Basking light. Yay Or Nay?

[LoveMyConlan]

I was told that for a bit of extra heat, and light, for my Sun Conure at night that a 25 watt basking light would be a good idea. She's not a fan of the Dark and loves sitting near the light in my room and on my heating pad when it's on my bed. And YES she has been vet checked by an avian vet to make sure she's not sick. Vet gave her all clear and said she's just not liking the temp drops at night.

So she recommended a very low heating lamp to hang a few inches over her cage in the one corner. I could only find white basking lights and red heat bulbs, both for reptiles. I heard the red can be damaging to the eyes so I went with the white to try. We did run it for 6 hours over a thermometer with the same distance she would be. It kept the area at 74 degrees Fahrenheit. Mouse loves it!

Unexpected error

 

[SilverSage]

Nay. While the merits of full spectrum lighting are debated, it is never wise to repurpose reptile specific bulbs for avian use without a LOT of research into the science of light and how it can damage the avian eye.