Quote Originally Posted by Jumbo View Post
Make certain you calibrate and test your thermometers and Hygrometers before you place ANY animal in it's new home, Just spent the last week making my poor friend Jumbo suffer 8 degrees hotter than was needed, and off 10% humidity, a few calibration tests later, everything is reading correctly, granted I have to take the misscalibration into the figures, but at least now they will be reading correctly.

For analog Hygrometers use some table salt, and water, mix just enough water with the salt to make a paste, think wet sand, but no excess water, seal in a bag and wait 8 hours, it should read about 75%, if not then it needs to be tweaked, I don't recall the brand Hygrometer but this seems to be a fairly universal test, as for digital, I don't know sorry.

As for Digital Thermometers, I did a cold test to check it's calibration, Styrophome cup with ice and water left sitting for about 5 minutes, dip the prob into the middle, past the ice, and away from the bottom or sides of the cup, temp should read 32 degrees, anything else, and that's how far off it's reading.

Hope this helps, and prevents someone else from making the same mistake and subjecting their new Compatriots to substandard or ill crafted measurement devices.
Here is another example of why I find this forum to be such a valuable resource. The information and innovations are endless!

The first time I ever saw a horned frog was in the early 1970's at a place called "Wild Cargo". My dad brought me there and I bought a couple of baby oscars with my paper route money. Seems kinda quaint now doesnt it?

Anyway, there were 2 large horned frogs of some type in a 10 gallon with a divider of some sort. They seemed other-worldly to me. Left an impression that is still with me today.

About 10 years later I encountered another one at a small fish shop run by an eccentric old guy that bred huge cichlids in his basement. He had connections in New York and could get all sorts of amazing imports.

He had a single HUGE horned frog, an Ornate I believe, and for a buck you could buy a goldfish and he feed it for you to watch. An impressive sight indeed as these were large (5-6 inch fish)

He was asking and absurd price for the frog, something like $300 or $400....way out of my budget at the time.

Sometime very shortly after that, another local pet shop had a baby horned frog. Still very expensive (for the time) at about 50 bucks if i recall.

I had to have it.

Named it Larry after Larry bird. It was Celtic green after all. Well it turned out Larry was a lady, and an Ornata and she grew enormous on a diet of things you'd all lynch me for giving her.

Wild caught frogs, birds, goldfish, countless mice and small rats and every damn bug I could catch under the spotlight at night.

Her home was an old slate bottomed tank, probably 5 1/2 gallons with a 20 watt bulb over her. An inch of spring water and that was it. Please dont hunt me down and shoot me.

Anyway, she lived 14 years. Her last several years were spend under better care as more information and care sheets became available.

So again, like I said, this place is a valuable resource. Thanks to you all.