Reddit Reddit reviews Zoo Med ReptiTemp Digital Infrared Thermometer, 6 x 1.3 x 6 inches

We found 8 Reddit comments about Zoo Med ReptiTemp Digital Infrared Thermometer, 6 x 1.3 x 6 inches. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

Pet Supplies
Reptiles & Amphibian Supplies
Reptile & Amphibian Health Supplies
Zoo Med ReptiTemp Digital Infrared Thermometer, 6 x 1.3 x 6 inches
Great for Monitoring Basking Areas, Thermal Gradients, Incubation, and Hibernation Temperatures.Temperature measurement Range -28° to 230°F (-33° to 110°C)Min/Max FunctionCentigrade/Farenheit switchIncludes one CR2032 Lithium cell battery
Check price on Amazon

8 Reddit comments about Zoo Med ReptiTemp Digital Infrared Thermometer, 6 x 1.3 x 6 inches:

u/_ataraxia · 8 pointsr/snakes

you've already made the wrong purchases. you should have researched and set up the enclosure before purchasing the snake. you should have listened to your gut and not purchased the "shop special".

you need an under tank heater that covers 1/3 to 1/2 of the enclosure floor. you also need a thermostat to regulate it, like this. it's extremely important to use a thermostat with a UTH. an unregulated UTH will run over 110F and can burn your snake.

if you absolutely must use a heat lamp to boost the ambient temperatures, use a ceramic heat emitter. any type of light bulb should NOT be left on 24/7, as this will disturb the snake's day/night cycle and stress them out.

you should have a digital thermometer/hygrometer to monitor ambient temperature and humidity, like this. you should also have an infrared thermometer to spot-check the temperature directly on the enclosure floor, like this.

you need at least two hides that are snug [little/no empty space around the snake], enclosed [only one entrance, snake should be well hidden] and identical [except for the temperature]. this is an example of an appropriate hide.

the water bowl should be large enough for the snake to fit in it, if they need to soak.

glass tanks with screen lids are generally not suitable enclosures for ball pythons. the glass is a poor insulator for heat, and the screen lid allows a lot of air flow which lowers the humidity. if you want to keep the tank, you'll have to modify it. at the very least you'll need to cover 80%-90% of the screen lid to retain humidity. if heat is an issue, adding foam boards to the outside of the walls to might help. but really, plastic storage tubs [sterilite tubs, iris weathertight boxes, etc] or pvc reptile cages [animal plastics, boaphile, etc] are better options than glass tanks.

u/specialkarii · 3 pointsr/tortoise

First off, congrats on the tort!

Secondly, warning! Wall of text incoming!

Tank size:

That depends on how large she is. For the average female Russian's (I'm estimating about 7 or 8 inches in length), you should give her about a 3 by 4 feet tank. I have heard of people keeping their smaller torts (i.e. Russian, Hermann's, and Greeks) in the Zoo Med Tortoise House most of the time, but really, it's too small for the tort full time. These people take their torts out of the tank a bunch of the time to roam around the room.

If you have an aquarium tank right now, the caution is that tortoises sometimes will decide to go through the glass and not understand that that's a bad idea because they can see through it. In this scenario, you can wrap the outside of the tank in some paper. It doesn't need to be decorative as long as the tort can't see out.

My follow up question to you is: whereabouts do you live? This will determine if you will require an indoor habitat or if an outdoor one will be sufficient. Outdoor tanks should also be fairly large, as tortoises really like to wander around. If you choose to keep your tort outdoors, make sure that it's caged up really well so that predators cannot get in.

That being said, there are some great care sheets around. One of the ones I used when I first got started was this: http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Care-Sheets/Russian-Tortoise/ Be sure to play close attention to the temperature gradient that she needs. You'll need some thermometers. One of the temp guns would be highly recommended so you can spot check all over the tank. You could also go to your local hardware store and get a laser temp gun, which will probably be better than this for a bunch more money, but you don't need one better than this, really.

For a low budget tank, I've seen a lot of DIY tutortials around. One of the most common is to get an old Ikea bookshelf, lay it on its back, take the shelves out, and stick a solid tarp down in it so that it's waterproof. Then put soil, forest bark, moss, etc in for the flooring and put your tort in that. The trouble with this is that you really have to make sure that it's safe for your tort down on the floor. I have cats in the house, and while they're cute and loving, they're also assholes when it comes to other animals, so I have to have an actual table up higher with a lid so my cats can't get in.

Water dish:

Anything that's large enough for her to sit in comfortably is good. Make sure that it's not too deep (the water should never be deeper that chin-level), and that it's not too small for her to bathe in. She will want to climb around in it and move around a bit as well. She will drink from it if she needs hydration, and also just sit there if she's too hot. Make sure that this water is clean daily so that she doesn't drink from her own urine/poop water. Also make sure that she's able to climb in and out of the dish by herself. They make special water dishes for this. BUT, as you're trying to budget down, you can actually just use whatever you have around that fits the requirements. I'm using a small terracotta plate for planting pots that I found at my local dollar store because my tortoise is still just a baby.

White discharge is called urates. All reptiles do this; it's nothing to worry about at all, unless it's grainy like sand (signs of dehydration), or solid. It should have the rough consistency of toothpaste. Mine's look more like egg-whites floating in water.

Food:

The spring mix should be fine. Tortoises will eat roughly their shell size in salad in a day. Having a good mix will make sure her internal flora is healthier. Absolutely no spinach should be fed. Where I live, I can't get a lot of good weeds, so I feed a lot of kale, parsley, romaine lettuce, dandelion leaves, etc. I keep a list of "staples", and a list of "occasional supplements" that I rotate through on a weekly basis. If you're lucky enough to live in an area where you can go for walks and pick up a bunch of greens from from wilds, it will be cheaper for you. This website has the best plant database that I've come across so far and will be able to help you in identifying what's safe and what's not.

I supplement every meal I give my tort with Repashy's Superveggie to make sure that she/he is getting all the nutrients that she/he needs. (I have no idea if my tort is male or female right now because she/he is still way too young; maybe in a year or two I'll be able to sex him/her.)

I also have a calcium bone for him/her to nom on whenever he/she wants on the side. It also helps them file down the beak. I have an Exo Terra Sepia Bone for him/her. I just cut off about 1/3rd of a piece to put in the tank (again, because my tort is just a baby).

For special treats, I like to give my tort a singular raspberry, or whatever fruit I have around. So far, she/he's shown a love for raspberries, and cherries, and not so much love for strawberries. To encourage my tort use the calcium bone, I sometimes rub the raspberry all over the calcium bone to make it tastier. Sometimes, I will break off a little piece and sprinkle it into the salad for the day as well.

How much to feed:

Tortoises are not stupid animals, and won't really overeat unless you're feeding all the wrong foods. Assuming you have a high fiber diet, your tort will stop eating when she's done. Again, generally you feed about their shell size amounts of salad in a day. If she eats more or less, that might tell you how she feels about what you're feeding her. Some people will say that the 15-20 minute limit is what you should do, but there's really not a lot of evidence that that's the rule. I've heard it about 50/50 depending on the keeper's style.

Finally, here are some signs that will tell you your tortoise isn't happy/general stress signs:

  • some common diseases - http://www.tortoisetrust.org/articles/commondisease.html
  • clawing at glass - wrap tank so the sides don’t freak the tortoise out
  • not eating
  • unclear eyes
  • wet, unclear nostrils - look for runny nose syndrome and/or respiratory problems
  • poop on the tail
  • weird marking/ scratches on the shell
  • poop is not solid/regular
  • urates not runny (or toothpaste-like) - look for solids - sign of dehydration
  • lethargy/over-active/agitation
  • ramming into things
  • muscle weakness
  • reddish-brown spots around mouth, eyes, or ears (mites)
  • vomit - If you see this, go to a vet!!

    If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask! This sub is sadly quieter than I'd like, so I thought I'd offer some help with what limited experience I currently have.

    Good luck!


    [Edit: formatting and such]

u/Sniarb · 3 pointsr/reptiles

Ditch the kale, it's bad for them. Collard greens, spring mix (though take out any spinach), endive, DANDELION greens and flowers are all great for a salad. I wouldn't start feeding lentils and beans until she is eating well on greens just in case she's dehydrated.

How are you measuring the temperatures? I recommend a digital infrared point-and-shoot thermometer like this one. You won't get accurate readings from anything that measures air temperature.

The cool side should be around 85-90^o , the warm side should be 100-110^o and the basking temperature should be 120^o +. This seems high, but uromastyx thrive in this kind of heat. If she doesn't start eating in the next few days there is a good chance it's because of the temperatures. This is from my personal experience. I had a uro who ate, though not much, and raising the basking temperature up to 140^o immediately perked her up. She's been a pig ever since.

EDIT: Another thought.. Those infrared bulbs are fine, but sometimes uros respond better to their basking heat coming from a yellow/white light source, instead of red. If she doesn't bask under your current one, it's worth a try switching it.

u/Diddleyfiddler · 2 pointsr/leopardgeckos

It sounds like 73F is your AIR temp, which is indeed too low for the hot side. We should address the FLOOR temp too but I'll get to that.
If you'd like something to provide heat but not visible light you could get a ceramic bulb. They JUST make heat, but you'll want to get something dimmable because you won't want your cage actually getting too hot. When I was doing my research before I bought my leo I remember 85F being the maximum air temp you want your hot side to be, so I keep mine at or under that. I personally keep my red heat bulb on at all times at the same level, so it naturally dips at night and during the day reaches peak air temps around 83 or so.
This is a ceramic heat bulb that might work: http://www.joshsfrogs.com/zilla-ceramic-heat-emitter-50-watt.html
Pair it with a dimmable fixture like flukers, here: http://www.amazon.com/Flukers-Repta-Clamp-8-5-Inch-Ceramic-Dimmable/dp/B003H200QC
It's extremely convenient to be able to control the temperatures with that dimmer :) So you can use a bulb like that (ceramic) to heat your leo without the light. If you'd like a light for studying you can just use a lamp of any kind (a house lamp). It won't mess up your leos schedule, I don't believe. Especially since you'll turn it off and go to sleep for 5+ hours (sometimes less, I'm in college too) and let the room be in total darkness. I talked to someone who owned multiple crested geckos (which are nocturnal, not crepsecular, but still applies) and had them all in his dining room where he did work from home, sometimes until 1 or 2AM, and had his room lights on. it didn't bother them and he's been doing that for a long time. So based off of that I don't think you should worry. From my own experience with my leo, Noodles really loves when the room light is OFF (and it's completely dark in here excluding our computer screens and his incandescent heat bulb's red glow) but only when it's mealtime or playtime. He's not always in the mood. We keep our room lights on most nights and it's not that different from when we keep them off, which is nice.
Anyway tldr for your air heating problem I suggest a ceramic heat emitter bulb paired with some kind of dimmable lamp fixture like the Flukers I linked to provide the correct hot-side air temps while also not letting off any light.
For your lighting problem I think using a lamp in the room over your study area will be fine, or even just keeping the room light on. I don't think it's a huge deal based on others experiences as well as my own.
 
Now onto the floor temp/air temp problem. It sounds like you don't have anything to actually monitor the floor temp, which is more important than advertised on care sheets. You really need a temperature gun. You can get one easily for $20 on amazon, like where we got ours. http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-ReptiTemp-Infrared-Thermometer/dp/B0053Y6IPE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459399701&sr=8-1&keywords=temperature+gun+reptile
The temperature gun will probably tell you that your hot side's floor temperatures are WAY higher than they need to be. This is what happened to us. Somehow I didn't know that the heat mat would reach temps higher than I wanted, why would it right (??)? Got the radar gun just because, (not believing I'd actually need it) and woopdeedoo 105+F floor temps on the hot side. 13F higher than what it was supposed to be! So we rushed and bought a thermostat immediately (on amazon they're half the price than at petco). If I were in your position I'd buy a thermostat as soon as I could, paired with a temp gun. http://www.amazon.com/MTPRTC-ETL-Certified-Thermostat-Germination-Reptiles/dp/B000NZZG3S/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1459399998&sr=8-2&keywords=thermostat+reptile
That's a really highly rated thermostat on there :) What you do with it is this: you'll plug the thermostat into your heat mat (or the heat mat into the thermostat, I can't remember which), then place the probe that comes with it (a long cable with a little doodad at the end) in the cage as close as you can to the dry hide. Here's a pic of how I did mine: http://i.imgur.com/o1vyB0g.jpg Set the temperature on your thermostat to maybe 85F or something and in an hour or so measure the floor temperature with your radar gun. 92F is the optimal floor temperature right underneath the dry hide, so aim for that. Play around with it and get it just right. Be sure to check on the floor temps every once in a while to make sure everything's still working.

My apologies for this coming out as such a novel, and all the links (some don't like getting spammed but I like them for reference). If you already know all about the thermostat/temp gun stuff then I'm sorry haha! it's an easy fix, probably easier than replacing that heat mat (if it really is only producing 73F floor temps). P.S. regarding your gecko's eating situation- they're probably stressed and won't eat for a little bit. It's okay! They'll get hungry soon and will eat normally. My leo has been doing this stupid thing where he'll eat half of his normal dinner and then act like he's not interested anymore (just licking the worms and turning away), so I wait a halfhour and try again. Usually he'll eat some more after that, but then again he hasn't just changed locations and such. :) Good luck!

u/throw-away-today · 2 pointsr/leopardgeckos

Such a cutie!

Don't stress getting it from petco, mine both are and are super healthy. The reality is that not everyone is close to an expo or can afford the online ones. No one here judges like that, in my experience! We all just love leos :)

We waited months to name ours and its now based on their personalities. I advise the same. Its easier to remember and seems more personal than a generic name. Ours are "Serenity" (who is very calm and loves being held) and "Serendipity" (who randomly decides she likes us or hates us depending on how she woke up haha). These are shortened to Renity and Dipity. We played around with Hunter, and Buster, and even Jerry!

For set up I HIGHLY recommend a point-temperature gauge. This is the one I have but any with good reviews will do. There are ways to test it when you get it (point at ice-water, point at boiling water, ect) to make sure yours isn't a dud. These are so helpful to make sure you have a nice gradient and just way more reliable than the stick on one I have. I also now have three tanks, so it ended up being cheaper than buying the stick on one three times!

We have an automatic shipment of crickets from Flunker's Farms but its been spotty and inconsistent size and quality wise. We had one that was all bottom-feeder insects.

Invest in some calcium spray right now! It's the easiest thing to use. Just spray some dried mealworms and throw them in. It's like six bucks at petco or online and well worth not having to take a sick baby to the vet.

Last, we noticed that short and sweet interactions have gone a long way in improving our relationship with them. Take out, hold for a while, be calm, put back in. I then instantly feed them so they associate me with food hehe.

Enjoy your new family member!!!

u/versikendra · 1 pointr/snakes

You could also use some adhesive-backed vinyl (black can also help create your BP feel secure) or another kind of plastic to cover much of the screen top of the enclosure to help keep humidity in. Could be a way to continue using your current tank if you're attached to it while keeping humidity up!

Also, this is slightly off-topic, but if you think you might be wanting to get a quick temperature reading anywhere in the enclosure, a temp gun can be a great tool to have. Certainly not a necessity if you're going to have a thermometer or two, but it can sometimes help in erasing any doubts you may have about the temperature in your enclosure.

This one is pretty solid and affordable. Pro Exotics make one as well but it's twice as expensive.

u/BigTimeMFCEO · 1 pointr/BeardedDragons

This is what I use. Works well and is accurate within a half degree or so.

u/Twinkie-twink · 1 pointr/leopardgeckos

This is probably my favorite tool for measuring temperatures in any location in your terrarium. It's extremely accurate for surface temperatures and ambient temperatures.