Benefits of Full Spectrum Lighting

[liz]

That is what I am hoping. The sunroom was built on the back deck and has the lighting up against the outside wall of the house. I could put 2 bulbs in it and light up the whole sunroom from 10 feet away.

[Pajarita]

There you go!

[DanaandPod]

Now you've done it. You've made a convincing argument to use full spectrum bulbs in addition to taking expeditions outside. And you've made it so easy to get the right bulbs, I'm going to have to do it. I can't deprive Corsair of seeing stuff in UV wavelengths just because I can't.

I feel the same as you do...I will be doing both...the fresh outdoors and real sun as well as a more lit indoors.

[DanaandPod]

Put the full spectrum bulbs in the ceiling fixture. Don't put them in a lamp above the cage or to the side of it (I personally know somebody whose tiel went blind because of it!). If the bulb is bright enough, it would work perfectly in the ceiling fixture and, this way, you know for a fact it won't hurt their eyes.

Holy crap! This is good to know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DanaandPod]

Put the full spectrum bulbs in the ceiling fixture. Don't put them in a lamp above the cage or to the side of it (I personally know somebody whose tiel went blind because of it!). If the bulb is bright enough, it would work perfectly in the ceiling fixture and, this way, you know for a fact it won't hurt their eyes.

Only thing is....I don't have a clue how to rig a ceiling fixture on a timer... I suppose putting it in a lamp on a table is the same damaging concept of clipped to side of cage? :/

[DanaandPod]

Good for Myrtle, you listen to that bird.

How can I not listen. The girl baby blabbers constantly in my left year. I think I have actually lost some hearing in that ear. She also responds to Rambo's contact call while on my left shoulder.

I sometimes wear an ear plug in the ear that my Pod screams in while I am trying to vacume or do laundry... He doesnt like when I am moving around.

[DanaandPod]

Practical experience has led me to believe that they are all talk and no do. It's easy to BS around about stuff there are no visible benefits. Or at least they aren't directly measurable. The theory works but the reality doesn't seem to be the same. We know that parrots need natural sunlight and this is definitely true. The question is whether or not the full spectrum bulbs can match that. I don't think so and here's why.

The first 2 years I had my Senegal, I wasn't taking her outside but had full spectrum bulbs indoors (albeit cheaper ones). Her eyes stayed a dull color and did not turn yellow until I began taking her outside. Within a few months of going outdoors the color changed. During long winters when I don't take her outside for months at a time, the eyes begin to dull again but revive in the summer when we go out. Ginger had half a dozen+ Senegals all with expensive full spectrum systems over their cages. All of them had dull eyes like indoor Senegals. Meanwhile other Sennies of her friends that get out are bright yellow. I can't be convinced that these lights deliver what they promise if the eyes don't look like the ones on outdoor birds. If natural sunlight vs bulbs is enough to make a difference in eye color, imagine all the health things that we can't see so easily that it can affect as well?

So do yourself a favor and don't waste money on those mystery bulbs and buy a harness instead or a travel cage. Take your bird out at least once a week for 15+ minutes of direct natural sunlight and you will do it far more good. This is the real sun and we know it works. Also here's my article about taking parrots out in winter for sunlight the best I can.

Aww geez,lol! Well, I'm in no position to fly my birds south...(even if I piloted my own plane...like you do. Actually, my ex boyfriend had his license and took me up in a four seat plane and I had a panick attack while expecting to plummet to my death in what felt like a tiny capsul compared to a commercial plane) However, I may try taking him out on a sunny 45-50 degree winter days. Otherwise, he will have to survive. BUT, YOUR BIRDS ARE THE LUCKIER!

[Wolf]

Put the full spectrum bulbs in the ceiling fixture. Don't put them in a lamp above the cage or to the side of it (I personally know somebody whose tiel went blind because of it!). If the bulb is bright enough, it would work perfectly in the ceiling fixture and, this way, you know for a fact it won't hurt their eyes.

Only thing is....I don't have a clue how to rig a ceiling fixture on a timer... I suppose putting it in a lamp on a table is the same damaging concept of clipped to side of cage? :/

In order to help solve the ceiling fixture / timer problem, I went window shopping and came up with this solution:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_192773-89916-TM ... facetInfo=

This simply replaces the existing wall switch for the light fixture. If you don't know how to install it yourself, any semi competent electrician could do it.
Thank you Dana and Pod for bringing this need to my attention.

[DanaandPod]

thank you Wolf!

[Pajarita]

Practical experience has led me to believe that they are all talk and no do. It's easy to BS around about stuff there are no visible benefits. Or at least they aren't directly measurable. The theory works but the reality doesn't seem to be the same. We know that parrots need natural sunlight and this is definitely true. The question is whether or not the full spectrum bulbs can match that. I don't think so and here's why.

The first 2 years I had my Senegal, I wasn't taking her outside but had full spectrum bulbs indoors (albeit cheaper ones). Her eyes stayed a dull color and did not turn yellow until I began taking her outside. Within a few months of going outdoors the color changed. During long winters when I don't take her outside for months at a time, the eyes begin to dull again but revive in the summer when we go out. Ginger had half a dozen+ Senegals all with expensive full spectrum systems over their cages. All of them had dull eyes like indoor Senegals. Meanwhile other Sennies of her friends that get out are bright yellow. I can't be convinced that these lights deliver what they promise if the eyes don't look like the ones on outdoor birds. If natural sunlight vs bulbs is enough to make a difference in eye color, imagine all the health things that we can't see so easily that it can affect as well?

So do yourself a favor and don't waste money on those mystery bulbs and buy a harness instead or a travel cage. Take your bird out at least once a week for 15+ minutes of direct natural sunlight and you will do it far more good. This is the real sun and we know it works. Also here's my article about taking parrots out in winter for sunlight the best I can.

Aww geez,lol! Well, I'm in no position to fly my birds south...(even if I piloted my own plane...like you do. Actually, my ex boyfriend had his license and took me up in a four seat plane and I had a panick attack while expecting to plummet to my death in what felt like a tiny capsul compared to a commercial plane) However, I may try taking him out on a sunny 45-50 degree winter days. Otherwise, he will have to survive. BUT, YOUR BIRDS ARE THE LUCKIER!

The key is the specs because as the light industry is not regulated a manufacturer can claim a bulb is full spectrum when, in reality, it's not (you must have seen the names: 'daylight', 'natural', etc) so, in reality, the 'full spectrum' is nothing but a marketing tool and not a real category. But even bulbs that could be called full spectrum are not all created equal and that's why you have to go by the specs and not the name. In order to be good they need to have a CRI higher than 94 and a Ktemp of 5000 to 5500 (lots of full spectrum bulbs out there that have a CRI in the low 80 and a Ktemp much higher or lower than the required for birds).