Lighting?

[wearjo]

Hi guys, I was jsut wondering how everyone lights up their aviaries/cages? And how do you connect them to power, because I can't find anything on that

[kenny66]

i have a large outdoor aviary about 15 mtrs long and i have it lit in two sections. I have one light at the entrance door which lights up about 1.5 mtrs into the aviary right down the centre. this allows the birds to have some light if they change perching positions and also lets me view the entrance door which is usually the prefered entry attempt by the many snakes we have here. if i spot them they are promptly "relocated". i use a standard aquarium reflector light of 1.2mtrs, cool tropical globe. i have it upright/vertical with plastic ties to a wooden column inside the entrance. the advantage of this is that is a gentle light which is cool and no chance of fires because of the low voltage and wattage. the second light is in the large open flight area which is joined to the first section by an open hatch which i can close off if needed. this also has an aquarium light but it is mounted horizontally about 1.3 mtrs above gound. this allows the birds to see if need be but doesnt disturb their sleep.At either ends of the aviary i have sensor lights mounted at gutter line height which can floodlight the whole perimeter of the aviary if needed, this is usefull if i get any larger predators like the white tail rats (500gms-almost 1 kg weight) hanging around. it also would deter any would be thieves, although this is unlikely where i live, the crocodiles would get them first lol. i must say i dont lose birds to night frights, i believe at least partly because of the lighting. for the canary room i have all cages facing very large picture windows overlooking the pool. these slide back to let in sunlight unfiltered. all lights go out in that area at sundown so as not to interfere with the canary moult/breeding routine. i only have a night light in this general area when i am hand feeding chicks as it is near the area where i prepare the baby formula. hope this helps

[Martie]

I use inexpensive under-cabinet lights affixed to the ceiling of each cage with a short spring and two S-hooks on each end. I replace the bulbs that come with the fixtures with any brand of full-spectrum bulb. They are sold as Sunshine Lights or Day Lights.

The cord is run through the back of each cage up to the top of the stack and plugged into a power strip which is plugged into an outlet on the ceiling (my husband is an electrician and installed the ceiling outlets).

[Lisa]

Martie, what type of under cabinet lights do you use that you can replace them with sunshine bulbs? All of the under cabinet lights I find are very strange shaped bulbs (circular, S shaped, etc). Also, do the ones you use come with a plastic cover? I ask because one thing I worry about with exposed glass is when the finches bathe, I am afraid they will shatter the bulb. Would be very interested to see exactly what brand/setup you have as frankly, I'd like to duplicate it!

Right now, my birds are in a room that gets sun but not as much direct sunlight as I'd like. Oddly, in the spring months, they got a lot more. I have puck lights (they are circular under-cabinet lights) that come in sets of 3 and then connect to a central plug with a separate switch. It provides plenty of light, but it's not full spectrum. This may sound nuts but I actually bring the cages outdoors on sunny (but not overly hot) days just so the birds can get some direct sun.

This is something that has been bugging me for a long time - I really would like to get a better solution in place. I even have a 3 tiered grow cart that has full spectrum bulbs already in place but it's about 1/2 too short to fit the cages. Martie, you are lucky to have an electrician hubby!

[Martie]

Lisa, I buy them at Lowe's or Walmart - Walmart has the most consistently low prices. It's been a while since I bought one of these fixtures - but they are $20.00 - $25.00 apiece. They come with a fluorescent bulb in them, but I prefer the light from the Sunshine Bulbs and replace the factory one. You don't have to do this IMO.

Here are a couple of the styles I use:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lights-of-Ame ... t/16877468
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Lights-of-Ame ... ifications

I use fixtures that take 18" T8 Fluorescent bulbs. My smallest cages are 24"h x 18"w x 24"l so I ensure the fixture is less than 24" long.

The bulb size is what will limit your selection. T8 Fluorescent bulbs are most readily available - and most of the sunshine-type bulbs are in this size. The 18" length is also kind of standard, although less often used so sometimes not many available in any store. So - when shopping for fixtures, I make sure it is an 18" T8 bulb.

The fixtures all come with plastic covers, which I remove in order to get the full effect of the lights. I, too, worried a bit about the splashing, but in years of using these, I have never had a problem. I also worried a bit about birds so close to a bare fluorescent bulb - but again - no problems.

The fixtures are attached with a short spring with two S-hooks on either end. I put one of these at each end of the fixture - hook an S-hook on the cage ceiling on one side - place the fixture - wrap the spring across it and hook the other S-hook on the ceiling on the other side. (Do this over the case - not over the bulb) I tried using the mounting hardware that comes with the fixtures and larger washers to work with the wire, but the springs/S-hooks are much less complicated - can be easily moved around and adjusted if need be.

Lucky me - my husband also hard-wired all the ceiling outlets into a timer box, so they all turn on and off at preset times every day. You could also have the outlets in regular wall places, but since I had a choice, I elected to put them on the ceiling - it's been amazing - NO seed or poop gets near or in any of them and no sweeping around cords on the floor.

If your cages are separated - as the common white cages that come three-to-a-stand are - then, you can find a fixture that will slide over the top and fits between the cages. Mine, however, are stacked - so no room for that. I could do frames to slide fixtures into, but having them inside just seems simpler.

[Lisa]

Martie, thanks soooo much for this. The thing that bugs me the most with my current set up is that I can't use the sunshine bulbs. I just think it would be better for them. I start worrying that it's equivalent to having them in a dungeon with lights on the way they are now (probably just me dramatizing the situation, it's really not anywhere near THAT bad lol)

The birds seem happy but I do notice any obvious change in them (instant happiness overload!) when they do get into real sun. Hoping to replicate a little of that inside. I do have the stackable cages (which is where the problem began, really. When I had individual non-stackables, I didn't have the lighting issues).

I'm glad you commented on the splashing situation. I think they tend to splash sideways more than up anyway (judging from my floors). The fluorescents stay cool to the touch, I think, don't they?

[Martie]

Hi Lisa,

Yes - the fluorescents are cooler. My birds always have open dishes of water on the floor in the center of their cages for bathing. Some of them bathe 2-3 times a day - and it goes everywhere! No problems with the lights, though.

I think real sunlight is the best and we just can't replicate that indoors. I just try to do the best I can for them. Taking them outdoors occasionally is great - you are wonderful to do that for them!

[wearjo]

Ok, so basically whatll be happening is I'm gonna buy a shelving unit and put it outside (it's weatherproof) and build my own cages that'll go on each shelf I'll be building the lights in to it so it looks tidy