Catnaxis Posted March 1, 2007 Posted March 1, 2007 I know I need one ,and I bought one, so now the question is .How many hours per day should it be on?
DaffyToons Posted March 2, 2007 Posted March 2, 2007 I keep mine on about 10 hours per day. It comes on around 9 a.m. and turns off around 7 p.m. The birds have a few hours in the morning and evening for waking up/settling down for the night that way.
Japie Posted March 2, 2007 Posted March 2, 2007 Out of pure ignorance... Why would one need a UV light?:huh:
kyparamedic Posted March 4, 2007 Posted March 4, 2007 I asked my avian vet and he said that it wouldn't hurt but really wasn't necessary. I've read otherwise but I tend to trust him as he's been dealing with birds for 25 years and only one of 100 or so board-certified avian specialists.
DaffyToons Posted March 4, 2007 Posted March 4, 2007 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!
tammymello Posted March 5, 2007 Posted March 5, 2007 Hi everyone, My birds live in the family room in our basement. My vet does home visits. She advised me to use full-spectrum lighting b/c the lack of sunlight. I noticed a huge change in my birds. They seem so much happier. tammy
Guest Posted March 5, 2007 Posted March 5, 2007 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.
kyparamedic Posted March 24, 2007 Posted March 24, 2007 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.
tonydiaz Posted March 24, 2007 Posted March 24, 2007 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.
momwf4 Posted March 27, 2007 Posted March 27, 2007 Is full spectrum lighting a special type of lamp or a type of light bulb you can get to just put in any lamp? Also where do you get it and do you direct it onto your bird like you put light over fish or reptiles?
Guest briansmum Posted July 13, 2007 Posted July 13, 2007 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?
judygram Posted July 13, 2007 Posted July 13, 2007 No I don't have one but CD raves about the way it makes the feathers look on his bird.
Guest briansmum Posted July 13, 2007 Posted July 13, 2007 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
spookyhurst Posted July 14, 2007 Posted July 14, 2007 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).
KinNJ Posted July 14, 2007 Posted July 14, 2007 Check out this page: http://amazonaonline.com/TAS/modules/article/view.article.php?c9/6 Highly informative, and appears at least as reliable as other pages I've found online.
Talon Posted July 14, 2007 Posted July 14, 2007 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. :)
Guest briansmum Posted July 14, 2007 Posted July 14, 2007 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!
judygram Posted July 14, 2007 Posted July 14, 2007 Does the full spectrum lighting give off a lot of heat like regular bulbs, I would not want that extra heat in the summer?
Guest Lidia Posted July 14, 2007 Posted July 14, 2007 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!
Guest briansmum Posted July 14, 2007 Posted July 14, 2007 deffinately lidia, i bet they're not grey to eachother!
Talon Posted July 14, 2007 Posted July 14, 2007 Judy, They don't give off heat like the heat lamps do. Most are covered by a clear cover so that are not hot.
judygram Posted July 14, 2007 Posted July 14, 2007 Thanks Talon, I would like to get one for Josey but I don't need any more heat producing things for the room in the summer.
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