Lighting

I am a new amazon owner and am I curious about full spectrum lighting. I am not sure if I need it. Jade's cage is across from a window that provides full sun most of the day. ThankS

the glass windows filter out the uva/uvb that your fid needs to convert vit D, the best thing is unfiltered direct sunlight. 20 min per wk is usually enough. Full Spectrum light have a very short life span before the coating burns off and have to be replaced very often,(good for weeks if used often). of course most people have no way of checking to see if they are still good. They also need to be very close to work (18" or less) . Fact is most of the time your wasting energy and not meeting your birds needs. Better plan, get your bird used to his travel cage by taking him out for sunlight and a bath while you clean the cage. Doesn't have to be direct ,hot sun, could be in partial shade (they still get reflected light). Get your bird used to the travel cage and go with the real deal. Loads of threads on this subject.

As someone who grew up with, and has been caring for large parrots my entire life, any "dedicated" light source is nothing more than a gimmick to get you to buy an $80 lightbulb. No parrot should be kept in a dark basement or closet, obviously, so if the room is well enough lit for you to want to be in there (by the sun or regular lighting after dark), it is plenty enough light for your bird. The only time a parrot possibly needs supplemental lighting is as a heat source for an ill bird under advisement from a vet. Use common sense here. If it is a cloudy day, turn on the lights in the room. If it is a sunny day, that a fine amount of light. One thing I do want to remind you of is that the window near your parrot should not be opened. Drafts, even ones that feel warm enough to you, can chill a parrot and lead to a potentially fatal illness (bird don't do well with drafts). There is also the potential your bird could find his way out the window, flighted or clipped (clipped birds can still fly short distances if spooked enough).

One more suggestion- if the outdoor temperature is above 75 and below 90, feel free to bring you feathered friend outside (locked in a cage and under constant supervision, of course) to enjoy some natural sunshine. Most parrots love going outside when it's warm. You can also include a nice bath, using a spray bottle with lukewarm water from a indoor sink, if it's above 80 out.

Kiwibird said:

As someone who grew up with, and has been caring for large parrots my entire life, any "dedicated" light source is nothing more than a gimmick to get you to buy an $80 lightbulb. No parrot should be kept in a dark basement or closet, obviously, so if the room is well enough lit for you to want to be in there (by the sun or regular lighting after dark), it is plenty enough light for your bird. The only time a parrot possibly needs supplemental lighting is as a heat source for an ill bird under advisement from a vet. Use common sense here. If it is a cloudy day, turn on the lights in the room. If it is a sunny day, that a fine amount of light. One thing I do want to remind you of is that the window near your parrot should not be opened. Drafts, even ones that feel warm enough to you, can chill a parrot and lead to a potentially fatal illness (bird don't do well with drafts). There is also the potential your bird could find his way out the window, flighted or clipped (clipped birds can still fly short distances if spooked enough).

One more suggestion- if the outdoor temperature is above 75 and below 90, feel free to bring you feathered friend outside (locked in a cage and under constant supervision, of course) to enjoy some natural sunshine. Most parrots love going outside when it's warm. You can also include a nice bath, using a spray bottle with lukewarm water from a indoor sink, if it's above 80 out.

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I totally agree with it being a gimmick.....I have read articles about that. Just another way for corporations to scalp pet owners.

I've never done full spectrum light with my pet birds. I tried it for a while with my breeding pairs and some of them did actually seem to enjoy it. But I was careful to only have it on for a few hours since nobody could give me a straight answer on cataract risk. Overall, my birds seemed to enjoy it but not really need it and I'm skeptical that they recieved any major health benefit from it. After a while I took it down and haven't put it back up. I haven't seen any difference in the health of the birds.

Wow thanks to all of you for you input it is greatly appreciated

Parrots do need UVA/UVB to convert vit d and vit a , that's why you hear people recommending Full spectrum lights. The more i read Kiwibirds post the more i think her Green Cheek Zons issues might be related to lack of sunlight. just my .02 worth. Don't think a regular light bulb will keep your bird healthy.i have many zons over the age of forty and they all get hours of sun per week.

henpecked- I have added a picture to my post about our sick bird. As you can see in the photo, there is a insulated glass window directly above his cage, as well as (out of the photo) a windowed door about 3' away. Living in AZ, these birds spend 2-3 hours a day in a outside aviary (except in the heat of the summer) 8 months out of the year. There is no way they do not recieve enough sunlight.

I somehow missed the part about them spending time in an outside aviary, Sunlight filtered though glass is worthless. I'm sorry to hear about his condition , sure hope the vet has some answers. When we respond to these post we only have what ever info is provided and give the best answers we can. I know how you feel about your fid, i have several longtime pets and breeders well into their forties and worry about them all the time.

Kiwibird said: "... if the outdoor temperature is above 75 and below 90..."

Very funny, its mid summer here in England and the temperature has yet to get above 70. It just rains nearly every day, so much so that we have had more than the average rainfall for July already. It's a bit like the Amazon rainforest but with the thermostat stuck on low.
We have a daylight temperature bulb to keep us humans from getting depressed as well as for Casper's benefit. We may, in a good year get three or four days above 75, if it gets to 90 degrees people start to die of heat stroke.
So any suggestions on vitamin D gratefully accepted.

SpringCottageParrot said:

Kiwibird said: "... if the outdoor temperature is above 75 and below 90..."

Very funny, its mid summer here in England and the temperature has yet to get above 70. It just rains nearly every day, so much so that we have had more than the average rainfall for July already. It's a bit like the Amazon rainforest but with the thermostat stuck on low.
We have a daylight temperature bulb to keep us humans from getting depressed as well as for Casper's benefit. We may, in a good year get three or four days above 75, if it gets to 90 degrees people start to die of heat stroke.
So any suggestions on vitamin D gratefully accepted.

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Probably why parrots are not native to the northern countries... Regarding the Vitamin D, I would ask your avian vet...

There are lots of flocks of parrots breeding successfully in the wild around here, much to the surprise of everyone and to the detriment of indigenous species.
The rumour is that they originate from a film studio where they escaped during the making of a movie. Probably aided by general escapees and those that have been let loose by owners that couldn't keep them.
AFAIK there are no Blue fronted Amazons gone native in the UK but there is a flock at Stuttgart in Germany.

SpringCottageParrot said:

Kiwibird said: "... if the outdoor temperature is above 75 and below 90..."

Very funny, its mid summer here in England and the temperature has yet to get above 70. It just rains nearly every day, so much so that we have had more than the average rainfall for July already. It's a bit like the Amazon rainforest but with the thermostat stuck on low.
We have a daylight temperature bulb to keep us humans from getting depressed as well as for Casper's benefit. We may, in a good year get three or four days above 75, if it gets to 90 degrees people start to die of heat stroke.
So any suggestions on vitamin D gratefully accepted.

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I'm moving to England! It's 105 here and very dry.

Coalminer said:

I am a new amazon owner and am I curious about full spectrum lighting. I am not sure if I need it. Jade's cage is across from a window that provides full sun most of the day. ThankS

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Thanks for posting this. My local pet store that specializes in parrots wanted me to buy full spectrum lighting and I was just waiting a week or 2 since I sent so much on cage, toys, etc. You saved me some money!

I've looked into this quite a bit. If you don't have the ability to give your birds exposure to sunlight that IS NOT THROUGH GLASS then a full-spectrum bulb is a good idea. What Henpecked said is basically correct. They provide the UV through a special coating that wears off fairly quickly -- about 6 months with normal usage. And they are pricey. However, there are some that are more than gimmicks -- Aviansun bulbs do definitely produce measurable UV. I had them send me a spectrum and they gave me permission to repost it:
Please note that a "daylight" bulb or daylight balanced bulb from the hardware store will NOT do this, it only shifts the color of the visible part of the spectrum. Some such bulbs are erroneously labeled full spectrum but they aren't.

I know that glass looks transparent to the human eye, but it is only transparent in the visible part of the spectrum. If you had eyes that see in infrared or ultraviolet only, it would look black. In fact, it is my understanding that parrots see into the UV-A as well as needing exposure to UV-B to properly process vitamin D. So if they only have light that comes through glass (including regular lightbulbs) it's sort of like wearing rose-colored glasses -- the colors will be distorted. And no UV-B will be available. So you need exposure to actual sunlight with no intervening glass or a full spectrum bulb that you have VERIFIED really is full spectrum!

The good news is that the holes in a window screen are large enough that UV will come through, so if you can slide open the glass, some of the UV (and IR for that matter) will make it through, even though much less intense than full sun outdoors.

I jus use spectrum lighting in the Winter now!

Coalminer said:

I am a new amazon owner and am I curious about full spectrum lighting. I am not sure if I need it. Jade's cage is across from a window that provides full sun most of the day. ThankS

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As henpecked mentioned, glass does filter out the light. My birds live outside in a flight cage so they get sunlight in the morning and afternoon, with them being in the shade in the middle of the day.

See below on other people's recommendations:

So I decided twelve months ago to try some experiments. My birds had sadly ceased breeding in their fully enclosed aviaries with glass or clear fibreglass roofs and windows.

1. I removed all of my glass windows and doors. I also removed all of the clear fibreglass roofing.
2. I installed reptile versions of full spectrum lights which had a fair amount of UVB emissions (timed to come on when I was absent).
3. I approached a local bird medications company (Vetafarm) in Australia to create a new supplement which was high in Vitamin D3 and which could be added to the birds’ water. In this, I am indebted to avian veterinarian Dr. Tony Gestier of Vetafarm.

It’s now a year later. The results are spectacular. Although I have discontinued all the fiddly food supplements and all bird medicines, my birds have leapt back to health. Eggbinding is now down to zero. Most pairs have around four chicks per nest. The chicks are huge, often bigger than their parents. Some pairs have seven babies per nest.

Some previously infertile birds are now fertile again. Some incapacitated birds are managing to breed five babies in a nest. Many older birds (over 4 years) are healthier but have not hatched babies. But they are at least laying eggs.

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Burke's Backyard > Fact Sheets > Vitamin D: A Sick Budgie Breakthrough

And also an academic article:

Vitamin D deficiency: a worldwide problem with health consequences
Most vertebrates, including amphibians, reptiles, birds, and lower primates, depend on sun exposure for their vitamin D requirement (2). The lack of sunlight and its association with the devastating bone-deforming disease rickets in children was first recognized by Sniadecki in 1822 (3). [...]
The major source of vitamin D for most humans is exposure to sunlight [...]

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^ goes on about the health issues with vitamin D deficiency
Vitamin D deficiency: a worldwide problem with health consequences

If you are willing to replace and monitor the effectiveness of your full spectrum bulbs, go for it. (They need to be checked and replaced regularly to ensure full effectiveness) However, my opinion is that if nature is willing to provide us a free service, then we can take advantage of it.

Your feathered companion may even enjoy the outdoor adventure - whether you use a carrier or harness, it's up to you. They'll most likely enjoy surveying the greenery outside and hearing other birds. It'll also help them map your yard in their memory so in the event they do fly away, at least they can recognise your yard.

Also:

The main function of supplementary full spectrum UV lighting in captive bird husbandry is to enable the birds to see the UV markings in their
plumage, leading to increased fertility and fecundity, an effect that is thought to be due to UVA radiation, not UVB. [...]
The majority of captive grey parrots are either kept indoors or live in northern latitudes where they do not receive adequate UV light, in comparison with birds living in equatorial Africa. The failure to provide adequate UV radiation in captivity may explain why grey parrots are so susceptible to the signs of hypocalcaemia. It is proposed by the author that grey parrots should be provided with UVB radiation as a standard part of their husbandry. Ideally it should come from solar radiation, because there are potential problems with supplying artificial UVB radiation, both from the performance of the lamps and the practicalities of keeping the bulbs close to the birds

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Effects of UVB radiation on calcium metabolism in psittacine birds -- Stanford 159 (8): 236 -- Veterinary Record
Veterinary Record 2006;159:236-241 doi:10.1136/vr.159.8.236

It's an article from 2006; Avian medicine and research is still very young, but this was from a quick search. Most likely there will be more recent studies.

DebsFlock said:

[...]
Please note that a "daylight" bulb or daylight balanced bulb from the hardware store will NOT do this, it only shifts the color of the visible part of the spectrum.
[...]
In fact, it is my understanding that parrots see into the UV-A as well as needing exposure to UV-B to properly process vitamin D. So if they only have light that comes through glass (including regular lightbulbs) it's sort of like wearing rose-colored glasses -- the colors will be distorted. And no UV-B will be available. So you need exposure to actual sunlight with no intervening glass or a full spectrum bulb that you have VERIFIED really is full spectrum!
[...]

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Very true on both accounts!