Keep the original before copying anything
Put the notebook, board photographs and existing files somewhere you can find again. Keep each source connected to the right animal. A photo of a board preserves what was written; it does not establish what an abbreviation meant or whether the recorded offer was eaten.
Hugo’s account of losing information from erasable boards explains why he built SquamaTracker. Your own move can be gradual: continue recording new events while you work through older notes. There is no need to reconstruct a complete life history first.
Read the story behind SquamaTracker →Choose the first records to bring across
Start with a small set you are likely to need: the last confirmed accepted meal, the most recent reliable measurement and any recent observations you want to keep in context. Write down which original you used, such as “notebook 2, page 14”, in your note.
Check the animal, year, date format and unit before entering a value. An ambiguous “04/05” needs checking against its source. If you cannot establish whether it means 4 May or April 5, retain the original wording in a note rather than inventing a date.
A worked example: three old notes, three different decisions
The following notes are fictional demonstration data for Nori. They illustrate how to preserve information, not a feeding plan, target weight or real keeper’s history.
| Original note | What is known | What to carry forward |
|---|---|---|
| 5 November 2026 · Nori · 1 thawed mouse · eaten | Animal, date, food and acceptance are explicit. | A dated accepted meal; note the notebook reference. |
| 8 November 2026 · Nori · 420 g · container tared | A measurement and its unit are recorded. | 420 g on the original date, with the measuring context. |
| November · Nori · shed? | The event and exact date were not confirmed. | A note quoting the uncertainty; no invented exact shedding date. |
Check the saved history against the source
Enter the selected observations manually using the fields available in your installed app. Review the saved entry beside the original: the right animal, the event date, the outcome and the unit. Keep any detail that does not have a dedicated field in a note.
Before entering the next item, check whether it is already present. If the notebook and a photograph describe the same event, that is one observation supported by two sources. Mark your progress on a separate list so you do not create duplicate meals or measurements.
How to record a meal →Check a weight entry →Keep readable copies and restoration separate
Being able to read an old PDF or photograph is different from being able to restore an app from it. Before changing phones or removing an app, check the backup and restoration instructions for that app, device and version. A file you can export is not automatically a file you can import.
In a reptile community discussion, keepers described difficulties accessing older records after changing tools. Those individual experiences explain the concern; they do not prove that a particular product will lose data. This guide describes manual transcription and does not promise CSV import, photo recognition or transfer between iPhone and Android.
Ask about the installed version →Continue with one clear entry at a time
SquamaTracker keeps meals, sheds, measurements, notes and photos with the individual animal. You can start with up to three animals free; Premium is optional for additional tools. The app is available in French and English on iPhone and Android.
After copying a small set, record the next observation when it happens. Leave the rest of the archive intact until you have a reason to bring another item across. A short history with clear sources is more useful than a complete-looking history built from guesses.
Start the animal’s record →See the app’s individual records →Frequently asked questions
Do I have to copy my entire notebook?
No. Begin with a few useful, reliable observations and keep the original accessible. Add older entries when you can verify them.
Which date belongs on an old meal?
Use the event date confirmed by the original source. The day you transcribe it is not the meal date. If the date is uncertain, say so in a note.
Does this process import my spreadsheet automatically?
No. This guide describes manual entry and review. It makes no claim that an existing spreadsheet or another app’s export can be imported.
Sources & product details
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Make your next entry count.
The app offers French and English and opens in French first. Choose English in Réglages → Langue. Some text may remain in French. Language help
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