I Am Seeking Clarity About Lighting for My Birds Cage
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I Am Seeking Clarity About Lighting for My Birds Cage

Last Updated on by Mitch Rezman

I am so confused…Lighting. First off my cage has a solid top…so I can not put a light hanging overhead.
I need to place a free standing pole light next to cage and angle it in.

Now I read where you never angle a light in, as you can blind your bird??
I have been researching many articles..UVA UVB good and bad,  use grow lights for plants good and bad full spectrum led bulbs not sure if uva/uvb or not, and to tell the truth, not much info out there.
I did see an article where Reptile lights are bad for birds, and most UVA/UVB fluorescent bulbs are made by companies that supply reptile needs, now I don’t know what to do.
Buy a new cage where I can put light overhead (very expensive ) or get a UVA /UVB bulb and try and place it 30/50 cm away from the birdcage and not shine it in on the side, ????
Havent’ figured out how to do this yet.
I don’t want to blind my bird…but I want him to get Vitamin D benefits.
What to do??

Send help please
Janet

Dear Janet

No angling a light so it shines in sideways. Imagine living with constant dawn or dusk light in your eyes. It won’t blind them but it will annoy the hell out of them.

You say your cage has a solid top? I assume you mean it is a play top and has a debris tray in the top slot.

TAKE OUT THE TRAY!!!  Problem solved. There is no reason to leave the tray in place. The small amount of debris and droppings is minimal.

Regarding the lighting and UVB, etc.

It has been disproven that birds get any form of vitamin supplement from lights no matter the voltage, UVB/UVB, etc.

This is because reptiles absorb light through their skin whereas a bird’s skin is obscured byt its feathers

If you want Vitamin D, you must give it to them via vitamin supplements. Nekton S

It may work for reptiles who have bare skin, but then so, it may not help them much either. Reptile owners usually dust their worms and crickets, etc with vitamin powder before feeding them.

What IS important is the brightness. A good Full Spectrum (even without all the UV, etc) or a plant light will work well for your birds.

A bright light simulates the sun in Australia so having one as close to the top of your birds cage (or just above their heads on a play top) on a timer, set for 12 on and 12 hours off, will help your bird’s feel like it is summer in Australia and be able to forgo hormonal changes that occur when they are kept in dim conditions too much.

It does not have to be the most expensive bulb out there, nor the highest wattage.

I hope this helps.

I have attached a picture of my cockatiel cage, and why I have trouble hanging a light directly overhead, it does not have a play top, it has a solid “fancy” not practical top.
This is why it is hard to hang directly overhead lights.
I am going to get a taller pole light and point it more directly downward so the cage is still lighted without the light shines directly in, as in the picture.
I will need some nekton S by the way.
I will be calling.
Thank you about the lighting advice, your bulbs seem like they will bright enough 60 Watts full spectrum no UV at all, not advertised as a grow light.
You can’t see it in the picture, but there is a ceiling fan with open lighting and one fixture
Is points at cage (it is a distance of 3 feet though) I can put one bulb in there, and one behind the the
Cage (its the one you see shinning in cage) but place that bulb higher so I can angle it downward more so
He can get light with the bulb shinning directly in. That will also move the bulb a bit father away from the
cage.
I am glad for your help, and thank you for taking the time.
Janet

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Janet

Thank you for writing back with a picture of your cage. It is a beautiful cage.
We have just talked and covered lighting, vitamins and that your cockatiel is a boy, the bright light is not as important as if it was a female.
I have placed your vitamin order and should have tracking tomorrow.
Thank you for your help Catherine,
I got that cage when a cockatiel flew into my yard and made me his caregiver.
I was in a Big hurry to get a cage…(as the big box wasn’t up to his standards).
I went to Chicagoland Bird Adoption Center near me and they were selling birdcages to raise money. When I saw it I knew it was perfect. VERY sturdy, tip proof!
High enough that my dogs couldn’t bother the bird, and large enough to house all
The toys that were on his list.
It was $50.00.
The only thing it needed was the clear plastic to close up where the seed cups would have been. (it was missing those). My boyfriend got the plastic and cut it (cage already had slots all around the bottom to accommodate sliding them in).
Perfect…..EXCEPT that the top was solid metal. Working around that was a bit more
tricky.
But I do believe you solved that for me. I have pointed the lamp shade to the floor and this allows the light to still spill into cage on the one side quite well. 
My guy sends a great big thank you as now he doesn’t have to have that bare bulb shinning
in.
Now on to the vitamins phase…
Janet

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Catherine Tobsing
Catherine Tobsing

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