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UVB light in closet advice?

HappyWings

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I live in an apartment with two roommates who are out for most of the day, most days of the week. I on the other hand, spend most of the day, most days of the week, at home by myself. Even when my roommates are studying at home, they like to wear noise-cancelling headphones. For this reason, I decided to get a lovebird. I don't mind the noise she makes, but I want to keep it considerate for my roommates when they are home. I am most often home too when my roommates are home, so I can monitor/control her noise level by playing with her and such. However, on the occasional day/times when my roommates are home and I can't be there, I worry about how loud she'll be while I'm gone. The option I've given my roommates so far is to come in my room and cover her cage if she's being unbearably loud to the point where she's disrupting their midday nap or studying. But I know it's bad to cover the cage any time besides bedtime. I've even tried putting up audio-absorbing foam pads. As a last resort to muffle her chirps/squawks, I'm thinking of putting her cage in my closet when I have to leave and my roommates are, or may come, home while I'm out. It's not a walk-in closet so it'd be snug, but there's enough room for her large 37" cage to fit on a small end table in between my clothes and the two doors (I'd leave one cracked for ventilation) and plenty of air space above. There is a light in my closet which I plan to leave on if I have to put her in there, but I was thinking of getting a UVB light for her for added benefit.

TLDR; Are there any dangers to having the high-output Exo Terra UVB 100 compact fluorescent light in an enclosed space around lots of clothes? It's not supposed to give off heat, but could it potentially damage my clothes?
 

Monica

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Please do not get a reptile bulb.

Either go with a human light that is as close to possible to "daylight" or get a bird specific bulb not made by Zoomed.
 

HappyWings

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Please do not get a reptile bulb.

Either go with a human light that is as close to possible to "daylight" or get a bird specific bulb not made by Zoomed.
Thanks for the advice! May I ask why? I was hoping to boost her Vit D production and a human light won't do that. The Zoomed Avian Sun UVB 5.0 was also recommended by the avian vet research I linked above. I know there have been some problems reported with reptile lights but this one isn't full spectrum and birds are technically reptiles as well. Have there been reports of burns with these specific bulbs?
 

Monaco

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I have been reading about cases of blindness, they seem to happen when the bulbs are too close. I can't recall the issues about the zoomed bulbs, but I suspect there's not much difference in the bulbs. I did find some very good full (as full as possible) spectrum bulbs recently, and that company makes uv led lights. I don't think I will use the uv for Monaco (seem to have enough mild days to go outside for now), but they will go in my aquaponics system for the plants. Dm me if I forget to post that company name here by tomorrow, please. I am heading to work, and have very impaired short term memory!

Whatever you decide to do, I would be very careful about distance and quality of the light you choose.
 

Monica

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Short answer is yes there have been burns by the Zoomed Avian Bulb. Longer answer, the birds wont really receive the UV rays that they need from the bulbs, so there's really no reason to pay extra... but if you want to, there are other options out there, such as Featheriffic.
 

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Honestly? If you're not familiar with true Avian lighting and are feeding foods with D3 supplements there really is no need to be even looking at UV-B lighting. Any UV-B source can blind if not used correctly. Better to just get a good quality flicker-free daylight LED bulb.
If you still want to look into full spectrum bird lighting look at Arcadia
 
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Mizzely

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UVB light bulbs for reptiles are usually much higher UV output then birds need. The Arcadia Shade Dweller may be an exception, as it is suited for crepuscular species.


But, over 12 inches away, any beneficial effects are gone. While birds do benefit from having fun spectrum lighting so they can see properly, a bulb with CRI 93 and at least 5500K is sufficient.

 

HappyWings

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Honestly? If you're not familiar with true Avian lighting and are feeding foods with D3 supplements there really is no need to be even looking at UV-B lighting. Any UV-B source can blind if not used correctly. Better to just get a good quality flicker-free daylight LED bulb.
If you still want to look into full spectrum bird lighting look at Arcadia
Hi, I found it difficult to find the right bulb to purchase on the arcadia site and I'm not sure which LED bulb would be considered good quality. Do you have links you'd recommend? I'm just wondering why the Association of Avian Veterinarians would recommend three bulbs that are apparently so dangerous that everyone on these forums cautions against them? They stated they researched the bulbs extensively, so I really don't know who to trust anymore. I won't get them because I don't want to risk it, but I really wish I could get my bird a nice light because her cage is in the basement so the natural lighting is depressing and it's too cold to take her outside. I also can't find any reviews of the featherbrite lights and the website looks sketchy to me, but it seems everyone recommends those? I just want a safe option so my baby can see properly and be happy haha
 

HappyWings

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UVB light bulbs for reptiles are usually much higher UV output then birds need. The Arcadia Shade Dweller may be an exception, as it is suited for crepuscular species.


But, over 12 inches away, any beneficial effects are gone. While birds do benefit from having fun spectrum lighting so they can see properly, a bulb with CRI 93 and at least 5500K is sufficient.

Can you provide links to the full spectrum lighting bulbs you're talking about? As I said above, I'm wondering why the Association of Avian Veterinarians would recommend three bulbs that are apparently so dangerous that everyone on these forums cautions against them? They stated they researched the three UV bulbs, so I really don't know who to trust anymore. I won't get them because I don't want to risk it, but I really wish I could get my bird a nice light because her cage is in the basement so the natural lighting is depressing and it's too cold to take her outside. I also can't find any reviews of the featherbrite lights and the website looks sketchy to me, but it seems everyone recommends those? I just want a safe option so my baby can see properly and be happy haha
 

HappyWings

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Found it. There's lots of information and specs to look through too. Next Generation LED Lighting | Waveform Lighting
Thank you!! These look great. Do you think this one would be pretty universally agreed upon to be safe to use in my closet above my bird's cage? CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ Full Spectrum Flicker-Free A19 10W LED Bulb
Since it's not UV, is it okay that it's not directly above her cage but slightly to the side? I checked the bulb in my closet today and it was 60Hz, which I believe means it may bother my bird because she can see the flicker that I can't?
 

Mizzely

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Simply put: To see properly all they need is bulbs that mimic the sun.

I don't know that the Arcadia bulb comes in a standard socket style. For my leopard gecko they come in a tube fluorescent. They are UK based so it's harder to find them Stateside.

My vet is board certified and agrees with me that UVB bulbs provide no benefits.

Something like this would work well. Avian Full Spectrum E26 A19 LED Bulb for Birds

However, again, you basically need something that is CRI 91 and 5500K or higher. The closer to 100 the CRI and the closer to 6500K, the closer it is to mimicking the sun, without worrying about UV rays.

I think Featherbrite are useless. Members have tested them before and even fresh out of the box they emit inconsistent output.

Vets are helpful in a lot of things. That doesn't mean they are perfect. Where did you read the AAV recommendations for bulb types?

At the end of the day, your have to do what you feel is best. I know that I could not live with a light 6 to 12 inches from my face for 3 to 4 hours a day as the link in your first post suggested. Can you imagine? And then to have that light be larger than your entire head or even body?

I also know that living in Michigan I can't go outside for 6+ months a year with my bird and I've never had a bird be in my care and have issues with calcium or D3 because they get it in their diet. And yes, some of those birds lived in a finished basement for a couple years.
 

Monaco

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Thank you!! These look great. Do you think this one would be pretty universally agreed upon to be safe to use in my closet above my bird's cage? CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ Full Spectrum Flicker-Free A19 10W LED Bulb
Since it's not UV, is it okay that it's not directly above her cage but slightly to the side? I checked the bulb in my closet today and it was 60Hz, which I believe means it may bother my bird because she can see the flicker that I can't?
I do. I would opt for the 6500 in the summer and the 4k in the winter. (I'm doing a little experimentation here with light color- the 6500 will be very white and closer to summer time light color, and perfectly fine.)
Eventually all of my house bulbs will be switched over to bulbs from this company. I suspect you won't have trouble with the intensity, but a corner of shade your bird can move to could solve that.

About the flicker... I don't understand the technical speak and science about the electrical engineering. I think several people here do. As far as I can tell dc current is the only way to get a non flickering light stream. The frequency is where I lose all sense of understanding or ability to translate it into a solution. Maybe a battery operated light for your closet would be a good solution? All I know is that most interior lighting makes me very uncomfortable (headaches and irritated, led is finally a something I can tolerate for any length of time) so I suspect that the animals probably don't like it either.
 

HappyWings

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Simply put: To see properly all they need is bulbs that mimic the sun.

I don't know that the Arcadia bulb comes in a standard socket style. For my leopard gecko they come in a tube fluorescent. They are UK based so it's harder to find them Stateside.

My vet is board certified and agrees with me that UVB bulbs provide no benefits.

Something like this would work well. Avian Full Spectrum E26 A19 LED Bulb for Birds

However, again, you basically need something that is CRI 91 and 5500K or higher. The closer to 100 the CRI and the closer to 6500K, the closer it is to mimicking the sun, without worrying about UV rays.

I think Featherbrite are useless. Members have tested them before and even fresh out of the box they emit inconsistent output.

Vets are helpful in a lot of things. That doesn't mean they are perfect. Where did you read the AAV recommendations for bulb types?

At the end of the day, your have to do what you feel is best. I know that I could not live with a light 6 to 12 inches from my face for 3 to 4 hours a day as the link in your first post suggested. Can you imagine? And then to have that light be larger than your entire head or even body?

I also know that living in Michigan I can't go outside for 6+ months a year with my bird and I've never had a bird be in my care and have issues with calcium or D3 because they get it in their diet. And yes, some of those birds lived in a finished basement for a couple years.
That's so helpful thanks so much! Would this one work too? It's only 5000K so I figured that would be playing it safe? CENTRIC DAYLIGHT™ Full Spectrum Flicker-Free A19 10W LED Bulb
Would 6500K be too high for winter? I remember reading going higher makes them stressed and you should never go above 5700K for tropical birds "Our companion birds do best under the color temperature of the sun (as experienced on earth), which is 5000 K in the tropical latitudes. Color temperatures lower than this (more red) can lead to breeding behavior, while higher color temperatures (more blue) have been shown to produce more stress and feather destruction. For tropical birds, look for a light that has a temperature of at least 5000 K and not more than 5700 K. Specialty fluorescent tubes, like the Philips TL-950, give the best color temperature (5000 K) and have a of 98 CRI rating, offering a great option for basic supplemental lighting for your birds." https://mickaboo.org/sites/default/files/files/AvianLightingSummary.pdf
One last question, does this bulb need to be pointing directly down on the cage like the UV lights? The bulb socket in my closet is on the door frame so that the bulb point towards the back of the closet rather than directly down, does this light have the same potential to damage/burn my bird's eyes?
 

Mizzely

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I've never done different lighting in the winter. My current bulb is 93 CRI and 5500K. 5500 to 6500 simulates full sun.

KelvinTempChart (1).png

I've personally never done below 5500 because it looks too yellow to me.

My current bulb is a lamp to the side of The cage. So no, it is not directly overhead. It is covered so that he can't stare directly into the bulb.
 
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