So, since switching to the AP cage, I've been monitoring all my temps (except the two CHE's on thermostats) with the IR gun- everything has been perfect. But the past few weeks the humidity has been so abysmally low that every time I open the cage to check temps (usually once a day) it plummets down to 20-30% then takes a while to climb back up into the upper 50's. I got tired of that, so I re-installed two digital thermometers, one wireless and one a regular digital thermometer with a probe.

Now here's the real question, the wired thermometer the is hanging in the center of the cage with the probe maybe a 1/2 an inch above the surface of the substrate and reads between 77-78.5*F, the wireless on the "cool side" reads 79.5-81*F and is sitting in the substrate. ****the one in the middle of the cage is directly between the two CHE's, so the furthest point from any heat source***. When I use the IR gun on the actual sensors of each the temps read 80-81*f and 82-82.5*f respectively.

So, which device is giving me the more accurate ambient temperature? I assume the digital ones are measuring the "air" and the IR is reading the "surface". And if my ambient air temperature is actually that low (77-78*F) should I try and remedy that seeing how the hides are about perfect?

I check the temps inside my hides with the IR gun. For set up, there is a thermostat controlled hot hide that's internal temp reaches 88.5*F, the top of the hide with the IR gun usually measures 90-91.5*F due to it being heated from above. The middle area where it is the coolest has a hide where the internal temperature with the IR gun reaches the ambient temp that the probe is, usually about 80-81*F. The thermostat controlled "cool hide - more of a medium hide) internal temp is usually 82-83*F. And the moist hide that is between the ambient and medium hides is about 80 as well. He uses each hide regularly - the hot hide mostly after eating. Just trying to figure out how off my ambient temps have been all along - but also if I raise them thermostat temps, both hides will also get hotter.
Also the medium hide has a digital thermometer that he usually cover, but when it is on the surface is about 1 - 2 degrees less that what the IR gun says it is.