UV Light, Mirror and Feather Q's.

[Kantia]

Hi all,
Just wanted to ask a few mixed questions that I keep meaning to ask.

1.) Do you guys have a mirror for your conures? Tich seems to like a mirror I have in my room but I don’t know if this’d be a good idea, I don’t want to frustrate or stress him out.

2.) What do you guys think of UV lights? Do you have one? Have you seen any improvements in behaviour? I’ve seen a starter kit that I was thinking about getting and just wanted some opinions. :]

3.) My little Tich lost two of his tail feathers today, is there any way to preserve these? And how long does a first molt last? I’ve looked through past threads and some people say a week, others say 2-4 months. Tich has been going through his for about 1.5 months now and I believe it’s his first. He’s got so many pin feathers on top of his head and on his wing that it looks like he has bald patches. Is this ok? I do feel a bit sorry for him, he looks a bit scraggly.

 

[DebsFlock]

Hi there,

1.) Do you guys have a mirror for your conures?

No. The problem with mirrors is they can get totally obsessed with them, and then you have to take it away. Also, a lot of mirrors are made for smaller birds with smaller beaks and aren't safe for conures.

2.) What do you guys think of UV lights?

They actually need some UV exposure on a regular basis to be healthy. If they get direct sunlight (through a screen is OK but not through glass) regularly, a UV light probably isn't necessary. If they don't it probably is. I do have them and my preferred scenario is to have them on a regular timer. I've found it definitely helps regulate molting, mine tend to go into a continuous molt without them. I haven't set them up properly since I moved, however. They need to be quite close to the cage but no so close they can get bitten. Make sure it's a true UV-producing bulb, many are sold as "full spectrum" that aren't. Bulbs for reptiles aren't recommended, and the darned things only last about 6 months are are pretty expensive. A daily trip outdoors is a lot cheaper if practical.

My little Tich lost two of his tail feathers today, is there any way to preserve these? And how long does a first molt last? I’ve looked through past threads and some people say a week, others say 2-4 months.

Don't know about first molts. But it's not uncommon for birds in indoor environments to have prolonged molts. Day length is likely the trigger just as it is for growing coats in mammals.

I think if you seal the feathers away from air they will hold their color quite a while. I want to find a way to seal them in resin for jewelry-making, but they tend to get soggy and look wet. Lamination might work. I also had a friend gift me with a certificate to get "horsehair" pottery made using feather snippings.

 

[ruffledfeathers]

DebsFlock basically answered this one but i second that!
I was "trained" when i first got my sun conure from my avian vet to use the full spectrum light and set a timer so you know the number of hours of exposure and it is consistent and regulated. I've always done that. I think about 7 hours per day is all they should have their light on.

I have become so used to the light that i actually enjoy it too.

 

[Riio]

So if you suggest 7 hrs of the light being on everyday, how long outside would be sufficient daily withOUT a light going at all?

 

[ruffledfeathers]

I thought for a bird who gets outside, they don't need the light at all, and they don't need that much exposure. Not totally sure but i saw this article.
How Much DIRECT Sunlight Does My Parrot Need?
My birds don't get outside that much, only occasionally, so i have kept the artificial lighting for them.

 

[DebsFlock]

I've heard about five minutes a day is sufficient, which is consistent with that article. So a bird that gets outside regularly probably doesn't need a light for health reasons. Natural sunlight has a MUCH higher fraction of UV than a full spectrum bulb. I'd guess hundreds to thousands of times more. And it's brighter as well. In fact, I'm fairly sure if you have a sunny room where you can open the window so the light isn't coming through glass exclusively (the glass pretty much completely blocks the UV) you're probably OK.

Another reason to consider it is that birds' vision extends farther into the UV than ours. They likely see colors differently in natural light than they do through windows. Sort of as if we had all our windows tinted slightly pink.

 

[MonicaMc]

I've heard 30-60 minutes per week is recommended. It doesn't have to be every day, either, although better if it was.

5 x 7 = 35

So that still falls into the same time frame.


As far as mirrors go, I don't recommend them, period. Birds most often don't know that their reflection is just that. They think their reflection is another bird and this in turn can result in behavioral and potentially medical problems.

The Problems with Mirrors


I don't want to tell anyone "I told you so", but I have had people tell me "Monica, you were right.". Some birds are fine with mirrors, but most I've heard aren't. It may not be a problem now, but you never know in a few weeks or a few months time how your birds behavior might change. That reason alone, I can't recommend them.


A molt can last a few weeks on up to a few months. In truth, parrots are usually in a perpetual molt year round, losing a few feathers here and there. It is only during certain times of the year that they go into a heavy molt and typically lose a lot of feathers. The amount of feathers lost depends on how hard/light the molt is.