Full Spectrum Lighting

[Cage Cleaner]

I recently learned that it's necessary to provide birds with unfiltered sunlight. Meaning, sunlight that isn't shining through glass. It's either that, or a full-spectrum lightbulb. Does anyone know any good places to buy these?

[laducockatiel]

lots of online parrot shops sell them. u could also get them off ebay

[Conure_Concierge]

I use ZooMed Avian Sun UVA/UVB Full Spectrum 27 watt CFL bulbs. I have one for each FID and run them for a couple of hours each afternoon/evening. There are a couple of other options such as Spiralux Full Spectrum CFL bulbs and normal full spectrum 24" fluorescent bulbs. I've ordered from Amazon and from Drs. Foster and Smith. I don't know if our FIDS really need these if they're on well balanced pellet diets, but they are partially colorblind without them and it may be good for their mental health.

[rebeccaturpeinen]

I bought mine in a petstore here in Denmark. Just to let you know; my Jo LOVES it Will sit next to the light and look all proud and pretty

[Cage Cleaner]

I don't know if our FIDS really need these if they're on well balanced pellet diets, but they are partially colorblind without them and it may be good for their mental health.

They are? Unreal. I didn't know that. Do you have access to any more reading I can do on this topic? I would love to do some more research.

[Michael]

Birds have exquisite color vision that extends into the ultra violet spectrum. So with normal indoor lightbulbs, they lose some of the colors they'd be capable of seeing. I don't think it necessarily matters that much because they just get used to seeing objects in our home under those lights and wouldn't know what they are missing since they hadn't previously seen them in other light.

As for diet, I'm not sure that is true. They can get most of what they need from diet, but then they need natural sunlight to absorb some of the nutrition and calcify it. I'm not sure that food supplements can replace sunlight. This is why I don't fiddle around with light bulbs, I just take my parrots outside regularly whenever possible. In the winter it's much more difficult. However, I'll find the occasional above freezing day in winter and bring them out hiding under my jacket with their heads sticking out to absorb the bright sun. 10-30 minutes of sun a week is probably all they require.