Which hydrometer to trust

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Splreece

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Hey all.

I have an 8 wk old beardie just arrived and been here a week so feeding, patterns are all messed up..

She's very sociable.. And i dont encourage it, but she comes to glass on a set of 3 stones and stares... When I open doors she comes out and likes to just sit and stare at me.. When offering to go back in she won't move and I don't force it until she goes in herself.
Feeding is iffy at best but could be moving stress...

Temps are. At 41deg surface basking stone and 28deg cool side.

However.... I bought komodo temp and hydrometer that read similar temps but hydro reads 25 in hot and 46 in cold, going about 50 at night.. They cost£9 each so I bought a £20 industrial style thermo and hydrometer.. The thermos match but hydros on industrial read 36......
109077-3731557350.jpg
Which should I go for.. Are komodo normally reliable... The komodo are sick on and the DIY shop bought is free standing.

I also bought
 

CooperDragon

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Your setup looks great. I wouldn't worry about the humidity too much. All of those numbers are within a good safe range anyway. If it doesn't feel humid to you in the room it's probably just fine. It's expected that humidity will be less in the hot area and will increase overnight when the basking light is off. If you want to double check your hygrometers you can calibrate them using some salt water and a sealed container. https://www.neptunecigar.com/tips/how-to-calibrate-your-hygrometer
 

KarrieRee

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Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Cute little thing-- basking temps are good -- cant comment on the hygrometer -- I have a digital one I use that the probe is in the middle of the tank back wall -- your humidity is fine -- I was looking at your tank and dont see a UVB-- what are you using for a UVB and does it have a reflector on the fixture
Karrie
 

Splreece

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Original Poster
CooperDragon":y12u29w2 said:
Your setup looks great. I wouldn't worry about the humidity too much. All of those numbers are within a good safe range anyway. If it doesn't feel humid to you in the room it's probably just fine. It's expected that humidity will be less in the hot area and will increase overnight when the basking light is off. If you want to double check your hygrometers you can calibrate them using some salt water and a sealed container. https://www.neptunecigar.com/tips/how-to-calibrate-your-hygrometer
Thanks very much.. Means a Lot because a week ago I was a noob.. And the pet shop sold me a complete package... And they said I didn't need a basking light, could use sand or soil and didn't need any stones or other measuring elements... So I was shocked to find out how misguided the shops advice was (I had researched but obs trust pros....)... No more pet shops for me.. But 3 days into basking light, stone 2 hydros and 2 thermos... And loads of tiles... I think it's stable enough...
 

CooperDragon

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You're doing well. She looks really happy basking on that nice flat stone. There is a bit of a learning curve for sure but you'll get the hang of it quickly. Please feel free to ask us any questions you have and we'll do as much as we can to help you.
 

Splreece

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KarrieRee":25al0yd0 said:
Cute little thing-- basking temps are good -- cant comment on the hygrometer -- I have a digital one I use that the probe is in the middle of the tank back wall -- your humidity is fine -- I was looking at your tank and dont see a UVB-- what are you using for a UVB and does it have a reflector on the fixture
Karrie


Thanks... She's got a right personality.. She doesnt glass urf but always wants to be out and cuddling.... Dead calm... But simple won't eat regularly...(.. Yet..) .....

The uvb is a 12‰ d3 with a t5 hood {shop recommended}.. And the basking bulb is 75watts....
109077-3982091523.jpg


Ohh while. I have u... Would you recommend blocking off a quarter of the uvb with card.... On the cool side..... Ive heard keeping the coolside darker is better... But not sure how to block the lihjt
 

CooperDragon

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Arcadia T5 is an excellent bulb (I use one too). No worries there. As far as eating, I think you'll find that it isn't a constant. She will not eat much for a while, then have a huge appetite for a while, then back to not eating much and everything in between. It as a lot to do with where they are in their growth cycle and their mood. Just keep offering food and she'll dig in when she needs it. It's good that she is curious and wants to be out to explore. As she gets older you may be able to set up a spot in a window sill for her to look outside or set up a portable basking lamp somewhere in the house so she can roam around a room. It's kind of a case by case thing but I like to encourage exploring and enrichment as much as possible.
 

Claudiusx

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Check the calibration on both of them.

Get a bottle cap and fill it with salt. Add just enough water to the salt to make it wet like beach sand. But not so much that the salt dissolves. It should just be wet salt.

Add that bottle cap, and your two hygrometers to a ziplock baggy, seal it, and come back the next day and see the readings. You should be around 75%. Note the deviation on your hygrometers and remember that when reading from them in your tank.

-Brandon
 

Splreece

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Original Poster
CooperDragon":1x8hcs42 said:
You're doing well. She looks really happy basking on that nice flat stone. There is a bit of a learning curve for sure but you'll get the hang of it quickly. Please feel free to ask us any questions you have and we'll do as much as we can to help you.


Thanks.... Aside how to control the new parent flapping and fussing... Which am. Sure everyone goes through . The only questions I have are does anyone know a good bug terminator... As I'm starting a cricket farm...... So am Hoping not to completely ruin my house.... Doh

Elsa dragon (daughter named her) say ta for the advice
109077-7444945457.jpg
 

Splreece

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Original Poster
Claudiusx":3o0wbdiv said:
Check the calibration on both of them.

Get a bottle cap and fill it with salt. Add just enough water to the salt to make it wet like beach sand. But not so much that the salt dissolves. It should just be wet salt.

Add that bottle cap, and your two hygrometers to a ziplock baggy, seal it, and come back the next day and see the readings. You should be around 75%. Note the deviation on your hygrometers and remember that when reading from them in your tank.

-Brandon

Cracking suggestion... I'll do that one at a time over the weekend.. Thanks very much...
 

Splreece

Member
Original Poster
CooperDragon":2uvd86dx said:
Arcadia T5 is an excellent bulb (I use one too). No worries there. As far as eating, I think you'll find that it isn't a constant. She will not eat much for a while, then have a huge appetite for a while, then back to not eating much and everything in between. It as a lot to do with where they are in their growth cycle and their mood. Just keep offering food and she'll dig in when she needs it. It's good that she is curious and wants to be out to explore. As she gets older you may be able to set up a spot in a window sill for her to look outside or set up a portable basking lamp somewhere in the house so she can roam around a room. It's kind of a case by case thing but I like to encourage exploring and enrichment as much as possible.

Thanks again.... Yeah I made the mistake of putting the crickets in the viv.... Nightmare to get back out which I think stressed her out.. So last few days... Put her in a clear. Plastic storage box and crickets in too.. And see what happens.... She's not stressed or scared.. Just stands around looking at me.. Not eating... So maybe just full. From prev feed.
 

KarrieRee

BD.org Sicko
Beardie name(s)
Hiccup he is 6 and Blaze is 4
Can you get dubia roaches there? I would recommend them if you can they are easier to feed than crickets and your not gonna like that cricket farm either --- what about silk worms - they are another great staple feeder along w/ BSFL also called nutri grubs calci worms or phoenix worms great for babies they do not need to be dusted either --- are you feeding salads? She needs them every morning
ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
the UVB is how far from basking decor if its over 15 inches its too far it needs to be 12-15
Karrie
 

Splreece

Member
Original Poster
KarrieRee":1fcgg3i0 said:
Can you get dubia roaches there? I would recommend them if you can they are easier to feed than crickets and your not gonna like that cricket farm either --- what about silk worms - they are another great staple feeder along w/ BSFL also called nutri grubs calci worms or phoenix worms great for babies they do not need to be dusted either --- are you feeding salads? She needs them every morning
ignore the kale thing its a good staple feeder http://www.beautifuldragons.com/Nutrition.html
the UVB is how far from basking decor if its over 15 inches its too far it needs to be 12-15
Karrie

Thanks Karrie..

I bought so 5-8 ml dubia but they arrived and more. Like 1.5 so too big to eat.. Found out tonite I cd cut them in half.... Err... I guess I'll have to man up to do that.

Yeah she's taking one or two wax worms on the days where she's gone over a day with food.... But not often because of fat content...

I tried her with calci worms but is ignoring them altogether... She gets carrots, apple, greens, swede and peppers daily but only trends to nibble on a tiny bit of greens.. Normally fed by hand or where she finds scraps elsewhere... Maybe she doesn't doesn't like bowls and wants a wander to feed... Maybe I should hide food... For her to. Find... (the worms. Wander off and hide anyway)
 

CooperDragon

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A trick I used to do with crickets was to put some calcium in a small cup and then put just 2-3 crickets in at a time and shake them gently to give them a nice even coat. Then I'd let them out of the cup (hopefully) one at a time so they were easier to track for my dragon and for me to remove them if needed. It can take a bit more time in batches like that, but it reduced the risk of escapees.
 

Splreece

Member
Original Poster
CooperDragon":1ybafgvd said:
A trick I used to do with crickets was to put some calcium in a small cup and then put just 2-3 crickets in at a time and shake them gently to give them a nice even coat. Then I'd let them out of the cup (hopefully) one at a time so they were easier to track for my dragon and for me to remove them if needed. It can take a bit more time in batches like that, but it reduced the risk of escapees.


Good call... Yeah I havenr quite mastered the art of moving egg cups full of crickets from one storage box to another without panic of spilling..
 
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