Natural Sunlight Questions

[BoomBoom]

Hello! I know this has been brought up before but the old threads I read had very conflicting answers. I’d rather not discuss full spectrum bulbs. My sun conure has a full spectrum bulb above his cage that is timed to go on 8 hours a day however I don’t really trust these bulbs to replace natural sunlight. It is really just there for illumination.

In the winter season, afternoon sun streams through the OPEN window and into a portion of Boomer’s cage. I just realized that because it is summer, the angle of the sun has changed and it does not go into Boomer’s cage anymore. I work Monday to Friday from 8 to 5 so the only time I can expose him to sun is when I get home. But afternoon sunlight seems ‘weak.’ Which leads me to my questions:


1. What time of the day is sunlight most beneficial in Vitamin D synthesis? Morning, noon or afternoon?

2. How much sunlight would a conure need in a week? A member here said 5 minutes a week, that seems too short???


Thank you for your input in advance!!!

 

[Kalidasa]

Her boomboom! I know I had to move all my plants because the sun is higher. The sun is strongest between 10am-2 or 3pm, depending on where you live. But afternoon light is ok as long as its not burning hot. You could try some creative mirror placement to direct light as long as it ends up somewhat diffused when it hits the cage. Honestly I don't know what the minimum requirements are, but I try (weather permitting) to get
Them outside every day in dappled sunshine for at least an hour.

 

[weco]

You're right, it has been brought up before and you are right that they are just illuminators.....

You are also right about the sun's angle causing greater or less intensity and the theories/hypotheses run from 5 minutes per day to an hour per day, to most anything in between.....I don't know of any publication that lists specific data on the subject.....also some species, those whose natural habitats experience monsoons, may not enjoy true sun exposure for weeks at a time.....

 

[henpecked]

Sunlight filtered though glass, plastic ,etc doesn't do him any good for processing Vit d. Direct sunlight is best and 20 minutes per week is enough. Even in the shade (outside) he will receive some UVA/UVB rays that are reflected but he would need more than the 20 minutes worth.

 

[Mayden]

Can I ask WHY you don't trust the full spectrum lighting?

 

[Kalidasa]

Window filtered sunlight is reduced by 90% due to the glass. But if the bird is getting 10% all day long.....well, that sounds pretty good, especially if he goes outdoors sometimes. LOL! Don't bash out your windows boom boom! I can see it now! LMAO!!!

 

[henpecked]

Glass does block all UVB rays. Some modern windows (glass) also have coatings that block UVA rays. I won't get into all the mish-mash about FS lights but the coating on them goes away long before the bulb burns out (matter of hours , maybe 100 hrs or so). They also need to be with in 18" to be effective. All that's if you can find bulbs that are truly what they say they are , or you can interpret what spectrum is needed for your bird. Sorry i'm not a fan of anything artificial, i go with the real thing.

PS don't forget , the folks selling you light bulbs are in the business of selling you light bulbs. I'd do my research somewhere other than their website.

 

[Mayden]

Glass does block all UVB rays. Some modern windows (glass) also have coatings that block UVA rays. I won't get into all the mish-mash about FS lights but the coating on them goes away long before the bulb burns out (matter of hours , maybe 100 hrs or so). They also need to be with in 18" to be effective. All that's if you can find bulbs that are truly what they say they are , or you can interpret what spectrum is needed for your bird. Sorry i'm not a fan of anything artificial, i go with the real thing.

PS don't forget , the folks selling you light bulbs are in the business of selling you light bulbs. I'd do my research somewhere other than their website.

Oh no I agree with you entirely. People will paint horses stripy and call it a zebra if people wanted zebras! I'd rather my fids be outside enjoying the sunshine than relying on a lamp, but if you need a lamp because you /can't/ take fids outside, then I'd like to work out a way around it.

Some companies have their lights analysed by independant companies and they come with nice big sheets saying their effectiveness, light waves and all that fun stuff. Surely not ALL FS Lighting bulbs lose their effectiveness after so little hours?

I figured that any FS lighting had to be close to the bird anyway, you can't just have it as the bulb of the room but as a lamp close to the bird in it's cage.

Just wanting to learn more anyway since I've always been satisfied with the results I've seen (from others) with their fids and sunlamps.

 

[henpecked]

I found this post by a friend of mine ( she's a rocket scientist at Cal Tech).


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:
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 1024x792.

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.


You can also do the forum search "full spectrum lighting" lots of results.

 

[BoomBoom]

Thank you for the responses!

I agree, glass filters the UV rays from the sun which is why I always leave my windows cranked open when I go to work. Luckily I can get away with leaving my windows open without safety issues because of how my apartment unit is situated. The sunlight that comes in just passes through a standard screen which I make sure to clean every now and then so more of the sunlight gets through. Boomer’s cage is right by the open window so it worked very well in the winter season. Don’t worry, Kali. I won’t be bashing any windows anytime soon! Hahaha!

I have a few questions about reflected light. Kali and Henpecked brought up some good points. So outdoors, reflected light is beneficial by a small percentage. Does it matter what it reflects off of? If sunlight comes in through my open window and hits a glass table, will the UV bounce off inside the room? What if he sunlight just hits the carpet and illuminates the room, does UV bounce around? In my research, I read that mirrors do not reflect UV rays that’s why I’m wondering.

Can I ask WHY you don't trust the full spectrum lighting?

I think Henpecked summed it up pretty well in his last few posts. I just don’t think the Full Spectrum Bulbs can come close to being a substitute to natural sunlight. Not with what is being offered in the market currently, anyway. Maybe if the bulb was the size of a couch and strapped to Boomer’s back but I’d end up with a fried conure. I have always had a slight doubt about the FS bulbs, but I didn’t start researching about it until I read one of Weco’s threads. I can’t remember all the links I found in my research, but here’s one I remember from Weco’s original post, if you want to read more about it: Little Feathered Buddies Health & Nutrition

 

[henpecked]

I don't know if UV can be reflected by glass/mirror but i would assume so. It's reflected in natural settings.