Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi all! Ok to measure the temps in my cage i have been using a "cheap" zoo med thermometer and puting it under the hot spot in my chams cage. It seems that perhapse this is an incorrect way to obtain the proper temp because the therm its self is getting hot and seems to be giving a falsely high temp. Is it just me or am i doing this incorrectly? Thanks

Part of the problem with "regular" thermometers is that they measure air temp, not the temp of surfaces. If the thermometer is too close to a heat source the glass or plastic of the case tends to distort the reading. I really like the non-contact infrared temp guns. They do measure the surface temp of anything you point it at up to a certain distance and as you don't have to leave the entire instrument in the heat for more than a few seconds don't overheat and read abnormally high. If you really want to know what temp the skin of a basking cham is reaching (and I think this is the most important reason for measuring basking temp anyway), use this type of instrument. They are really cheap these days, accurate to within a degree or so, don't disturb the cham, and easy to use.