Not only is this vital for their health, it is also vital to their well-being.
Birds (as well as humans, & other creatures) need light, to manufacture vitamin D in their bodies, thus enabling them to properly metabolize calcium, which is critical for bone-strength, as well as assisting in a good immune system.
In addition, most creatures, especially birds, need light to regulate hormones which are responsible for inducing breeding behavior.
Not everyone has the option of placing their birds outside for daily sunshine, or they don't have a nice sunny window to put their birds near. There are a few good alternatives out there, to help you provide your birds with the light they need.
Full-spectrum lighting is a special kind of bulb, which is meant to simulate actual sunlight. It is an excellent way to provide both the beneficial qualities of sunlight, as well as improve the mood, and coloration of your bird(s). Many bird-breeders have discovered that birds may be stimulated to go into 'breeding season', after a few weeks of regular exposure to full-spectrum lighting*, so many breeders incorporate this method into their arsenal of tactics, when they wish to coax a pair towards breeding.
*Full-spectrum lighting should be placed 12 inches (or more) away from cage, (not directly on the cage), and birds outside of the cage should be discouraged (or distracted) from playing closer than 12 inches from light.
*Bird should NEVER be exposed to more than 12 consecutive hours of full-spectrum lighting daily. (Remember, birds need "night-time" too.) So, don't forget to turn the light off after 12 hours, or set up an automatic timer to turn it off for you.
To elude the preceding tips, will create a very aggitated, exhausted bird and may cause eye damage. (They can't help but be attracted to -and stimulated by the light, which (in my experience) provokes a high-activity level.)
Some good brands of full-spectrum lighting are OTT, Vita-Lite, and Repti-Sun. (I will try to provide links in the future.) These brands usually have tube-lights, in various sizes, which usually (but not always) fit into standard tube (or shop-lighting) fixtures. Some of the brands even have small bulbs, which easily fit into most sockets.
More information will be added soon, so please check back soon for updates!
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