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[cyberlocc]

Yes I know this. That's fine. Probes are a waste of money IMO. They aren't as accurate as the gun, they have to be all over your cage(ruins the natural appeal), you then have to buy 4 you said? With a temp gun, you can simply point and read. You shouldn't have to check each temp daily really. Just when the weather outside is changing frequently or dramatically. I've had consistent temps of 71 at the bottom and 85 basking for a week now on a cage for example. They allow you to see if you're creating a gradient below the basking site much easier. Also with the gun, you can search all over the branch and find a "hotspot". Have you tried a gun? Next time you do, wave it real slow over the branch. You might find a consistent temp of 83, and then find a real small spot of 85 on a certain spot. I do it this way. It's more accurate. With the probe you're reading the air temps, with a gun you're reading surface temps. I like this method and prefer it.

There are no guessing games. They're just as or more accurate than a probe is. Unless you tried one, you can't knock it.

I just told you why its a guessing game. And you even said it yourself.

You are measuring the temp of the branch right? Well your chameleon is 2 or 3 or 4 inches above that branch. The temperature of the light your chameleon is actually sitting in is much much higher than the branch. A light will produce a much different temp at 4 inches then it does at 6. While your branch is at 6 inches your cham is at 4 or 3

On top of that issue, there is also the way a temp gun works to contend with. A temp gun sends out a cone, from this IR cone, Heat readings are sent back to the gun.

If the cone is larger then the branch, the gun will read the temp of the branch, it will also read the temp of everything else in the cone, it will then shoot back an average of all those temps. You say it changes by 2f that could be why.

A Temp gun is not more accurate, in anyway it never is (I use them a lot in my other hobby as well, Extreme PC overclocking). The reason is what I have just told you, in the case of chams they are higher than the branch. In the case of other things the cone averaging becomes an issue.

Now you say that a digital thermometer probe is in accurate as it reads the air. However a thermometers probe is not immune to surface temp. So if the probe is in the beam of light, it will be as hot as the chameleon is that is sitting near it. It will give the same reading.

If you have your thermometer in the spot like I suggested and then measure the branch, the temp that will be correct is the temp probe. Temp guns are inaccurate, not probes.

All that said temp guns do server a good use, Measuring the temperature of your cham, I also bet if you do that when he is on that branch, he will be a lot hotter than 85. Temp guns like I told her can be used and give you a good reading.

However to do so you need to A. figure out your cone, and B. Have a temporary second branch raise the branch ect get a reading of where your cham will actually be, then remember that difference in temp. I dont understand how you cannot grasp the closer to the bulb you are the hotter it is? Your cham is not flat with the branch, so it is not getting 85f, likely more like 90.

 

[Nicholasdeaan]

I just told you why its a guessing game. And you even said it yourself.

You are measuring the temp of the branch right? Well your chameleon is 2 or 3 or 4 inches above that branch. The temperature of the light your chameleon is actually sitting in is much much higher than the branch. A light will produce a much different temp at 4 inches then it does at 6. While your branch is at 6 inches your cham is at 4 or 3

On top of that issue, there is also the way a temp gun works to contend with. A temp gun sends out a cone, from this IR cone, Heat readings are sent back to the gun.

If the cone is larger then the branch, the gun will read the temp of the branch, it will also read the temp of everything else in the cone, it will then shoot back an average of all those temps. You say it changes by 2f that could be why.

A Temp gun is not more accurate, in anyway it never is (I use them a lot in my other hobby as well, Extreme PC overclocking). The reason is what I have just told you, in the case of chams they are higher than the branch. In the case of other things the cone averaging becomes an issue.

Now you say that a digital thermometer probe is in accurate as it reads the air. However a thermometers probe is not immune to surface temp. So if the probe is in the beam of light, it will be as hot as the chameleon is that is sitting near it. It will give the same reading.

If you have your thermometer in the spot like I suggested and then measure the branch, the temp that will be correct is the temp probe. Temp guns are inaccurate, not probes.

All that said temp guns do server a good use, Measuring the temperature of your cham, I also bet if you do that when he is on that branch, he will be a lot hotter than 85. Temp guns like I told her can be used and give you a good reading.

However to do so you need to A. figure out your cone, and B. Have a temporary second branch raise the branch ect get a reading of where your cham will actually be, then remember that difference in temp. I dont understand how you cannot grasp the closer to the bulb you are the hotter it is? Your cham is not flat with the branch, so it is not getting 85f, likely more like 90.

Cyberlocc, I see you on here quite often. And seem very opinionated on subjects. I am very well aware of the fact that their body temps are going to be different since they're closer to the heat source. I'm not new to this. What you seem to misunderstand is that they'll thermoregulate and you should shoot for a basking temp rather than trying to get their body temps up to proper temps. You Especially being if they're putting off darker or lighter color. They can always put off darker colors to warm up more or lighter colors to push heat away so to speak.

I don't believe I'm the only one on the forums to use temp guns. Nor are they "inaccurate". I didn't see any reason to get offended. But there's no telling you anything. So do as you wish. To the OP, do which suites you best.

 

[cyberlocc]

Cyberlocc, I see you on here quite often. And seem very opinionated on subjects. I am very well aware of the fact that their body temps are going to be different since they're closer to the heat source. I'm not new to this. What you seem to misunderstand is that they'll thermoregulate and you should shoot for a basking temp rather than trying to get their body temps up to proper temps. You Especially being if they're putting off darker or lighter color. They can always put off darker colors to warm up more or lighter colors to push heat away so to speak.

I don't believe I'm the only one on the forums to use temp guns. Nor are they "inaccurate". I didn't see any reason to get offended. But there's no telling you anything. So do as you wish. To the OP, do which suites you best.

I dont care what anyone uses, that is your business (or hers).

I am simply telling you how a temp gun works and why it is not accurate. If that is okay with you, then fine. I never said it didn't work wouldn't work or anything like that. I said "I" do not like them for X reasons. I also said the temps will not be what you think they are.

That isn't an opinion that is a fact. I am also not missing that they thermo regulate at all. They also get burned, and females are kept controlled temps to prevent egg laying. We want them to thermo regulate at a certain max temp, to produce less eggs. If you are going over these temps and allowing a female to get too hot, then the chances of laying eggs more often increases correct?

If you do not care if your temps are exact that is fine by me. Convenience of a temp gun, and cost measures there weight to each person.

As you said, you dont want/need to check your temps all the time. That is fine, and I understand that. However there is other people that want to always know there temps.

So people grab a Halogen spot bulb and a temp gun, they have there basking spot 90-95 as per the care sheet they seen. With using of that temp gun, there branch is 90-95 however where the chameleon sits is much higher. There cham gets burned and they blame the halogen, do you know how many threads I have seen on here saying that exact scenario? We will sum it up to a whole lot.

I opened this convo, with the sentence that they are commonly recommend but I do not like them. I am not offended by you in anyway, I am also positive that you are not the only person that uses them at all. I am simply voicing my concern to OP over temp guns. I use them for other things, expensive ones no less. I have a 150 dollar fluke temp gun, and even that I would not use for a Chameleon, for a monitor yes I would but not for a cham. As chams do not use "Belly Heat", the surface temp is not the temp that matters, the temp that matters is the air temp/there back temp.

There is nothing wrong with using a heat gun, if you know and understand its limitations. Which is all I am trying to get across its limitations.

I stated temp guns are inaccurate for a "basking temp". they are, that is not opinion. the nature of a temp gun forces that to be the case, no matter what temp gun you buy that is the case. If that matters to you then dont get a temp gun.

This only continued because you keep insisting that temp guns are more accurate. That is false, temp guns not only the have issues I described before, they also have a large temp swing much much larger than a good thermometer with a probe. That is just the nature of temp guns, in all uses not just this one.

I use a temp gun when I LN2 cool to get a loose idea of board temps. In that case a few degrees is a major issue. I have measured my pot that has 2 fluke probes on it, the temp gun is always wrong, usually by at least 5-10f (we are talking -150s is where the reading lies).

PS, I hope I didn't offend you that was not my intent in anyway shape or form.

 

[cyberlocc]

As to this "I see you on here quite often. And seem very opinionated on subjects"

I am a new keeper and most subjects, I make sure and state IDK but I think or along those lines.

However you are correct there is a few places I will be opinionated. This thread and a few others, dealing with electronics and such. I am by no means at all a chameleon expert. I have read a whole ton of information, I have been on this site for a few weeks and between posting I have made my way through tons tons of backlogged threads.

I am however an Electronics expert, I have a degree in Computer Sciences and an Extreme Over Clocker in my off time.
So when the subject is something I know to be fact from years and years of working with these instruments for many years on a much larger scale then a herp keeper, yes I am opinionated about that. (not talking about this thread).

In the case of this thread, you bring a good point. A few times, they can Thermo Regulate. So there temps dont need to be exact. I would be wary in the case of females and burns however.

I also completely understand not everyone wants 4 thermometers in a cage, I do, and that was all I stated.

Also fun fact, when I first got here this was one of the first things I checked. As I know the limations of temp guns. Some of the highest rated members on this site, all state the same as me. Temp guns to check the animals temp only, going back for years and years.

 

[KLowery88]

It's always important to have the proper tools and know the pros and cons of those tools. Each one gathers data in a different way that helps you to better understand what is going on in the cage. Probes and temp guns are best used in conjunction with each other as they make up for each others' weaknesses.

However, it is getting a bit off topic since the original poster is asking about a humidifier. I think it would probably be a great topic to discuss on it's own.

 

[Nicholasdeaan]

I dont care what anyone uses, that is your business (or hers).

I am simply telling you how a temp gun works and why it is not accurate. If that is okay with you, then fine. I never said it didn't work wouldn't work or anything like that. I said "I" do not like them for X reasons. I also said the temps will not be what you think they are.

That isn't an opinion that is a fact. I am also not missing that they thermo regulate at all. They also get burned, and females are kept controlled temps to prevent egg laying. We want them to thermo regulate at a certain max temp, to produce less eggs. If you are going over these temps and allowing a female to get too hot, then the chances of laying eggs more often increases correct?

If you do not care if your temps are exact that is fine by me. Convenience of a temp gun, and cost measures there weight to each person.

As you said, you dont want/need to check your temps all the time. That is fine, and I understand that. However there is other people that want to always know there temps.

So people grab a Halogen spot bulb and a temp gun, they have there basking spot 90-95 as per the care sheet they seen. With using of that temp gun, there branch is 90-95 however where the chameleon sits is much higher. There cham gets burned and they blame the halogen, do you know how many threads I have seen on here saying that exact scenario? We will sum it up to a whole lot.

I opened this convo, with the sentence that they are commonly recommend but I do not like them. I am not offended by you in anyway, I am also positive that you are not the only person that uses them at all. I am simply voicing my concern to OP over temp guns. I use them for other things, expensive ones no less. I have a 150 dollar fluke temp gun, and even that I would not use for a Chameleon, for a monitor yes I would but not for a cham. As chams do not use "Belly Heat", the surface temp is not the temp that matters, the temp that matters is the air temp/there back temp.

There is nothing wrong with using a heat gun, if you know and understand its limitations. Which is all I am trying to get across its limitations.

I stated temp guns are inaccurate for a "basking temp". they are, that is not opinion. the nature of a temp gun forces that to be the case, no matter what temp gun you buy that is the case. If that matters to you then dont get a temp gun.

This only continued because you keep insisting that temp guns are more accurate. That is false, temp guns not only the have issues I described before, they also have a large temp swing much much larger than a good thermometer with a probe. That is just the nature of temp guns, in all uses not just this one.

I use a temp gun when I LN2 cool to get a loose idea of board temps. In that case a few degrees is a major issue. I have measured my pot that has 2 fluke probes on it, the temp gun is always wrong, usually by at least 5-10f (we are talking -150s is where the reading lies).

PS, I hope I didn't offend you that was not my intent in anyway shape or form.

 

[KapitalJ]

Maybe something to keep in mind.

They come from the wild where the "Basking temp" is not a consistent 85 or 90. I really don't understand why people are so stressed about this stuff..

As was said above, unless your local weather is changing drastically, once temps are set they should be fine. They don't need to be kept at exact 85 degrees all the time. If you are in there poking around everyday, moving stuff around changing things trying to get that perfect temp everyday this is probably causing more issues than a little temp fluctuation.

I use a probe, and a temp gun. But I am not worried about seeing a fluctuation from day to day and it does happen.

 

[alphakenc]

The temperature on the care sheet is a prefer guideline,your cham will know when to move around the hot and cold spot,unless they are going to sleep in their preferable night spot.