THE IMPORTANCE OF FULL SPECTRUM LIGHTING

Birds are wonderful creatures and people love them! Birds are intelligent, playful, curious and loveable. As an avian enthusiast, you have put a lot of time and energy into making your beloved pets home the best home. You did your research and bought healthy foods, avian friendly cages, dye-free toys and safe bird dishes, but it’s common for the right lighting to be overlooked. People can benefit from full spectrum lighting but animals benefit even more.

What is Full Spectrum Lighting?

According to Wikipedia, full spectrum lighting encompasses the entire electromagnetic spectrum or all wavelengths. The electromagnetic spectrum is all the lighting and wavelengths from infrared to near ultraviolet. Sunlight is full spectrum lighting, the lighting in your home isn’t.

There’s a lot of science to full spectrum lighting and you can read the whole whole article below. h ttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Full-spectrum_light

The Benefits of Full Spectrum Lighting.

The number one benefit of the electromagnetic spectrum for birds is Vitamin D. Birds need Vitamin D just as humans do, for things such as improved immunity, boosting mood, and supporting bone strength. For birds, Vitamin D is an important part of having healthy skin and feathers and maintaining hormonal balance. Many pet birds come from tropical climates and forest areas where they typically get 12 hours of sunlight a day. Thirty minutes a week is the bare minimum that a bird needs, but avian experts recommend a much higher amount. There are few ways to achieve this.

1. Take your bird outside. Put their cage outside or have an outdoor cage for them, such as an aviary or travel cage. Climate is important. Extremely high temperatures, especially dry heat can be dangerous for your bird, likewise, your bird shouldn’t be exposed to cold
2. Have full spectrum avian safe lights in your
3. Make sure your bird plays and lives in a room with plenty of light. However, most windows are made to filter out the ultraviolet lights that benefit a bird physiologically, but do help with psychological health. Secondly, it’s not safe for a bird to stay really close to a window as the temperature fluctuations are not safe for your pet.

Birds are more light sensitive than people and are more reliant on full spectrum lighting for health and mood. Birds can see parts of the UV spectrum that people can’t and they can see light faster as well. Did you know that the regular light bulbs in our homes actually look as if they’re flickering to birds? According to Best Friends Animal Society, FS bulbs are a good replacement for regular bulbs, but they don’t replace sunlight, have limits and if too close to your bird, are harmful for their eyes.

https://resources.bestfriends.org/article/pet-birds-lighting-considerations

While birds need plenty of sunlight, full spectrum lighting or a combination of both, they also need 12 hours of sleep, so it’s equally important that your pet bird has a darker, quieter place to sleep. If your beloved pet has issues with the dark, King’s Cages has an avian safe solution.

Use FeatherBrite Moonlight Bulbs to make your bird comfortable at night. With 3 blue LED bulbs in a white frosted globe our Moonlight product is designed with your pets comfort and safety in mind.

https://kingscages.com/product/featherbrite-moonlight-bulbs/

Providing full spectrum lighting and a good amount of sunlight is important, but it’s not always easy. Luckily, King’s Cages provides additional products to provide your feathered friend top of the line avian expert and veterinarian approved solutions. For feathers that seem to be a little less than ideal or to cure your pet of excessive feather plucking try “Pluck No More” shampoos. This safe, homeopathic, herbal liquid is avian safe and popular with breeders. For a Vitamin D rich diet choose King’s Cages healthy foods, seeds, treats, seed mixes and herbal liquids.

If you do take your bird outside during warm weather please follow these guidelines.

1. Birds should be in a harness or kept in the cage so they don’t
2. Never leave your pet bird alone outside. They need to be protected from predators and hazardous
3. Watch for signs that your pet is overheated. Signs include panting and holding their wings out from their

For colder months, use UV bulbs and for this type of lighting veterinarians advise to have the UV bulbs on at least 3-4 hours a day, that they are kept at the top of the cage, not to the side, to replace the bulbs every 6 months and to not let your bird be too close to the light, but not to put the full spectrum lighting more than 18 inches away. If you notice your beloved pet squinting, redness of the skin around the eyes or they start scratching their face get the light further away from them or take it away entirely and call your vet. Experts and veterinarians also recommend linear tubes or compact fluorescent lights and discourage the use of mercury vapor flood lights, and advise to use gradient light so the bird can move away from the light if he/she chooses.

King’s Cages is proud to partner with you to maintain a healthy and happy bird! From cages, food, toys, perches to cage cleaner and bath sprays, King’s Cages carries only top of line, avian safe products that your pet will love! Having a bird for a pet is a big responsibility and birds can be delicate, but bonding with them is a truly great experience. Pet birds are a wonderful addition to the family and love you, so love them back by giving them the best. The best includes any of King’s Cages veterinarian approved products. Don’t forget to join our VIP Coupon List so that you never miss a deal. Call today to speak to a knowledgeable agent and see how we can help you be an awesome bird parent!