Terrarium thermometer

[ianxx]

Does anybody have a preferred thermometer they use for their terrarium? With that, what are some preferred temperature-regulating products that work well in terrariums?

 

[Nightstalker47]

You don't need anything inside the enclosure, just monitor the temps of the room.

 

[PanzoN88]

Nope, just room temperature or a space heater at 75-78° (at least those are the temperatures I keep the room at)

 

[Greasylake]

Temperature regulating isn't needed either, a heat mat is a good way to dehydrate and kill your spider. The rule of thumb most people use is: if you're comfortable in the room then the spider is too. If that room gets particularly cold in the winter then you can move them somewhere a little warmer or get a space heater, but heat mats and thermometers are unnecessary.

 

[Dave Jay]

Does anybody have a preferred thermometer they use for their terrarium? With that, what are some preferred temperature-regulating products that work well in terrariums?

I find it handy to know the temperature and humidity near the enclosures, it gives me an idea of evaporation rates. A cheap glass fish tank thermometer is all that's needed if you want to monitor temperatures inside the enclosure, they can be poked into the substrate which is really all you need to monitor if you're not using a heat source. The substrate will keep a fairly constant temperature and is where heat is stored, ideally it should be around 20c for most species, if it drops below 15c and stays there you may need to consider some form of heating. A warmer position in the house is the preferred method , followed by space heating , but if it was practical you'd already be using it for your own comfort. Heat should never be applied from the bottom, if a heat mat is used it should always be on the ends or side. With my tree frog terrarium a fluoro fish tank light on the lid on for a few hours at night is enough to keep the temperature from dropping below 15c on cold nights, the uv light inside my lizard tank does the same for that .
If my tarantulas drop too low, which they may, it's been 18/20c outside the enclosures for weeks and it's only autumn, I will tape heat mats to the back of the cupboards the enclosures are in, not onto the enclosures themselves , but I will be closely monitoring the temperature. I sit surrounded by my enclosures but it does get cold enough that we wear jackets inside, heating the whole room day and night is out of the question, electricity is too expensive, even in bed our noses are cold in winter, if space heating was practical we'd be using it for our own comfort!
One idea that crossed my mind is an old diy method of heating herp enclosures, an adjustable aquarium heater is inserted into a large bottle or jar filled with water and siliconed in place with the adjustment knob protruding. This is put behind or at the back of the terrarium to provide heat. It is an easily adjustable source of mild indirect heat, it'll never be hot enough to actually burn an animal as they generally only heat to about 34c or so.
In short, direct heat can be dangerous, ambient heat is always better.

 

[cold blood]

As long as your temps are at least 70, you are fine for any tarantula species and any sling for that matter....they do not require extreme heating.

 

[AphonopelmaTX]

Although I agree with the idea obsessive monitoring and adjusting to reach an ideal temperature/ humidity level is unneeded, a good thermo hygrometer comes in handy to observe the greenhouse effect in action inside of a tarantula's enclosure. I use an indoor/ outdoor thermo hygrometer with probe to find out just how much warmer or cooler the inside of any one of my tarantula's enclosures are compared to the ambient temperature and humidity of the room they are in. More times than not, the inside of my tarantulas' enclosures are warmer by a few degrees than the room and more humid at that. I can also make some correlations between the activity level of my spiders and the temperature inside their enclosures. Naturally, the warmer it is, the more active they are; the cooler, the less active. If I go by the temperature of the room which is cooler than the inside of an enclosure, I would draw the conclusion that some of my tarantulas are more active when it is, say 75 degrees F, as opposed to the actual temperature they are experiencing is more like 80.

It is also interesting to actually observe that humidity levels really are not important. For instance, when I rehouse my Aphonopelma hentzi it constantly climbs the walls of its container as the soil I use is damp. The tarantula eventually settles down then starts digging when the top layer dries out. A reading from my trusty thermo hygrometer shows a high humidity level even though the soil is dry to the touch. By contrast, my Theraphosa stirmi goes into hiding and displays discomfort when the soil in its enclosure dries out even though the humidity level in the enclosure is usually around 80% and comes to life so to speak after the whole enclosure is watered with a plant watering can. That boosts the humidity up to near 100% but it became obvious that it was the damp soil it needed and not a boost to the amount of water in the air. And of course as in my Aphonopelma hentzi, it was obvious humidity level didn't matter as much as it doesn't like to be in contact with damp soil.

So in conclusion, devices to measure temperature and humidity are not necessary for proper husbandry, but they are great to see what affects it has on your tarantula's behavior.