Night lights! What do you use?

[Ruleof3]

Hi guys!

So I initially bought this setup (Full spectrum universal light with LED moonlight) for UV lighting and a moonlight on top of the cage for the cockatiels since they had some pretty rough night frights and they did so much better with it. Still currently using it- no issues. Totally different story for crazy Perry (G2). I bought the same set up for her and while she does love her nightlight she has unfortunately had a few very close calls with chewing on the wires. I've tried covering different areas of her cage stringing the wires in one way or another and somehow she always manages to get to it. So I was wondering what everyone else on here uses? I was thinking of maybe just getting a plug in night light from target or something but not sure if thats going to be bright enough.

Thanks guys

 

[weco]

Since Perry has already found the wires, whatever you use will most likely not work unless the wire is placed in metal conduit.....too often, once interested, they keep trying.....

As to your light fixtures, you might want to look up the several articles, about full spectrum lighting, posted in the forums some time back...what you have are nice looking, though a bit pricey for me, but they do not provide the full spectrum lighting you think they do.....

As to night lights, we use the ones that plug into a normal wall socket...I originally started out with the ones that turned themselves on & off (electric eyes), but decided they were causing night frights when they would flicker when a little outside light struck their eyes & changed to the ones that had a positive switch on them.....

 

[Kiwibird]

I would not rely on full spectrum lighting as their "source" of daylight (take them outside for that, be it on a harness or in a cage, weather/temp permitting). However, I see no harm in it if your birds enjoy it. We have a SAD lamp, and Kiwi enjoys sitting in front of it, though I don't *rely* on it for giving him an actual boost of sunshine. For sunshine, he gets to come outside and sit in the actual sunshine

At night, a small nightlight will provide enough light, IF your G2 even needs it at all. My parents have a elderly parrot who suffered a stroke a few years back and needs a light because he sometimes looses his grip at night. They use one of those cheap square plug in night lights that glows a soft green. His cage is only half-covered with the front left open so he can see the nightlight. It is about 4' from his cage, and provides enough light for him to climb back up when he does fall. If it provides enough light for a elderly, partially disabled bird with cataracts, it will be enough light for your healthy, young bird.

In fact, *most* birds do not need night lights unless they get night terrors or have some special circumstance, which is why I don't *personally* advocate their use and strongly recommend covering cages at the same time each night (and waking at the same time each morning). IMO, I think the vast majority of healthy birds do better with blackout covers and no light at night. Not only can superfluous light at night disrupt their sleep, the act of not covering could cause problems down the road. When a parrot reaches sexual maturity (4-6 y/o for a G2) their hormonal surges are triggered by changes in the amount of daylight and to have a consistent, year-round schedule of dark/light helps curb it. My parents G2 sometimes chews a hole in his blackout covers, and when he does, he sees the tiniest amount of daylight and will wake you up with LOUD calls at the crack of dawn:52: I could not imagine having lived with that bird had he not had a blackout cage cover or even worse, had light at night to flock call at any time in the wee hours of the morning *shudders*. He confuses himself with a rooster. Remember that good habits are formed early in life. Consider carefully how you want Perry's nighttime sleep routine to go if he doesn't *need* a light...

 

[halogen]

I use a lamp that I have placed about ten-ish feet from their cage. The cord goes into the wall adjacent. The lamp is ANCIENT, but it works well. Ever since I started using it combined with a cage cover, my tiels don't get night frights. For a while, I just used a night light that plugged into the wall, and that worked fine but then the spring in the battery compartment snapped off so that went in the trash. The brightness was fine though, and the spring snapping was my own fault xD. Night lights or lamps across the room work best for me. I know that if I had wires remotely close to the cage, Arya would be all over them!

 

[JerseyWendy]

No night lights for my birds. In fact, I bought room darkening cellular shades, AND they get covered. I don't hear a peep from them once lights are out.

As for lighting for birds, here are some great threads where the topic has been discussed in detail.

PHENOMENAL read right here: http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/35383-lighting-information-birds.html

And previous threads:
http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/42216-full-spectrum-lighting.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/41867-full-spectrum-lighting.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/questions-answers/37767-does-anyone-here-use-full-spectrum-lighting.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/conures/35008-full-spectrum-lighting.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/33330-full-spectrum-vs-daylight-lighting.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/29150-uvb-lighting.html

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-health-care/23581-full-spectrum-lighting.html

 

[4dugnlee]

No night lights specifically for my birds either. I have a light over my kitchen sink that stays on all the time and that gives off dim lighting but that's all. The birds are covered at night and they don't make a peep until I get up. Hubby gets up for work a couple hours before I do and they don't make a sound until I come out of the bedroom....now the dogs on the other hand, they get up with hubby!

 

[Phlox]

I don't use nightlights, but I don't cover either and that's mostly because of tiel night frights; just keeping the cover off seemed to solve that problem.

When I first got Mishka, I covered all the birds, but she'd freak out at 2am. I stopped covering and put them in a room with natural lighting. It's the foyer attached to the living room. It does get and stay dark at night, but they get to rise with the sun. However, my birds are clearly weird, because they only start chirping when they hear me up not before. And usually the BFA makes a chicken noise and my GCC says 'pretty bird' and that's about it. They will pester me a little with some chatter if I'm late with breakfast, but they are surprisingly quiet.

They aren't normal though. Covering and/or a darker room is usually a good plan so you can sleep to a reasonable time.

 

[Ruleof3]

Thank! We just moved to Florida so the birds get a lot more outside time than previously. I don't rely on the full spectrum lighting but that article you posted was excellent. I guess I just assumed Perry would need one since the tiels have had awful night frights in the past...to the point of damaging blood feathers...what a mess that was.

Perry has a strict bed time and gets her 12 hours now that she has her own room but we always covered up the cage and cut a hole through the cover where the nightlight could come through. I guess if goffins normally do well without the night light its worth a shot.

Thanks again!

 

[veimar]

I never used night lights - I got a cockatiel about a month ago, and I just don't cover his cage it night. During the quarantine he has a luxury of having his "own" room which has some natural lighting from outside. He didn't have a night fright yet, so I hope he will be fine.

 

[henpecked]

I used to raise cockatiels and still have many as pets. A nite light is a must with cockatiels. I don't have a problem with the amazons but tiels will really hurt themselves at night. I raised WF Lutinos and carried them to bird shows. The first time i transported them at night i arrived with a bloody mess. I could turn the "dome" light on in the truck while driving at night and everything was fine. I have cockatiels in an outside aviary, they have a night light. Don't know about toos , but tiels need a light.