I have still not gotten my birds lighting (I know, bad parront! ). My question is they have playtop cages and is there anyway to still use lighting and keep the playtops on? They trays on the playtops slide out and I could put a light there during the day when we are not home and they are in their cages. Does anyone know of lights that would be easily removed and set up once a day? Also do they make them with timers of some sort so that they wouldn't stay on all day? TIA!

Do they actually use the playtop? Like, are there perches and such up there? I took Ollie's off because she has so many other gyms, and frankly the one on top of the cage was boring. This way when she is out of her cage I have the tray in because she likes to run around on top of her cage and I don't want to chance her pooping down onto her toys or food. When she is in her cage I just pull the tray and out and slide it under her cage.

I have a hanging light fixture that I got from Joel, and I can fix you up with the specs if you want. Some people have purchased lamps that are obviously movable. I think the Philips bulbs and the hanging fixture are the most beneficial, but a lamp would be okay for a last resort. Maybe somebody who has one will chime in.

You can buy times that you plug into the wall, then plug the light into. I got mine at Ace Hardware for $10. Mine comes on at like 9 am and goes off around 6.

Why remove the light setup daily? Just hang from ceiling with hooks and remove the tray like ya mentioned...... Just plug a cheap H.D. timer into the wall and plug light fixture cord into that. Do make sure though that you bird cannot reach the electrical cord. Good luck.

Joel, the only issue is the same one that I had...to get the light close enough to the cage to be of benefit, it has to be really close to the play gym. I'm afraid it would be too close to be able to keep them off of the light. But then that addresses the issue of how close the light should be...seems nobody knows the answer to that anyways!

Thanks for the info. The problem with hanging is that I have really high ceilings in our house and I am not sure how that would work. And the use their playtops everyday- it's where the play and eat meals.

If ya can't keep the cage in an area without a high ceiling (if a place like that exists), then I would just hang from ceiling - above the perch high enough where he can't reach it by stretching neck? Not much else one can do?

here is kind of an add on question to this post, but where did everyone here get their lighting, or what different types of lighting do you use?

I got mine from Joel (~J~ on here). Supposedly they sell the same fixture at Home Depot, but I have yet to find it in the ones around here. It is like a 3 ft long hanging fixture with a 3 ft cord, an electronic ballast, and downward reflectors. Here is the product information for the tubes. Two go in the fixture at a time.

F32T8/TL/950 PHILIPS
F32T8/950 (F32T8/TL950) PH 32W T8 48" 209056 PHILIPS 5000K LAMP 98 CRI

98 CRI is, I think, the best you can buy. The higher the CRI, the better for our little fidren.

Here is a pic in the background:

I have a Feather Brite light. I use it two or three hours a day, in the morning.

The place that I purchased mine from now requires that you purchase them by the case. For some reason, all the places I looked at online require the same thing except for Greendepot. I have never purchased from them. I had purchased the 5000K previously, I’m not sure if the 6500K is better for them or not, but I saw no 5000K ones.

You need to get an Electronic Ballast fixture NOT a Magnetic one.

GREENDEPOT

Fluo 24” T8 6500°K 98 CRI Full Spectrum Plus
Price: $15.25
http://www.greendepot.com/-strse-691...-T8/Detail.bok

Fluo 36” T8 6500°K 98 CRI Full Spectrum Plus
Price: $15.89
http://www.greendepot.com/-strse-692...-T8/Detail.bok

Fluo 48” T12 6500°K 98 CRI Full Spectrum Plus
Price: $14.60
http://www.greendepot.com/-strse-694...B0K/Detail.bok

Manufacturer Lumiram