Sun Lamps
- Thread starter Allylang1
- Start date
Cycletim
Member
- Mar 22, 2020
- 114
- 16
- Parrots
- Jasper Congo African Grey,
Grover Red bellied parrot RIP 10/20,
Red bellied parrot Rheya
There are many posts on this topic. I will put my opinion in. There is no substitute for the sun. UVB is what we humans wear sun block to avoid getting sun burns. The best option is to give your parrot access to the sun for at least 20 minutes per week. However you can do it.
I thought Avian lights were ideal aswell, but they are not they can cause blindness and sunburns. We use a avian light fixture for bird cages with an ordinary cfl bulb from home depot. I am not saying lighting is bad, it helps with hormones for sure. But, birds are not reptiles and do not require a ton of sunlight all day long. I hope this helps and its just my opinion from personal experience and what I have read here on the forums.
I thought Avian lights were ideal aswell, but they are not they can cause blindness and sunburns. We use a avian light fixture for bird cages with an ordinary cfl bulb from home depot. I am not saying lighting is bad, it helps with hormones for sure. But, birds are not reptiles and do not require a ton of sunlight all day long. I hope this helps and its just my opinion from personal experience and what I have read here on the forums.
We are using M&M Light purcahsed from Amazon.
As i am in Canada, most of the days are 'dark' in Winter time, we keep it on most of the day (Echo is not in the cage non-stop, but, when he is, light is on).
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0757S5LDT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
As i am in Canada, most of the days are 'dark' in Winter time, we keep it on most of the day (Echo is not in the cage non-stop, but, when he is, light is on).
https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B0757S5LDT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
OP
OP
Allylang1
New member
- May 16, 2020
- 45
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- Parrots
- Parakeets: Lucy Blue (flown to the rainbow bridge) and Desi. Yellowsided GCC: Ollie
- Thread starter
- #4
Thank you! Unfortunately it is too cold to go outside and get real sun right now. And in the summer, it is WAY too hot. I get him out when I can but there are times that isn’t feasible. I wonder if they would still get enough light if I turn the reflector up so they can’t look at it....
I would recommend reviewing:
https://www.breedingcage.com/pages/education
A lot of good information here.
https://www.breedingcage.com/pages/education
A lot of good information here.
noodles123
Well-known member
- Jul 11, 2018
- 8,145
- 478
- Parrots
- Umbrella Cockatoo- 15? years old..I think?
This whole issue is kind of controversial. I am still not even sure where I stand on it (despite years of research). I can tell you that Noodles didn't go outside for many years, as she was not harness trained and I couldn't see a way to safely do it. I take her out with me sometimes these days, if the weather is nice, but it's important to know that even a clipped bird (which Noodles is not) can still fly away with the right wind or height etc...So don't ever assume that clipping is a solution to getting them more sun. I did use a craft light for a period of time with a UV/fill spectrum bulb, but the wavelengths etc all are important when considering this-- it's super complicated..There is UVA, UVB and more (so it just gets super tricky).
Sun is natural, and they would get a lot of it in the wild...however, I am still torn as to whether sun lamps are a good thing (I think they can be, but I am not sure..). Some people swear by them, but others insist that they are dangerous and over-hyped...All I can say is research a ton and make sure that if you do get a sun lamp, that your spacing is safe..There are many people who swear by them, but there is also a risk of retinal burns, electrocution etc....so just keep reading. If I knew the answer, I would share it with you, but, sadly, I do not.
There are some who say that they cannot process certain vitamins without certain types of light, but then others insist that this is false. There is science on both ends of the argument, which makes it tricky to decide for sure...
Sun is natural, and they would get a lot of it in the wild...however, I am still torn as to whether sun lamps are a good thing (I think they can be, but I am not sure..). Some people swear by them, but others insist that they are dangerous and over-hyped...All I can say is research a ton and make sure that if you do get a sun lamp, that your spacing is safe..There are many people who swear by them, but there is also a risk of retinal burns, electrocution etc....so just keep reading. If I knew the answer, I would share it with you, but, sadly, I do not.
There are some who say that they cannot process certain vitamins without certain types of light, but then others insist that this is false. There is science on both ends of the argument, which makes it tricky to decide for sure...
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