You can actually find inexpensive digital scales that will measure in metric at places like wal-mart, etc, but most of those are junk. They have pitiful accuracy standards (like plus or minus 5 grams on a 1 gram scale). You may have to read the find print to discover the accuracy, but it is worth the time investment.



I have a Tanita scale that I bought online after doing some research. It is extremely accurate compared to other similar scales I have used. It is as accurate as the Ohaus scales I have used, but it cost about 1/3 the price of an Ohaus scale. (I recently measured it's accuracy using some precalibrated brass weight standards that I had checked against a very accurate milligram scale. My Tanita got every one correct.)



Search online for Tanita scales, you will find plenty. You could go with a triple beam balance, but they are a pain, especially with squirming snakes.



Some things to look for -



1) You probably don't need to know the weight of animals/food to the nearest 0.1 gram. I have a scale that measures to the nearest 2g, and it works fine.



2) Consider the mass of the largest animal you want to measure on it. A big Ball Python can weigh over 4kg, while a big cal king probably wouldn't ever exceed 1kg. But you have to remember the mass of the weighing container as well (a 5 gal plastic bucket weighs 300-400 grams empty).



3) get as large a weighing platform as you can afford. I have a 7x7" stainless steel platform that is great. Bigger would be ok, but smaller can be a pain if you are trying to balance a bucket with an unruly snake inside. Also a removal, washable cover is a godsend, especially if you plan to weigh food items.



4) Make sure you can get an AC adaptor for your scale.



5) make sure you can tare the scale. Some cheap ones don't let you do this.



6) bigger buttons and an easy to read digital readout can make measuring a lot of things easier



Why do this? So you can see pattern like this after a few years....

This graph shows the difference between buying wild caught vs captive born sand boas. It is based on monthly weight records for four snakes for 4 years.







I have learned a tremendous amount about growth, feeding and health of my animals over the years by keeping monthly weights.
-----
Chris Harrison

[ Hide Replies ]

• From the "egg binding" thread below.... - Sasheena, Thu Jun 12 21:34:48 2003
• Scales... - chrish, Thu Jun 12 22:05:58 2003