The reason I questioned people asking about the best gun is, I do not feel its all that important. At this time, the working unit in your hand is best. To understand it better, no matter which unit, inexpensive to expensive, is far better then your ability to understand temps.
To start this conversation, let me say, in all the years(decades) I have been taking field temps of reptiles, I have yet to find a consistant temp. What that means is, these temp guns register in the 1/10th of a degree or less, muchless a single degree.
As you saw below, some folks argued/discussed what that meant. They could not agree on what 2% of error meant. In my opinion, its not important.
The point is, most snakes you can get very close to. Within a few feet, at this distance, all these guns are very accurate.
THE REALITY is, I have never found any snake or any place a snake was sitting, that had that accurate of a temp. For instance, we find a snake and use a very accurate therometer. We take cloacal temps and base of head temps. They are never the same, and as much as ten degrees apart. To understand this, most snakes increase the temps in only the part of the body that needs it. Food bolus and ovum/egg/embryo areas are a good example.
On a side note, quick read mercury thermometers are not accurate at all. The unit itself is, but the methods of use are not. Question this if interested.
Even more, when a snake emerges, they often heat the head, so at first, the head temps are hotter then the base temps of the body. Then they crawl to a known basking area then regional heat. At this time, the area they are heating is hotter then the rest of their body. Again, I have never measured the temps of a single individual that had the same exact temp thru out this body.
Now consider the areas they live do NOT have a consistant temp, but a range of temps. This is important to understand. There are important temps, and unimportant temps. Unfortunately, most temps taken in field studies are of the latter, unimportant temps.
To understant this better, Think about this. There are distint reasons for snakes to use heat. What temps do individuals pick that are digesting food? What temps do they pick when incubating eggs/ovum/embryos??? What temps do they pick when in opaque? What temps when injured or ill?????? What temps do they conserve energy at? These and more are important temps.
The temps needed to crawl is more or less unimportant. Let me explain that, snakes use specific temps for the above "important reasons. But they crawl in all temps that does not kill them. For instance, most snakes crawl or travel at temps from 45F to over 100F. A huge range of temps here. I would think even the most naive person has some understanding of this. Of course the middle of that range is most comfortable to most snakes.
Now I ask, what temp range do coiled snakes use???? Remember, they only coil up in areas that are picked. Is this range greater or lessor then the temps they crawl at???? How about the temps they pick to shed or during reproduction???
To understand the difference we should understand, important temps have a very small range of temps compared to temps they will crawl at(active)
Then to understand these important temps, you will find, they too are not consistant. That is, The snakes do the best they can, under the conditions they have availible. Resting or conserving temps can range from near freezing to 75F depending on season. Of course, an individual will conserve more energy at 65F then at 75F. But at times, 75F may not be available.
This is true for basking temps, normally snakes keep their body temps below 90F if they can. But in most cases, high seventies to low eighties is "normal". Then to understand this, they can raise their body temps to above 90F in air temps of 60F. In reality, most snakes have no need to bask in the open(where we see them) once air temps reach 75F. Of course is night time temps are below freezing, then some snakes forced to bask in the open. Of course this has a huge range of temps and conditions as well.
What I am getting at is, snakes do not use or require exact temps, in fact, they do not exsist in nature. When we take temps with any type of thermostat, we find that every half inch or less has a different temp. And like a rubic cube, this is in all directions.
So, with this in mind, I feel most of you really do not need a "Best" temp taking device, but instead a better understanding of the temps taken. Those temps are far far more variation then the devices do. Cheers
i really enjoy all of your post but this one especially much
, thanks for keeping it real and keeping us/me thinking
,,,,,,,thomas davis