Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello--
I'm looking to invest in a new digital scale. Does anyone have one worth recommending? I've been using a cheapie postal scale which gets the job done, but not as accurately as I'd like. What are some of the pros and cons I should look for when deciding on a scale? Mainly rats, corns, kings, gophers and bulls will be weighed on it--hatchlings to adults. Thanks in advance for your advice.

regards,
althea

Althea,

I went through the same sort of process a few years back when buying a scale. I found that Tanita make good scales with the durability and precision of more expensive scales like those by Ohaus, etc. but at a much lower price.

You have to consider a couple of things. Scales are sold based on two variables, the maximum mass they can measure x the precision with which they can measure it. So you can buy a 1000g x 1g scale or a 10Kg x 10g scale, depending on what you are measuring.

1. What is the largest thing you need to weigh? With the snakes you have, you can probably get away with a 2 Kg (2000g) scale. I guess some pine/bullsnakes might exceed 2 kilograms (4.4 lbs), but only as big adults. If you want a scale that goes to 5 kilos, you will either have to accept less precision or shell out big dollars.

2. What is the smallest thing you need to have a precise weight on? A pinkie weighs 1-2 grams. Most hatchling snakes are in the 5-20 gram range. Therefore, you don't need a scale that measures to the nearest 0.1 gram. In fact, I have a scale that only measures to the nearest 2 grams and it is no problem whatsoever (What do I care if my 1200 gram eastern kings weigh one pinkie more or less?).

You can buy a 5000g x 0.1g scale, but they are very expensive. Then you have to ask yourself if you really need it. Do you need to know the mass of a 10kg boa to the nearest gram? Are you going to weigh it again if it drinks 10g of water? Obviously not, so the mass of a big snake doesn't need to be that precise. If you need to weigh big heavy snakes, a bathroom scale will often suffice.

I had owned cheap scales before and had been dissatisfied with their durability/accuracy, so I bought a 2000 x 2g Tanita scale (model 1144?) and I love it. I have checked it using brass standard weights in a variety of mass ranges and found it to be accurate and precise. Yes, you can buy cheaper scales (it runs around $70 online), but I haven't ever seen a less expensive one that was as good.

Here is what I would look for -

- does it have a removable, washable platform?
- how big is the platform? (it is hard to weigh a 5 foot snake on a 2 inch x 2 inch platform!)
- does it measure in metric and US units?
- can you tare it? (on some cheap scales you can't, which makes them almost useless, IMHO)
- does it have an AC power supply?
- what is its error? (I have seen cheap scales that "measured to the nearest 1 gram increment" but had a +/- 5 gram error range).
- is it easy to clean? (snakes have a way of decorating scales when they don't want to be weighed and frozen/thawed rats often bleed)

Chris
.

I think this is where I bought mine

-----
Chris Harrison

A few weeks ago to weigh my B.P.'s.
I believe I got it from save on scales.com.I paid around $35.
It is made by My Weigh.And is model 700 1dx.
It will weigh items to 7,000 grams (7000G x1G )And carries a 30 year warrenty and come with different gadgets to weigh differnt items such as letters ect.Hope this helps.

I really appreciate the information and suggestions. Now I'm pretty clear on what I am looking for in a scale, and am relieved that there are good ones in the $50-$100 price range.

My collection has reached a size where time is important in terms of efficient husbandry. Weighing something twice or pausing to fiddle with the scale each time just slows me down. Plus, if I'm going to do it, I want my record keeping to mean something (be valid) at the end of the year.

Thanks again!
althea