FUll spectrum light bulbs

[star]

Hi

Does anyone use a full spectrum light bulb that you can screw into any hanging or other type of lamp? I have the hanging type lamps over my birds. Three cages have natural daylight bulbs which= 200 watts but I am not sure if they are full spectrum. The other cage has a 100 watt full spectrum bulb. I think the full spectrum 100 watt is not bright enough. So my question is where do I purchase one that would be much brighter? Also are daylight bulbs okay to use?

[Sally]

Daylight or full-spectrum, it is whatever you want. I'd get the bulbs that give the most pleasing light for the best price. The thinking today is that birds that are inside do not get any discernable benefit from these bulbs, so why spend a lot on very expensive bulbs. Better to use the cheaper bulbs and then supplement the birds with a vitamin supplement that contains D3.

I use 4' and 2' fluorescent tubes, and get mine at Home Depot or Lowe's usually.

[nixity]

I use 4' and 2' fluorescent tubes, and get mine at Home Depot or Lowe's usually.

What brand do you use?

I have 18" fixtures on one of my flights, and I've tried two varieties of bulbs (60w "Daylight" and now I am trying the 60w "Noon-day light" kind because it claims to have brighter light).. and haven't had much luck getting light as bright as the n:vision Daylight CFL bulbs.

With those, though, I have to use four dome lights per flight and that means I have a LOT of lights plugged in :\

[Sally]

Those two stores carry either GE or Phillips brand. The only place I could find the 2' shop lights was at Walmart. They used to carry 2' T12 shoplights, but now they switched to 2' T8 shoplights. Lowe's and Home Depot only carry direct wire 2' shop lights.

This is one of the hardest parts of lighting. You finally find what you like, and they quit making it, or they change the bulbs. Walmart will carry fixtures that would work, but then they don't have replacement bulbs for all the fixtures they sell--drives me nuts!

[star]

Thank you for your help everyone who replied. I think I will keep using the 200 watt daylight bulbs. They are pretty bright and no dimming yellow color at all. I get them at Menards for $9. I think any time we find something we like no matter what it is for it seems to get discontinued. Frustrating!

[ac12]

Do you put a single 200w lamp on ONE cage?
How big is the cage, as that is a pretty high wattage lamp for a single cage. I put a screw in compact florescent on my cages, I think they are 17w (replacement for 40w incandescent) or 23w (replacement for 60w incandescent).

I use "daylight" bulbs. I have one cage with a "cool white," and in comparison to the daylight, the cool white has a definite ORANGE cast to the light.