter said.
Both displays are the work of staff and students from UQ's Faculty of Natural Resources, Agriculture and Veterinary Sciences.
The "thinking kids" showbag will be on sale at a UQ Faculty of Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture (EPSA) stand in the Walter Burnett Building.
The 2001 Science Discovery Bag contains 18 experiments/activities including top-secret messages, floating coins, crystal-growing and optical illusions. It also contains a superball, magazines, a discount voucher to the Southbank IMAX Theatre, Seaworld and the Queensland Sciencentre.
The bags, costing $8 and suitable for children aged nine to 14, will be available at the Faculty of Engineering, Physical Sciences and Architecture stand in the Walter Burnett Pavilion.
EPSA Faculty students will also present scientific experiments and robotic displays during the Show.
For more information, contact Dr Mark Hohenhaus (telephone 07 5460 1260), George Melino (Nursery) (telephone 07 3852 1831 and ask for the Nursery or mobile 0428 183 934), Dr Gavin Porter (telephone 07 54601 0233 or mobile 0418 126 040) or Shirley Glaister at UQ Communications (telephone 07 3365 2339). For information about the blue rats, contact Julie Osberger (telephone 07 3207 3836) or Diana Hockley (also mouse circus) (telephone 07 5463 2644).
