# Lights: birds and plants?



## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

I was wondering, are the lights for birds and plants similar? Would special plant-growing lights supply a bird enough light so as to produce its own D3 vitamin? I have one but, like many others, it's blue/red (no green because it's useless in plants). Would it work for the dove too? It's very cold outside, maybe I can put her under the lamp for a while? I haven't been able to find D3 suplements.

Thanks!


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## jameswaller (Nov 4, 2008)

*overhead lighting*



Pawbla said:


> I was wondering, are the lights for birds and plants similar? Would special plant-growing lights supply a bird enough light so as to produce its own D3 vitamin? I have one but, like many others, it's blue/red (no green because it's useless in plants). Would it work for the dove too? It's very cold outside, maybe I can put her under the lamp for a while? I haven't been able to find D3 suplements.
> 
> Thanks!


thank you for posting,,interior animals donot get sunshine/sunlight,,they have requirements also.//.i purchase my fluorescent lighting from walmart,,it is a broad spectrum lighting.//.they look just like f-40 cw/ww--except the light from these tubes project a wide range-color-spectrum,,i raise exotics-(rabbits and homers)- so i try to mimic nature...the pellets that are fed to my rabbits,are supplemental,for vitamins-and-nutrition,,yes you are correct-our little friends requirements are like ours---good thread,,-sincerely james waller


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

Hi Pawbla

Birds require ultraviolet light to provide D3, where as too much UV is harmful to plants, so I'd suggest you would need lighting designed particularly for birds to be effective enough.

A liquid calcium supplement which contains D3 is the easiest option. Supplement designed for birds should have that - the 3 I've used certainly do. It has the advantage that you can give it direct to the bird and know that it's getting its requirement.

Are you able to order a calcium supplement online? I would expect that one or more of the US suppliers would ship outside the USA as it isn't a restricted medication. May be worth contacting Foys, Siegels or Global.

Here's one from Siegels who state they ship outside the USA

http://www.siegelpigeons.com/catalog-minerals.html

you'll find calcium/D3 syrup in there

John


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

These are the lights they sell for birds. You can buy the bulbs and put them in a drop light or something.

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/-/zoo-med-18-repti-sun-50-uvb-bulb/

http://www.parrot-and-conure-world.com/full-spectrum-light-for-birds.html


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## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

Lol, I was hoping it was useful. Better for my little plants though.

Umm, the shipping is the most expensive thing in these cases. It's way more expensive than the product itself :/.

I'll check if they sell the D3/calcium thing in Buenos Aires when I go there next month. I have the standard vitamin supplement that contains that vitamin among the others. I give it to him as the label says - 3 times a week alternating clear water and vitamins. I do it every two weeks. Luckily it's fat-soluble, and if I remember correctly it means it can be stored in the body.

And I'll see if I can get the lamp here. I can't afford it now, but I'll get it before next winter, I think. Until then I guess he'll have to take him outside during the "hottest" part of the day. Is 10 C too cold for a bird that was raised inside? I got him in autumn, so he lived most of his life inside my home.

How much time does a bird need outside to satisfy that need? 1 hour? More, less?


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## turtleandtoad (Jun 10, 2010)

John_D said:


> Hi Pawbla
> 
> Birds require ultraviolet light to provide D3, where as too much UV is harmful to plants, so I'd suggest you would need lighting designed particularly for birds to be effective enough.


Hey John D, I've got a similar question for ya...I have one of those reptile sun lamp type mercury vapor bulbs I use for my tortoise. I'd like to try growing him some trays of grass. Can I grow plants under this light?
Thanks 
Angela


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## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

The problem would be growing grass inside rather than growing it with an artificial light. Many plants don't do well without the normal spring-summer-autumn-winter changes.

If grass doesn't fall into this category, it's likely you can, but you should get a really hardy grass, or it'll be harmful for them like John D said. One of those "sun" types, probably.

I'd rather grow the grass outside and take it inside for your tortoise to eat .


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## Jay3 (May 4, 2008)

Pawbla said:


> Lol, I was hoping it was useful. Better for my little plants though.
> 
> Umm, the shipping is the most expensive thing in these cases. It's way more expensive than the product itself :/.
> 
> ...




Here's an article on it.

http://www.mmlights.com/bird lights.html


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## John_D (Jan 24, 2002)

turtleandtoad said:


> Hey John D, I've got a similar question for ya...I have one of those reptile sun lamp type mercury vapor bulbs I use for my tortoise. I'd like to try growing him some trays of grass. Can I grow plants under this light?
> Thanks
> Angela


Hi

I'm no lighting expert  , but you could use that kind of light for plants. Like most anything except fluorescent lights they'd give out a certain amount of heat, so if they're quite good sized lamps (don't know about reptile lights) they'd need to be a few feet from the plants. Plants also need the right day length of course. Don't know how well ordinary grass as in lawns works inside. Probably do better just finding a sunny position for it, really.

John


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## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

Jay3 said:


> [/B]
> 
> Here's an article on it.
> 
> http://www.mmlights.com/bird lights.html


Ugh . Not good.


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## turtleandtoad (Jun 10, 2010)

Thanks John and Pawbla for your advice. I will keep it in mind during this experiment. You're probably right about the day length and seasonal changes which I will not be able to create inside but people seem to be able to grow wheat grass indoors as health food fairly easily. The reptile light does produce alot of heat and it has to be positioned low for the tortoise so I may have to rethink my current plan. I don't have a yard of my own to grow anything in  I will have to research this more. I'm using a special nutritional mix of grass seed which has...
Timothy
Oat,Red-2 types 
Oat, White 
Fescue-3 types
Mediterranean
Galetta
Orchard
Timothy
Bermuda/Couchgrass-4 types
Barley-3 types
Rye-Perennial and Annual 5 types
Ricegrass, Indian
Sideoats Grama
Big bluestem
Kentucky Bluegrass
Indiangrass
and others
fingers crossed 

I just adopted my first pigeon a week ago. Franklin is a 2 year old imprinted piji who enjoys giving love bites, humping inanimate objects and landing on our heads. He cracks me up!


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## Pawbla (Jan 6, 2009)

But do you have a window or something? I think it'd be more successful there.

Well, out of all those types, I'm sure AT LEAST one will grow! Hahah!


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## Cardinal2001 (8 mo ago)

I have a lighting question. I have a white dove, bought the bird light. How far above his head should it be and can it go over the perch he sits on the most or over to the side where he can go there or not?


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