for those of you who use one. Will it show you the same temp of a metered location as a standard thermom with a probe at that same location? I was thinking about getting one so that I don't have to probe 4 enclosures. Also Dave Weldon I noticed you measured skin temp. Should the skin be at the desired basking temp for the species. Thanks in advance for input.
infrared temp guns ?'s
- Thread starter Scaley
- Start date
Tygerr
Avid Member
The spot temperature that the IR gun measures does not always correspond to what the probe is measuring.
Often heat accumulates on a surface area (like on the skin of the chameleon), and this temperature can be quite a bit higher than the surrounding air temperature that most thermometers are designed to measure.
However, the thermometer probe itself usually accumulates heat in a basking spot too, so it too reports a temperature that is warmer than the air temperature at that area.
Chameleons' skin is very adept at accumulating heat though, and so this is why the spot temp on the surface of the skin can vary a bit from what the probe would be reporting.
Measuring the skin temp with an IR gun is certainly a more accurate way of determining a cham's basking temp, but I think the basking temps that are generally listed as guidelines on most caresheets (and on these forums) would usually be referring to the temp that you would pick up with a thermometer/probe. Dave would be able to correct me if I'm wrong, but I think temps with an IR gun on the skin might be slightly higher than those temps.
Also, when using probes, my chameleons often block the probe when they are basking, and that distorts the temperature reading. In that situation, the IR gun would give you a much better reading of the basking temp.
I still like using probes though, because most of the thermometers that come with probes also come with a function that stores the Max/Min temps. This allows me to monitor what is going on in the basking spot throughout the day. The temperatures from morning to midday can vary quite a bit, even in a room in a house, especially during the height of summer or depths (?) of winter. And unless you're able to sit next to the chameleon cage the whole day and probe it with an IR gun, you won't be able to monitor those daily fluctuations.
So if you can afford it, I recommend using both a probe and an IR gun.
Often heat accumulates on a surface area (like on the skin of the chameleon), and this temperature can be quite a bit higher than the surrounding air temperature that most thermometers are designed to measure.
However, the thermometer probe itself usually accumulates heat in a basking spot too, so it too reports a temperature that is warmer than the air temperature at that area.
Chameleons' skin is very adept at accumulating heat though, and so this is why the spot temp on the surface of the skin can vary a bit from what the probe would be reporting.
Measuring the skin temp with an IR gun is certainly a more accurate way of determining a cham's basking temp, but I think the basking temps that are generally listed as guidelines on most caresheets (and on these forums) would usually be referring to the temp that you would pick up with a thermometer/probe. Dave would be able to correct me if I'm wrong, but I think temps with an IR gun on the skin might be slightly higher than those temps.
Also, when using probes, my chameleons often block the probe when they are basking, and that distorts the temperature reading. In that situation, the IR gun would give you a much better reading of the basking temp.
I still like using probes though, because most of the thermometers that come with probes also come with a function that stores the Max/Min temps. This allows me to monitor what is going on in the basking spot throughout the day. The temperatures from morning to midday can vary quite a bit, even in a room in a house, especially during the height of summer or depths (?) of winter. And unless you're able to sit next to the chameleon cage the whole day and probe it with an IR gun, you won't be able to monitor those daily fluctuations.
So if you can afford it, I recommend using both a probe and an IR gun.
Last edited:
Dave Weldon
Avid Member
Howdy,
I'll second what Mr. T says
. I'll add with a couple of links to some IR senosrs etc.:
A cheapie one that works (D:S 1:1):
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93983 Don't forget to see if they have it at your local Harbor Freight Tools store.
A bit fancier one that's nice (D:S of 6:1):
http://www.tempgun.com/order.html#pe2
My favorite low-cost digital thermometer & humidity meter:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=21243-1308-00887GT&lpage=none
In case the link dies: Lowe's Hardware Store ACU-RITE® Digital Thermometer with Humidity Gauge Item #: 21243 Model: 00887GT $12.97
I'll second what Mr. T says
. I'll add with a couple of links to some IR senosrs etc.:A cheapie one that works (D:S 1:1):
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93983 Don't forget to see if they have it at your local Harbor Freight Tools store.
A bit fancier one that's nice (D:S of 6:1):
http://www.tempgun.com/order.html#pe2
My favorite low-cost digital thermometer & humidity meter:
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=21243-1308-00887GT&lpage=none
In case the link dies: Lowe's Hardware Store ACU-RITE® Digital Thermometer with Humidity Gauge Item #: 21243 Model: 00887GT $12.97
