Dear all,
For our current study of Amphibiocystidium in Palmate Newts in the Netherlands we need to weigh the animals. Spring scales are a tad bit inaccurate and we do not have the budget for more accurate digital scales. As an intermediate solution we are using so called weighing spoons (see photo). For a study in Midwife Toads (where I assisted in) I have used these before. They are a bit sensitive for wind and need to be on a level surface but other than that they seem quite usefull.
I am interested in your experiences with these scales in term of battery life in the field, accuracy and so forth. In the picture I have used one of my Triturus carnifex to do some testing.
Many thanks!
Tariq
Dear all,
So far these spoons which are effectively of course digital scales prove to work quite well in the field. Our students and myself use them in a wide variety of conditions and they proved to be stable during gusts of wind, rain and such. Since our study is a low budget one these were our cheapest option. Otherwise I would like to use more accurate scales. They measure up to one digit after the decimal point. I am quite pleased with these mobile, reliable and cheap scales. Really interested in other peoples views on these!
Very best, Tariq
Hi Tariq
I have no experience particularly with "spoons" but I have used miniature top loading scales that I assume would have similar accuracy. These are low budget and use button batteries that I have found to last months in the field. I have used them for small mammals with masses up to around 50g, and have calibrated them against lab balances, finding them to be accurate enough for the data sets I have been working with.
Considering they are more robust and less trouble than small spring balances, I think they should be fine for your task.
Well that's my limited opinion,
Kind regards
Tony
Hello all,
I'm a bit surprised to hear that spring scales aren't meeting peoples' needs. I have used them for herpetofauna for many years, and if you have the right size for your study animals (i.e., small enough to detect appropriately small differences) I've found them to be pretty good, although I admit I rarely compare them to a higher cost digital scale. I've found any scale to be problematic in windy field conditions, spring scales or high-quality top-load digital. I'd be curious to hear how people have found spring scales to be inaccurate? Is it a problem of accuracy, precision, or both? Does it have to do with field conditions?
Thanks,
-Alex
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