Potentially Dumb Thermometer Questions

[Heeltoeclutch]

Hi guys and girls,

This is potentially a stupid question but I have been unable to find a definitive answer, both in the stickied threads on how to set up tanks and just searching the forum.

Lots of people use the Acurite indoor/outdoor thermometers with the probe to get an idea of ambient+surface temperature. Do most people take their temps, adjust their thermostats, and then take the thermometers out? In one of the stickied threads it did not mention removing the thermometer before placing the snake inside. But having a floating probe in the substrate does not seem safe.

I’d like to have a live feed 24/7 of my temps in the cage just so I can, at a glance, see if anything is wrong - a Tstat has failed open, a UTH or piece of heat tape has failed, etc. I’m not sure what a good way to achieve this would be, as taping the probe in the cage is a bad idea and anywhere outside the cage will not be accurate. I know additional options are an infrared temp gun, measuring each night or just using the AcuRite every so often… But I’d like to have a constant feed.

…Additionally, does anyone know of a way to monitor humidity + heat and have it log to a computer without spending millions? I think it’d be nice to be able to look at the temp vs. time when the house is at different temperatures at different times of the day and also how stable humidity is/how fast it is dropping off.

So:

1. Thermometers left in cage?
2. If not, ways to monitor temp constantly?
3. Computer logging interface?

Thanks everyone!