I sometimes use this $11 one off Amazon. It's 0.3oz and keeps a log of highs and lows with temp and humidity. I run it overnight so I have an idea how cold it got. It only goes down to 23F.
It looks like an Inkbird Hygrometer. Based on picts on Amazon the first number is temp and the second is humidity.
After ~3 years boas should only be fed once every 3-4 weeks, so that's not an issue. They're hard to starve.
Try to keep humidity around 75-80% (this hygrometer is great). My girl goes blue first for about a week, then clears up for a week, then sheds. Bathing shouldn't be necessary unless the shed is shredded and incomplete.
I tried a few of these recently and the best ones I found were actually the one that Inkbird makes.
They are like 12+ dollars... I got 4 of them and they all matched what the others said. This was not true of any of the other mini hygrometers I bought.
The Inkbird ones also exactly matched the Inkbird sensor that I use in my grow room.
I tried a couple different mini hygromoters that come in packs of like 5-12 and I also tried the Calibre 4 and none of them were accurate.
do you have any recommendations for digital & how to make sure they are calibrated?
i just got one of these in yesterday actually, since i dont like analog things. threw it in a baggy with salt/water mix to see what it shows and it was around 72 after being in there for a night.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0140UC9XQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
is there any brand that is "better" or easiest to calibrate/manage over time? i picked that one cause price was good and had plenty of decent reviews. and most of them seemed to be about the same thing with diff name anyways.
figure if you got that much tied up you have tried a few things and done your research already :)
Got them from Amazon. I have the inkbird hygrometer on the maduro jars and some cheapo Chinese brand hygrometer for my Connecticut jars.
Inkbird ITH-10 Digital Thermometer and Hygrometer Temperature Humidity Monitor Humidor Guitar Ukulele Mason Jar. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0140UC9XQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_3ZRJW7G1XRNN1KAC51RP
I’ve had good luck with these
First of all, most of this applies mostly to sheng/raw pu-erh storage. There is some debate as to whether any of this needs to be done for shou/ripe pu-erh at all.
Most people use a digital hygrometer. They can be had for around $12 for these inexpensive ones, or $24 for these +/-1% rated nicer ones. if you are worried about the calibration, stick it in a bag with a boveda pack and measure if it matches. If not, I own a couple cheap hygrometers where I simply have a "+X%" offset sharpied onto it.
As for your actual set point, there seem to be different schools of thought on this within the pu-erh community. The general number I tend to hear most often is 67% RH boveda packs, but I tend to run mine on the drier side at 62% RH. Some folks push >70%, but at that point you really are running a risk of condensation and mold if you were to have a fast drop in temperature.
The procedure for humidifying cakes is to leave both the cake and the boveda pack in a bag for a few days/weeks. Then remove the boveda, stick in the hygrometer, close it up, and wait 8+ hours for the hygrometer to settle. Ideally the humidity in the bag will rise up due to the moisture in the leaves of the cake and it should read the same or close to the RH value of the boveda pack.
Many pu-erh nerds are fussy about the type of bags used and recommend 7-mil thick 1-gallon mylar bags for full-size 357g pu-erh cakes, as ordinary zip-lock bags are not going to retain humidity as well. If you are out in the desert, especially if you will be opening and closing the bags, I would periodically check your cake's self-generated humidity and re-humidify if needed.
No need to purchase new boveda packs, either. If they start to get hard and dried out and you want to revive them, just wrap it in a damp paper towel and stick it in a bag until it becomes saturated again.
Sorry for the wall of text, but pu-erh storage is a huge topic, and these are the methods which have worked for me. If you are very serious about it, I am just one opinion of many. I wish you the best of luck!
You don't need to worry about playing in a bone dry room. It's more of a long term effect. The only major concerns as far as immediate effects have more to do with temperature (e.g. taking a guitar out of a case in a warm room after having been in the extreme cold) which could damage the finish moreso than the actual structure.
For some peace of mind, I would recommend one of these to put in your case and make sure the humidity is staying around 50%. I've been using the same humidipaks for YEARS despite the manufacturer telling you to replace them every 2-6 months. They did dry out a bit during the New England winters, but I would kind of "recharge" them by putting them in a humid environment for 24-48 hours to reabsorb some moisture. Worked like a charm and all three of my guitars have stayed at a comfortable 45-51% humidity level.
There are tons of YT videos on basic maintainence, string changes, etc., but I always recommend the Dan Erelwine books "How to Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great!" and "The Guitar Player Repair Guide - 3rd edition". Check to make sure you get the latest edition.
Invest in a few tools and rulers and you're set.
If you're really concerned, keep something like this in the bag/case and/or something like this in the room.
But solid-body guitars just aren't as susceptible as acoustics, so a reasonable temp/humidity will be fine.
I use this one. It records the lowest and highest temperature plus provides the humidity. It weighs just under an ounce.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0140UC9XQ/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_api_i_fqDoFb