Uv light for birds.

[Polarn]

Hi, just wanted to write here with a housing upgrade. I've had my oil amazon here a couple of weeks now and been lazy over the holidays when it. Ones to leaving the house to go shopping. Living in Sweden means that most of the year I am. It able to take my birds outside for the all important sunlight, that they do need. So today I went out and bought a "bird light" from Arcadia, one of the long tube light thingies, not the bulb. This is supposed to help em out when it comes to replacing sunlight for artificial light. Is anyone else using these lights? Or is there something that isn't good by using them etc?
Were just thinking you use these kind of lights for fishes, reptiles etc (not the same kind tho) so my point is by using one adapted for birds can't be harmful in any way right?
The cost about 23usd over here for 90cm long ones, and that is a cost I am more than willing to put out with to help him get better light, or the possibility that it might be better....

So again, any thoughts?

[Avialae]

They're a must for us swedes, they perk up a lot, and it is also vital for their ability to produc Vitamin D3/make use of the calcium in their diet. Birds, unlike us, can see the UV-spectrum, which means things tend to look different to them than to us in natural sunlight. (Some parrots for example have sexual differences in their plumage that are only visible in sunlight.)
Just make sure Polarn can't sit very close to it, i try to mount them about 40cm above the cage.

Also, if you use the flourecent lights, make sure you use the lamp with a light fixture that uses a high frequenzy electronic ballast. This is very important due to the fact that parrots have a "refresh rate" of about 100-120Hz, in contrast to our own eyes that have a "refresh rate" of about 50-60Hz. This means many light sources appear intensly flickering to them, even though we can't see it ourselves. Most new light fixtures have the high frequency ballasts, but i'd check to make sure.

The main difference in UV-lighting for birds in contrast to the ones for reptiles is that they contain waaaay less UV-B. So yes, as long as you use a lamp intended for birds, you'll be safe.

[Polarn]

Thanks for the reply and yes I do use the right fixtures, knew I got the right one when I bought it but still had to double check now . And it is actually mounted only about 20cm above the cage. Couse then the roof gets in the way. However there is a good distance down to the upper perch. And now when the light has bin there for a little while I can say his behavior has changed quite a lot. He is more active playing with his toys, also spends more time inside the cage, which I'm not all too happy about, well not that I dislike it. But was kinda nice when he spent his time on the tree outside the cage. So thinking about mounting a second uv-light there too. Becouse now the tree is basicly unused, he is either in the cage playing around or with me playing with his "grounded" toys. Got some balls with bells in them that he likes rolling around. But once he no longer wanna play on the ground he is back inside the cage.
But again, I don't mind him liking the cage, that's all good but he used to prefer the tree so still think I'll install a light there too and he might spend time in both places. However when I turn the uv light off when it is bedtime he climbs right out of the cage and settles in ontop of it on the corner closest to my bed and basicly falls asleep before I have had time to get into bed and turn off the lights. Dunno why he is insisting on not sleeping in the cage but seem comfy in it at other times, seeing I've never closed it, well yes I have but only when cleaning or moving furnitures or something that requires me to have the door open.

[Avialae]

Ah, 20 sounds fine, most important is that they aren't just above the cage. I'm assuming you have a quite large cage too so he doesn't have to sit just beneath the lamp all the time. Mine are only about 20cm over the cage as well, because as you said, ceiling.

I'd wait and see, and encourage him to get out and play as much as possible. Might just be a coinsidence that he prefers the cage right now. If not, i wouldn't see any harm in getting a second one, at least not now when it's winter.

[Soarer]

I found this site to be informative about avian lighting.

http://www.mickaboo.org/reading-room/readingroom.html

Look under: ENVIRONMENT - Proper Avian Lighting