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UV Light


Catnaxis

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My avian vet is board certified as well, and while he recommends full-spectrum lighting, it is not required for the health of a bird. I know of a canary breeder, a very reputable one at that, that keeps his canaries in his basement with no windows whatsoever, and uses incandescent lighting. The birds thrive. I'm glad it works for him, but I still think that natural (or as close to natural as we can get it) is the best bet for my sweet birdies!

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I'm going to guess :blush: Please correct me if something sounds illogical or I'm out of line.

 

But, since AG's originally come from a sunfilled continent I would think(!) that some extra light in places where the sun is not abundantly present would help make up for something they most probably have in their genes.

 

So, it depends, I think (!) on where you live and if the sun is around there enough.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I asked again the other day about this and my vet said that if they're eating the proper diet, a UV light is a waste of money as they get all the vitamin D they need from their diet. As long as there is sunlight from a window, they'll be ok. If not, artificial light is recommended.

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I read that because AG are able to see more of the violet and ultraviolet spectrum then we can, then not providing this type of lighting would be neglecting an important part of their emotional development. An alternative is taking the AG for daily walks outside.

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  • 3 months later...
Guest briansmum

well i got a bird lamp. i have it pointed at his play stand since he is there more than his cage, he seems to enjoy sitting in the light and it sure makes the big feathers on his wings look amazing. has anyone else noticed a slightly blue tint to their bird?

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Guest briansmum

it's too soon to pass judgement as to whether or not the light will effect him in any other way, but he deffinatly looks prettier in it. not that he wasn't pretty enough already :P

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I have a full spectrum lamp by Nikko's gym that I leave on for the whole time she is awake. Now I might be nuts, but I feel like she became much less fussy after I started using the light. She sits as close to it as possible too. The lightbulb I use is an Ott Lite which has a CRI of 95 (I believe 90 is the lowest you want to use for good effect).

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I have a full spectrum light that is on Talon's play cage all day. Our avian vet recommended it. I also did lots of research, and found it was highly advised for the health of your birds. Talon doesn't like to go to her cage if it's not on. She does enjoy sitting close to it. :) :)

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Guest briansmum

so does brian, at first he tried to eat it but now he likes to just sit near it. i found it amazing he could get that close and still see!

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Guest Lidia

xxbeccyxx wrote:

has anyone else noticed a slightly blue tint to their bird?

 

Absolutely! You can see the blueness a bit when they're wet. They must look amazing to one another, all these colours we don't see. I wonder what the slight cheek blushing we see looks like to them, must be very vivid in the UV range.

Great thread, Catnaxis!

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