Reddit reviews Zoo Med Economy Analog Dual Thermometer and Humidity Gauge, 6 x 4"
We found 9 Reddit comments about Zoo Med Economy Analog Dual Thermometer and Humidity Gauge, 6 x 4". Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Allows precise monitoring of both the temperature and humidity of your terrarium from one unitTemperature and humidity levels are extremely important to the long term heath of your animalsVelcro backing enables easy removal for cleaning or relocation
If you have a glass tank already, I would not get a ball python. They don't do so well in glass tanks as they have high humidity needs, and the screen tops don't hold in humidity and the glass walls don't hold heat it. It would be an uphill battle with constant stress on you and potential health issues for your snake.
Corn sakes and sand boas and hognoses do pretty well in glass tanks though, and a 40g long tank would be a good home for them.
I would suggest picking a species first, and then start researching. Some basics that you will need regardless:
1.) Hides, more than 1. Half logs can be pretty decoration but they aren't that great for a snake feeling safe in. A good cheap hide are these, which you can order online. These are well made, sturdy, dishwasher safe, and are enclosed spaces with only 1 entrance - my ball python and rainbow boa are both very happy with theirs. If you like aesthestics you can use foam and paint to make them look pretty cool using this tutorial or you can purchase some of these
2.) Heat Sources: You will need either ceramic heat emitters, under tank heaters, or both. I would recommend staying away from heat lights as you need to turn lights off at night and most snakes can see even red light. Ceramic heat emitters give off heat but not light. I don't have recommendations for these as I don't use them. I do have recommendations for under tank heaters, which are these, from the same place as the hides. You can also get heat tape from Reptile Basics and they are super helpful in making sure you have everything you need to set up with it. ZooMed or Zilla stick on pads are not that great and can break super easily. If you do end up with one of these, I suggest sticking aluminum foil to the adhesive and then attaching it with foil tape, this will make it re-usable. STAY AWAY FROM HEAT ROCKS.
3.) Thermostats. You will need 1 thermostat per heat source. This is NECESSARY. This is not something you can skip out on. Heat pads and CHE's can easily get hot enough to fry your reptiles. This is the model I am currently using for my heat sources, and other people here use them too. They don't have a lot of crucial safety features, though. I am saving up for one of these Herpstat's. You can get one with multiple probes for multiple heat sources, and it has a ton of good safety features. Tons of people here use these, so if you have questions about which one to get, someone here can answer you.
4.) Security: All snakes are escape artists. All of them. Even the one you don't see ever leave their hides. A stack of books or some rocks on the lid are not security measures. You will want to look into lid clamps, or a system that slides in and has a means of locking. I had my baby boa in an Iris Weathertight box which had 6 locking lid clamps while he was in quarantine. Now he is in an Animal Plastics t8 w sliding doors and I have a lock on them. If you have questions about if your set up will be secure enough, please post pics here and we can helpyou spot potential escape routes. Or you can just search "lost snake" or "escape" on this sub and see some of the ways snakes have escaped. But rocks and books are a guarantee to end with an escaped snake.
5.) Temp and Humidity Guages: These stick on ones are no good. They are dangerous and sometimes deadly - I don't care how cheap they are, or how much of a budget you are on, they are inaccurate and the adhesive WILL give way and your snake could get stuck to it. This is the one I use. I have the "outdoor" probe sitting on the floor of the enclosure on the hot side (under the substrate) and the unit itself sitting on the cool side. This lets me quickly see the temperature gradient and humidity.
6.) Substrate: This is going to be highly individual to what kind of snake you get and what its humidity needs are. Sand boas will need a ton more than a corn snake, for example. But pine is toxic, so avoid that. Figure out what kind of snake you are getting and plan for a substrate for them.
7.) What to Feed: you're gonna have to feed whole prey items. It is highly recommended that you feed either frozen/thawed or pre-killed. I order mine frozen thawed from either Layne Labs or Perfect Prey. I keep them in my freezer and I have a pair of feeding tongs I use to feed with. I usually take them out of the freezer and put them in the fridge the night before feeding day. When I get home from work I take them out of the fridge and set them on the counter (in a plastic bag) to get them to warm temp. Then I get some boiling water, put it in a bowl, put a plate on top of the bowl, and put the prey items on top of the plate. I do this until they reach approx 100F (use a IR temp gun if you have one), and then I run the heads under a hot water until they reach about 110F. I do this for both prey items for my ball python and my rainbow boa, even though my rainbow boa doesn't have heat pits, it's just easier cause I keep them in the same ziplock bag. I then use the tongs to dangle the prey and move it around to make it look like it's "live". Some snakes aren't picky and won't mind a room temp rodent, others will want a dance. My boa is a champ and will knock back food no problem. My ball python will want me to dance the rat around for twenty minutes while she gets into striking position and contemplates the meaning of life, the universe, and everything. Ball pythons are usually picky. Pre-killed means you buy the rodent live, and then kill it yourself, and immediately present it to the snake. You can achieve this with a euthanasia chamber or twisting the neck. Feeding live isn't really the greatest, as there is a chance the prey item will attack and hurt your snake. This is especially true of adult rats, which have sharp teeth and claws. In the wild, a snake could see a prey item and if it's not hungry, it could run away. In captivity, neither the rat nor the snake can run away, and this can lead to snakes being defensive and just trying to hide while a rat bites it fearing attack.
8.) How to Feed: In addition to this, you will probably hear about "cage agression" and needing a seperate tank to feed in. This is a lie. Your snake will not associate your hand / opening of the cage as "feeding time" unless it is the only time your hand is in there. And it won't be, you will be changing water, cleaning poop and urates, changing substrate, and more! After a snake has eating, they need at least 48 hours to digest their food. If they don't have this time, they may regurgitate the food. Regurgitation is an emergency medical event. In order to avoid this, after your snake has been feed, they should be left completely alone for 48 hours, no handling. If you feed in a seperate enclosure, this means that you will be moving your snake post-feeding. This also increases your chances of being bitten. Your hand may smell like rodent still, and your snake will still be in hunting mode, and may think your hand is seconds. So feed in your enclosure. It's less stressful for your snake, less stressful for you, and you have a much lower risk of being bitten.
That's a general overview, I may have left something out there, but I think you can get the general basics. Next you should pick a species and start asking here for more specific advise!!
I wish you and your future scale-child the best of luck!
you mean these? analog gauges are often inaccurate, by a lot. if they are stuck on the wank wall with any kind of adhesive [they usually have a sticky backing], this is also dangerous for your snake, as the gauge can be pulled off the wall then get stuck to the snake causing potentially serious injuries. replace them with digital thermometers/hygrometers ASAP. there are product recommendations in the "start here" sticky post.
you need to measure temperatures at the floor level. your BP isn't hanging out in the top corners of the tank, he's on the ground. ambient temperatures are best measured in/near the hides. when you're using a UTH, it's extremely important to monitor the temperature directly on the tank floor - if this is too hot, your snake will be burned, and this is probably why he doesn't use the warm side.
do you have thermostats to regulate your heat sources?
Depending on how old he is, he might eat more or less crickets. I started out feeding my veiled chameleon ~10 a day, he's up to 15-20 a day now.
As far as watering goes, you should mist him as much as needed, I recommend this hydrometer to get you going. Keep it between 40-80% humidity.
As long as his basking spot is between 85-90 degrees during the winter, during the day, he should be fine. It's natural for them to get colder at night (they're native to Yemen where it's 40°f some nights).
As long as it's not below 55- 60° at the coldest he should be fine.
Using a mixture of coconut fiber and
this moss I can't recall the name of. Begins with anSphagnum moss. Anyway, you can't see it but in the cave there I have a dish of water for him to soak in that I will change daily. I need to get a spray bottle to mist the enclosure, though I have been considering a fog machine to keep the humidity high. But what I am wondering is what should I get for monitoring the temps and humidity in the tank? I am familiar with aquarium stuff but not really terrarium stuff. I was looking on amazon at stuff to buy, and wondering if I should go digital or not. Any recommendations?First, let me share with you my little/HUGE hiccup I put myself and my chams through the last month.
I had to leave Florida in a hurry, and I had time to take my two boys' enclosures apart, and in my rush, I forgot their lighting (at least $180, easily), their supplements (Pfft, the ones I had weren't the best, but that was at least another $15), their live plants (which I wouldn't have taken them in the car anyway, but there's another $25), and then their fake vines and bendable vines ($37), total? $257, and why I know that is because I had to pull from all of my resources to make sure they had this set up today, and here is another view. BTW, THE PLANTS THAT I GOT THEM ARE TOO SMALL! But, they have them, and it's better than nothing at all.
Mind you, I'm talking about two chameleons, but what I had to spend to make sure that they were set up for this winter (I moved to Washington state), I had to do it, otherwise, I'm s shitty cham owner. I'm lucky there was already a humidifier here because I'm going to need that as the air is dry here and my Panther chameleon has already proven to be susceptible to respiratory infection as we took a trip to the vet this past year to get him some Baytril (antibiotic/oral), cost to the vet? $76.
I'm going to do a break down of everything that you're going to need for your Male Jackson (which I recommend that you start with a male Veiled. The Veiled are so much more heartier, they can take more abuse from a new owner, more forgiving for a better word..., I DO NOT suggest a Jackson for a first cham, and for that matter, someone who has never owned a reptile in their life). Anyway, here I go...
Set up:
Your total there is at $234, and you haven't bought the chameleon yet, but that is everything that you should have BEFORE you get your cham... Also, you're going to need...
Because you are new to this, having a temp/humidity gauge is something you might want to get as an aid to getting use to what their living environment should be like... so that's another $8
Prices my vary, depending on where you get all of your things. Getting stuff online can be cheaper, I randomly picked stuff on the internet and think I did pretty good for you, but you're looking at a nice little chunk of change just to make sure that you have the right set up to bring your cham home to, and I do hope that you'll take that and roll with it.
If you've NEVER OWNED A REPTILE BEFORE, I actually suggest that you start with something else. Bearded Dragons are awesome, AWESOME, reps, THOUGH, they are totally different than the care for a cham, it's a great way to start, and Dragons are even more hearty than a Veiled chameleon.
LASTLY, read through EVERYTHING on the sidebar -------------->
I would also avoid a lot of information that you'll find on the internet, and YES!!! That includes that one web site that probably is the first choice for you to go to when you're looking for chameleon advice. That site is horrible, save yourself the heartache, I started there, and I quickly learned that the site is a hot mess. There is never a straight and same consistent answer, too many myths, just no...
Hope all that helps, and thank all of the coffee I drank today. Lol! Good luck and welcome to the sub.
He should have a warm spot of 85 degrees and a cool side of mid to low 70's, but your humidity seems fine. Are you measuring humidity with a digital or analog hygrometer? Many people get these https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Economy-Thermometer-Humidity/dp/B004PBB1JE from their local pet store, but they can be wildly inaccurate. If you have analog, switch to digital right away. To get rid of the shed, place some moist paper towels or moss into one of his hides.
Something else...I've had him since Sunday night. He ate yesterday (Monday) about 20 crickets but wouldn't eat a second time so I ended up having to take them out of his cage. I put 10 crickets in this morning and still not eating just yet. Is he stressed?
I'm using these thermometers on the back a little above halfway up about where his basking spot is: http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Economy-Thermometer-Humidity/dp/B004PBB1JE/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
On the warm side...83ish....on the cool side...70ish. I have a 100w basking light sitting on the lid and on the cool side the Reptisun 10.0 compact (for now)....why the low temps?? Should I get a higher wattage for basking and if so...what wattage should I try? 150w? What about UVB? I'm probably going to order the Reptisun 10.0 tube with a hood...deciding on the hood right now. I've just gotta figure out if this thermometer (which gets good reviews from beardie owners) is accurate or if I need to add maybe a 75w lamp with the 100w or bump up to a 150w or what...the temperatures are really stressing me out right now and I know he may be stressed at first but I feel like if his temps were higher that he'd be eating regardless...
Thanks for all of the help...I really want to get this temperature thing under control. He's been very active and attentive and appears healthy and doesn't show any signs of being unhealthy...I'm just worried about those temps, though.
Thanks again!
I hope these links help to the basics you will need. Everything else is just personal preference. But all together about 400.
http://www.petsmart.com/reptile/supplies/habitats-and-decor/terrariums/exo-terra-reptile-terrarium-15040.html
http://t.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zoo-med-reptisun-t5-ho-terrarium-hood-36-l#
http://t.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zoo-med-repti-basking-spot-lamp-value-pack-100-watts#
http://t.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/zoo-med-reptisun-100-uvb-t5-ho-lamp#
http://t.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/flukers-clamp-lamp-with-dimmer#
https://www.lllreptile.com/products/10824-small-bamboo-root-jungle-gym
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004PBB1JE/ref=sr_ph_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1486446181&sr=sr-1&keywords=Zoo+med
https://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Digital-Terrarium-Thermometer/dp/B000MD3MFA/ref=sr_1_1?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1486446243&sr=1-1&keywords=zoo+med+digital+thermometer
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DMI632G?ref_=ams_ad_dp_asin_1
I use this terrarium once they're larger but I invested because I raise mantids as pets quite often.
For a twig, I use this
And for foliage I use this with the suction cup plonked near the top and the leaves hanging down that I found in the reptile section.
The fish and reptile sections at your local pet store are going to be your favorite aisles from now on.
For substrate a lot of people here prefer dirt (NEVER from outside, there are all kinds of parasites and mites in outside dirt!) But I prefer coconut fiber as my substrate because it's naturally antibiotic and will hinder fungal and bacterial growth, and smell nicer too.
You'll really come to love these little guys, and here's why. Mantids, unlike most "bugs" hunt via sight, not vibration. This means they move and act much more mammalian than other insects. They don't skitter, they don't make sudden scary movements or bite or attack on sight (well some do, they all have their own distinct personalities), and they're VERY smart.
Mantids have been known to be receptive to operant conditioning, AKA they can be trained like a dog would. You should try to handle them (gently and with clean hands) as they grow up, every couple of days, and by the time they're adults they'll readily calmly hang out with you whenever you want. You can plop them on your arm as you do computer stuff or whatever. They're very docile creatures most of the time and make great pets. Just be careful because they're fragile.
As others said, keep humidity around 50% and if they're Tenodera Sinesis then temperature should hover around 70F at night and 80F during the day, which means you'll want a dome reptile lamp and you'll need to figure our the appropriate distance from the top of the cage to place it. Don't place it right on top, the mantids love to hang out on top upside down and a lamp right there would fry them. Make sure there's at least 1 cool spot for them to cool off.
As for food and water, once they're a little bigger the crickets at the pet store should work fine. If they're super picky there are lots of online mantis stores that sell larger flies. and whet a sponge or paper towel in there to help with the humidity.