Lighting

[Alehner529]

I have a few questions about light supplements for birds. So my sun conure is on a 12 hour awake, 12 hour sleep schedule. I have never used supplemental lighting before, beyond normal room lighting. I live in northern WI, and it currently is only light out from about 8am until 3pm. Is supplementary lighting recommended? For their day light schedule or for healthy feather growth? If so, what bulbs do you use?

Thanks for the help ahead of time!

 

[Budgie_Addicted]

Light supplements are great if your bird doesn't get much natural light. If your bird gets a decent amount of natural light for the majority of the day from a window, you should be good. I personally don't think artificial light is an alternate option. If you want your bird to get more natural light, take their cage out doors on your front porch if you have one and sit and have coffee or read a book out there. Make sure for the first few times there is a towel on the back half of the cage as the bird may feel frightened if they are exposed outdoors. Birds learn to love outdoor basking.
I hope this helps!

 

[Alehner529]

Light supplements are great if your bird doesn't get much natural light. If your bird gets a decent amount of natural light for the majority of the day from a window, you should be good. I personally don't think artificial light is an alternate option. If you want your bird to get more natural light, take their cage out doors on your front porch if you have one and sit and have coffee or read a book out there. Make sure for the first few times there is a towel on the back half of the cage as the bird may feel frightened if they are exposed outdoors. Birds learn to love outdoor basking.
I hope this helps!

Thanks for the suggestion. Unfortunately, it will be below freezing temperatures here until late April, so no outside or porch time. During the warm season, she will sit outside with me in her little travel cage (sometimes we even go to the beach). I can try to get her a little more window time, but she usually doesn't want to stay there for very long because they are 5 to 10 degrees colder than the rest of the house.

 

[SailBoat]

Life in the Great While North in Winter!!

Light supplement is a 'con' for Parrots. Quick test, please define where on your Parrot supplement light would make connect with your Parrot? If you stated their Eyes! Congratulations, you just joined a tiny group of learned individuals.

Your utility has likely incurraged you to purchase LED light bulbs for your home or apartment to reduce your energy usage. The correct bulb to buy is a LED 'daylight' bulb (yes other words are used). They do provide a light source that both Parrots and Humans can use to define daylight! If you are using a true 12 hour on /12 hour off sleep pattern, assure that is really what you are doing as Humans tend to 'light-up' the night with both lilting and noise. So, to use your sleep pattern assure you are using a sleeping room and lower the TV volume.

The use of LED 'daylight' bulbs will reduce your electric bill a tiny bit, but they also provide 'daylight' signal to you and your Parrot that it is day time. The Sad part is that if you do not reduce either the number of or the brightness of the light source, you will mess with your sleep pattern as well as your Parrot's! So assure that you are adjusting them to real world lighting.

Yes, Parrots love Sunshine, so find that South Window and assure your Parrot has access to it during the day.

 

[Alehner529]

So I would turn the bulb on during her awake/daylight hours, after the sun goes down? For example if it gets dark at 4pm and she goes to sleep in her dark sleep room at 7pm, I would use the bulb from 4 to 7pm? And it doesn't need to be a uvb bulb?