UVB lighting

I've been reading some threads on this, but there's some missing info.

This bulb is said to actually work. What are the other proven bulbs?
[ame=http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Avian-Sun-Bulb/dp/B000KH9S88]Amazon.com: Zoo Med Avian Sun 5.0 UVB Bulb: Pet Supplies[/ame]

I know these types of lights, really any light, loose potency after 6mo. Nowhere does it say how they got that number. If the bulb is on 8hrs a day for 6mo and then being no good or what.

Then, how much light from the bulb should a little bird get a day when it's winter and sun cannot be provided? How much sun do they need a day or week? I read 5min a day to 5min a week or even 1hr/day, 1hr/week.

I'd like to put the bulb on a timer to be on X amount of time in the mornings before I wake up and let him out. But I have no idea how long it needs to be on for. Plus, this way, the bulb ~should~ last far longer than just 6mo. Or does w/e that creates the UVB disintegrate after X amount of time regardless if it's used or not?

Here are two threads on the forum you might want to read:


Full Spectrum Lighting - Do You Want It part-1


Full Spectrum Lighting - Do You Want It part-2

When looking for products for your feathered friend(s), in most cases you have to discount manufacturer's marketing/sales hype & usually vendor's testimony can be discounted as it is anecdotal, without scientific validation.

If you do proper research on full spectrum lighting bulbs/tubes, you will find that lamp type mini bulbs like your Amazon example simply cannot generate the wide spectrum of light that is claimed for those types of products.

What you read about there being a point where lamps/tubes (full size - not mini) begin to degrade, is true, however it is the phosphors, the chemicals coating the inside of the light bulb/tube that degrade & do so every time the bulb/tube is energized. The problem with wanting to put a timer in the light's power circuit is that on your screw-in type mini bulbs is that there is an electronic circuit in the plastic base of those bulbs & some of those curcuits will catch fire when you add other circuitry. If you want to wire timers in that type of circuit, be sure to have a licensed electrician do the installation & certify the safety of the modification. Adding dimmers to fluorescent fixtures also creates electrical and thermal dangers.

As to how much light each parrot specie requires on a daily/weekly/monthly/etc. basis is something that has never been published, as yet.....however, the internet is rife with hypothesis.....

If your looking for the best UVB bulbs out there.. I would go with megaray.. When i lived up north and kept my sulcatas inside for 6 month I brought his bulbs.. And my animals flourished.

Disclaimer . I'm not sure how necessary it s for birds to have UVB .. But if after you do your research you.... decide you want to use UVB bulbs give him a call...

Also very important be sure you know what the UVB requirements are and to follow directions for distance...too close to much UVB and UVC .. Which can give the animal flash burn.. To far away UVB is useless..

Also very important..

Burn in all UVB bulbs for 6-8 hrs before placing it around or over an animal.. As during burn in .. UVB output can be twice what it's rated at..and cause flash burn.

Yea, I found your post before and it didn't help any. Or I just didn't find it... I'm not wanting 'full spectrum', just the UVB. I had frogs before and bought UVB bulbs every 6mo since they were on 8hrs a day. Frogs were fine, no issues and they never saw the sun. They ate gut loaded crickets covered in calcium powder.
How do this cause fires?

Both of these are mechanical timers & would be safe to plug a lamp into.....you're just going to have to live with a steady ticking, as the timer counts down.

As to separating UVB from full spectrum, sorry, you can't selectively go buy one without the other.....lights don't work that way. I know nothing about frogs, but I fully understand the engineering of lighting systems & what you are interested in buying for your fid(s) is a waste of $$$

I have two of those timers, they are silent.

So none of those bulbs work at all, no company makes one that really gives off UVB?

Greenwing said:

If your looking for the best UVB bulbs out there.. I would go with megaray.. When i lived up north and kept my sulcatas inside for 6 month I brought his bulbs.. And my animals flourished.

Disclaimer . I'm not sure how necessary it s for birds to have UVB .. But if after you do your research you.... decide you want to use UVB bulbs give him a call...

Also very important be sure you know what the UVB requirements are and to follow directions for distance...too close to much UVB and UVC .. Which can give the animal flash burn.. To far away UVB is useless..

Also very important..

Burn in all UVB bulbs for 6-8 hrs before placing it around or over an animal.. As during burn in .. UVB output can be twice what it's rated at..and cause flash burn.

Click to expand...

You're post snuck in there, didn't see it at all until just now!
I know about the distances, didn't know about the burn in time needed.
Between your post and Weco's post, I'm confused. lol

No..lots of companies make UVB bulbs.. But not for human use... To avoid liability issues they don't put out much UVB rays... Most UVB bulbs produce next to nothing in UV rays after 16"..

Megaray on the other hand has bulbs made to order for the reptile industry .. Each bulb is tested using a UVB meter at your requested or the specified distance

I have a UVB meter.. And have tested quite a few bulbs.. And nothing comes close to megarays numbers..

Bare in mind fluorescent UVB bulbs put out very little UVB.. But great full spectrum lighting... Mercury vapor bulbs Put out a lot of UVB and UVA but in my understanding are not considered full spectrum...

All so if the ticking is an issue.. Mistking makes a nice digital wall timer.. You can even set it to go on for 3-4 seconds..4-5 times a day if I remember correctly

Not sure what your confused about.. Please specify..

Other person seems to be saying UVB bulbs/lighting is pointless and they don't work. You're saying there are good ones out there...
Do the UVB reptibulbs and avianbulbs work??

I cannot comment on whether UVB and UVA are neccessary for birds.. I have never used those bulbs on any of my birds...

As for bulbs producing UVB and UVA .. Yes they do... The fluorescent bulbs put out very little UV rays and most manufactures are deceptive on there output... So you would have to place the bulb within 10"-12" of the animal.. And might get 25-30 microwatts per square centimeter...You would get more UVB rays on a cloudy day standing under an umbrella..

Some MVB bulbs produce 250-300 microwatts per square centimeter (uW/cm2).. At three feet... This is a lot of UV.. Which can cause issues in itself .. Flash Burn (aka welders burn, snow blindness) which is very painful...

I recommend you do your reasearch and determine how much UVB a bird requires if any..(I do know that birds benefit from UVA as they can see the UVA spectrum... ) And contact UVreptiles and explain to them what you need ..

And remember any self ballasted mvb bulb will also put out a lot of heat..so you want something you can put 3-4 feet away .. Also almost all MVB are spot bulbs meaning as the light spreads from the spot the UVB drops considerably.. So the animal can decide to stay on the outside of the spot and get beneficial UVB ..

If your serious about using UVB bulbs get yourself a UVB meter.. There kind of pricey but you will get it back testing your bulbs to determine if they need to be replaced and great to setup your animal properly

It's been over 6 years since I bought one of those timers, have no use for them, so I stand corrected about them being noisy......

I'll agree with GW about herp UV bulbs, but anyone using herp bulbs for birds must be very careful because those light bulbs are much hotter than bulbs made for birds.....using herp bulbs can cause cataracts in birds.....also, the birds can actually get sun burned if they are too close to a herp bulb......

Because people often just cannot understand that manufacturers make & sell products for the companion bird market & the products are not what the buyer thinks they're buying, I try not to get into extended dissertations & offer other options. Like GW's notation about UV meters.....a decent one starts around $125USD, but if the person has no idea what they are reading, it's a waste of time explaining.

Personally I would give them a steady photoperiod and stay away from the UVB bulbs as weco stated.. They can and will hurt the bird..If not setup correctly... and the cheaper bulbs are a waste of money as they don't put out any real useable UVB..

Also most if not all over the counter pet product are not regulated.. So the manufacture can Claim pretty much anything....

I would all so point out most reptiles if allowed outside for a few hrs once or twice a week in the summer will do fine..I would imagine a bird needs could be satisfied alot easier the same way.

What ever you decide do your reasearch.. And when in doubt best to do nothing

Thanks!

You're supposed to get a herp bulb and a separate heat bulb, I don't remember how much heat the box petstore UV bulbs gave off. I had the frogs in a 90g and the lights were on separate corners where the frogs could choose which to use and how close to get to them.

Up until very recently I have kept several reptiles. One of them was a very delicate Panther Chameleon that required quite a bit of UV light. He also had a 4'x4'x3' enclosure that I needed to blast with wide amounts UV light. I used the bulbs in the link below and found them to be very effective. I have many close friends that own UV meters that check UV strength of thier bulbs each month so they know when the output has degraded enough to have to change them. If interested, let me know and I can share threads where people post the results of these bulbs. For me it was an easy switch. When My chameleon left I just placed the now available fixture above my birds. It has 4 different spectrum bulbs in it and one of them is and Arcadia 12% UV bulb. They seem happy. But I have no clue if its effecting them, I can only vouch for the bulb output.

Arcadia D3+ T-5 34 Inch 39 Watt *12% Desert UVB* The Original Reptile HO T5 In North America!