Best way to track temps outside?

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thatrebecca

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What's the best way to track temps in our outdoor enclosure? How about in the burrow we built? I've heard some folks mention a temp gun. Is that better than a plain old thermometer? Advice on brands/sources is much appreciated.
 

Yvonne G

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There is a high/low thermometer that shows you how high and how low the temperature was during a 24 hour period. That might work for what you want.

This is just one example:

http://www.sperdirect.com/min-max-thermometer-push-button-367-prd1.htm

I'm not a fan of the temp gun, though many on here are. The one I have says you hold it 2' from what you want to measure. Well, I'm not good at estimating 2', and it makes a difference if you're further away or closer than 2'...so it isn't accurate for me.

I just have regular thermometers hanging inside my tortoise houses.
 

thatrebecca

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Cool, thanks, Yvonne! That looks perfect, as I'd like to know how high temps are getting in the burrow when I'm at work during the day -- if it's a 95-degree day here in LA, what is it in Casa Tortoise? That sort of thing.
 

Millerlite

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I like the ones with probs. almost all f the ones have high and low records, target they are 4 dollars
 

Tom

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I like the digital ones with a remote probe. Some have a wireless probe and some have a little probe on a wire. Wherever you put the probe (down in your burrow, for example) it records the temps. High, low and current. Some of them also do humidity. I get my wireless ones form Lowes for about $20.

Yvonne the distance from the object doesn't matter. The farther away you are the larger area you are measuring. Imagine a cone sticking out of the end of your temp gun. At 2' away you are temping a large area with a lot of variable temps. As it moves closer, the area you are temping becomes smaller and more focused. Your temp gun should work very well from one inch away and give you a good measurement of a small patch of sunshine or a tortoise carapace. You can experiment with your hand. Hold the temp gun very close to your palm and it will tell you the right temp. As you move it further away it will start to read temps off of your hand and through your fingers. You will be able to see this distance as the temp changes. Most temps guns tell you the angle of their "cone" on the package. Some have a sticker on the actual unit. They work just fine close up and will simply be measuring a smaller area the closer it is to the object being measured.
 

thatrebecca

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Well I got a cheapie thermometer from Target and learned helpful info as we prepare for summer here in SoCal. It got up to 98 degrees in the backyard today, 87 in the burrow. The thermometer isn't in the deepest corner of the burrow, which I presume is a bit cooler, cause I want to be able to grab it fairly easily.

I think we'll add a couple more inches of dirt on top and some bushes on either side to help shade the burrow once we hit those triple digit days.

The torts were pretty intrigued by the thermometer -- here's Gomez heading in to investigate the second I placed it inside.ImageUploadedByTortoiseForum1368321487.805371.jpg
 

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