I was talking about Tomatoes!

So Saturday I went to get pet food… specifically fish (for garter snakes), crickets (for the spiders) and frozen rat pups (for the ball python.)  Side note… I originally got garter snakes because I did not want to feed anything live mice/rats.  The garters eat fish and worms.  But the garters are too flighty.  I decided to try a ball phython – which are very docile snakes - only if it would eat frozen thawed.   I had one previously but he passed away last year.   A few months after I won a snake on an auction – was supposed to be male but has been sexed several times as female.  

Anyway back to the story – I was in Scales ‘N Tails buying pet food and the person before me was buying a specal UV light for their turtle.  They were talking to the store cleark about the needs for the turdel.   They mentioned taking it outside to get the natural sun. (which is good but impractical hence the light)   They also mentioned a friend’s turtle that was in a room with bright sun.   The store clerk mentioned that the window actually filtered out the UVA (UVB? I forget which)  light that reptiles would need, thus you need the light anyway.   I knew that already, but to my surprise he mentioned that enough got through to be enough for plants… and then mentioned a basic uva/uvb light would also be good enough for plants.

After they left I asked the store clerk what he knew about the uv lights and plants... because I was planning on trying to grow some plants from seeds.  And he said it depended on the type of plant... that some plants needed more then just a uv light... and then he lowered his voice and started talking about pot plants!   I interrupted him with "TOMATOES   I want to grow tomatoes".   He goes "oh! well I don't know about tomatoes."  

The evening ended on a bit of a sad note though.  When I got home and went to put the fish away (bucket)  in the snake room in the basement I discovered my oldest (and largest!) garter snake, River had died.  Unfortunatly as I had been sick I hadn't been down there sence the last time I fed them... the week before- and it was obvious she had been dead for several days.  (no smell though which was odd.)

So kinda sad but she was one of my oldest reptiles so I expected her to go (I think she was about 9-10 years and I haven't had a garter live much past that).   My bearded dragon is 10 and I've heard 9-15 years in captivity  so he may have a few more years left... but I also wouldn't be surprised to walk in the room sometime and find him gone.

I actually started writing this up Sunday, but got too tired so decided to finish tonight.

Sat I felt really well and so went to the gym, but I think I overdid it as I was really wiped out Sunday.   Today I'm feeling much better.

Signing off now.