Reptile & Amphibian Forums

What are the best characteristics for a scale used to weigh reptiles?
I am thinking that weight for hatchlings might be in grams and shift by 0.1 gram increments, but adults may weigh up to a few kilograms. It would be important for the scale to allow the weight of the container to be calculated and subtracted from the total.
Any scales out there that people use and recommend?

The functions I look for most in scales are an easy to use and reliable tare function, which clears the weight of a container, simple calibration and ability to easily change units of measure.
I have found most all digital scales produced these days to harbor most, if not all, of the above criteria.
Recently, I purchased two scales, a pocket scale which weighs items up to 250g by 0.1g increments and a larger unit which measures up 7000g by 1.0g increments, capable of accuratly measuring the weight of all but a few of the largest Drymarchon. I found both of these scales at the following link: www.RightOnScales.com...

Good luck,

Jeff
-----
Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

"and a larger unit which measures up 7000g by 1.0g increments, capable of accuratly measuring the weight of all but a few of the largest Drymarchon. link: www.RightOnScales.com..."

great link jeff -- i wish i had know about it before i purchased the same scale for $20 more (see below)!

matt

You know, I actually thought about posting that link prior to the post which started this thread.
Anyhow, you still have a nice scale...

Jeff
-----
Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

I've been using OHaus for years; very reliable and user friendly.

>>What are the best characteristics for a scale used to weigh reptiles?
>>I am thinking that weight for hatchlings might be in grams and shift by 0.1 gram increments, but adults may weigh up to a few kilograms. It would be important for the scale to allow the weight of the container to be calculated and subtracted from the total.
>>Any scales out there that people use and recommend?
-----
Rob Carmichael, Curator
The Wildlife Discovery Center at Elawa Farm
Lake Forest, IL

I have a Tanika scale that I really like. It is sturdy and dependable.

As for accuracy/precision, I used to have a scale that weighed to the nearest 0.1 gram, but I found that was unnecessary. It depends what you are dealing with. If you were breeding blind snakes, a 0.1 gram precision might be useful, but if you are breeding blood pythons, a scale that weighs to the nearest 5 grams might be OK.

A scale that weighs to the nearest gram is plenty for me. I weigh the food items I feed my snakes and the smallest pinkies still weigh between 1-2 grams. I don't need more precision than that.
Hatchling snakes weigh several grams as well, so what would you be weighing to the nearest 0.1 grams?

I like a scale that can be tared, so I can weigh snakes in containers. I also like one with a removeable, washable platform so I can wash rat blood off when I am weighing food.

Make sure your scale has AC power capability.

If I was buying a new scale today, I think I would get this one - http://www.rightonscales.com/web/7001.htm
-----
Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

The My-Weigh 7001DX is the scale I bought for my personal use and I have used it to weigh all of my Drys. It has performed quite well so far and the only complaint I have would be the size of the weighing platform, which is a bit small. This really isn't a problem, as it easily accomodates a five gallon bucket with a Safari lid, great device and worth a look for anyone who hasn't heard of them, which I place the larger specimens into for weighing, and this is tared out prior to introducing the snake.

While I agree with Chris, a 0.1g increment accuracy wouldn't be
required for weighing the snakes themselves, I have found such to be an invaluable tool when weighing eggs during the course of incubation and the 18.00 Triton T2 would work well for such.

Also, I use an Ohaus Explorer Pro HC in the lab and it is an incredible instrument, but a bit costly for home use.

Best regards,

Jeff
-----
Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

i've been using both ohaus and sartorius for lab work, including egg weights and hatchling weights -- both are good to 0.1 grams. but for home use i have been very happy with a little black number from bean farm ($55). it's listed as scale #7001. it has a good tare function, 7000 gram capacity with 1.0 gram accuracy, which has been perfect for weighing snakes, snake food, and tortoises.

matt

I use a brand of scale called Escali - they're actually more of a baking scale company, but hey and accurate scale is an accurate scale. My model has a 6kg [6000g]/13lb capacity and it measures in 1g increments. It has other modes but I exclusively use gram weight measurements. It's been more than enough scale for me, considering most of what I keep are smaller colubrids and pythons. I think I paid $35 for it about three years ago. I always bag the snakes [if they won't cooperate] and place them on a plastic tray after using the tare function on the tray/bag combo. A great computer program to keep track of those weights is the Degei Husbandry Database [http://www.eyehit.com/degei/]
-----
Matt Campbell

Big animals, little animals, plants - right down to the sea itself. We need them, not just for their own sake, but because all this has to be here for everybody forever. Only one thing is certain: if we are to preserve our environment and save this priceless wildlife we need much, much more knowledge.
Harry Butler from 'In the Wild With Harry Butler' 1977

Anyone know where to get a cheap 2000 g calibration weight?

www.scalesgalore.com/Comersus/store/comersus_advancedSearchExec.asp?idCategory=14&idSupplier=0&priceUntil=99999&priceFrom=0&keyWord=&Submit=Search&
-----
Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

They aren't cheap, especially at that weight..

Jeff
-----
Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

That's not too bad, better than the price I found.

Thanks for the site.