Humidity gauge

[Countryside Chams]

What do you guys all use for a humidity gauge? I see the cheap ones everywhere and didn't know if it would be worth it to get a digital one or just get a cheapy. Going to pick up a heat gun for temp monitoring but want to get a humidity gauge.

 

[bugboy]

Save your money and buy a digital one. Analog is worthless, it won't give you an accurate reading. Cheap things usually give you cheap results.

 

[FrankTheTank]

Save your money and buy a digital one. Analog is worthless, it won't give you an accurate reading. Cheap things usually give you cheap results.

Every time I look at one of those analogs it reads anywhere form 45-65% RH. I don't know how or why it would vary inside of packaging, because its not like it's in some vacuum sealed container. So what I am getting to is that I would just go with digital to be more accurate. Those only vary one or two degrees at the most which is perfectly fine for what you are wanting to do

 

[xcrystalx]

many people assume digital means accurate but it doesnt.i use a komodo digital hygrometer.its not 100% accurate but i just have it for a kind of guide.i personally feel as long as your cham looks hydrated,you see him drinking,he has white urates and you mist at least 3/4 times a day you really dont need one.

many people calibrate there dial hygrometers.
check out the like below
https://www.chameleonforums.com/blogs/wykd/669-calibrating-hygrometers.html

 

[bradley]

I monitored humidity for a while and now never bother. As said if the chameleon is hydrated and shedding well then humidity levels are good.

 

[sdraiders619]

I use the zoo med temp and hum combo gauge. Ive checked them with digital gauges and they are correct so I use them in all my enclosures

 

[Psychobunny]

I monitored humidity for a while and now never bother. As said if the chameleon is hydrated and shedding well then humidity levels are good.

I don't bother with monitoring each cage anymore either.
I just have one hygrometer for the room. It's a Extech 445815, and comes with certificate of calibration and is easy to re-calibrate using a cheap calibration kit.

I figured, with all the water being poured into the cages daily, from drippers and misters, why bother? It cant be anything but humid in there!

 

[RPCV]

In general the digital hygrometers tend to be more accurate than analog; but as mentioned, just cause it is digital doesn't mean that it is accurate. The digital hygrometer technology is relatively new. It wasn't too long ago we were swinging sling psychrometers (maybe I'm just getting old). Hygrometers; digital or analog, should only be used as an estimate. Even if they are accurate out of the box, their calibration tends to drift. Extech is a good brand for general home use but still need to be calibrated.

A while back I had the opportunity to field test a bunch of digital hygrometers in a calibrated chamber (primary standard). Bought a variety ranging from 20 to 75 dollars. About 70% were close (within 3% rh). Others were 10 to 30% off; even the exact same models had some that were reliable and others that were not.

Long story short - you may want a cheap digital to help get an idea of where you are at but don't rely on it too much. Or, if you really want accuracy, pick up a sling psychrometer off e-bay. Would be entertaining watching one of those spun in an enclosure....chameleon baseball.

 

[Lover of Animals]

Get digital. It works the best. The one with the pointers don't always work. Mine got stuck once. Turns out he was way to hot with not enough humidity. Digital is the way to go.

 

[broderp]

Here's what I use:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EXP4RNO/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'd show you my other Humidity monitor, but it's still top secret..lol . (I'm working on a controller for my terrarium, it's not finished yet.)