Yep, I think that's the problem - try a big, thick boing. Our big one was free when we purchased Lulu's cage. It's heavy and sturdy and doesn't swing too much when they land on it. Our thin one can really swing when they land on it from full speed.

It's actually not too bad - when I first walk through the house to let the dog out, I turn on the fish tank lights (they also need to "wake up" before they get fed breakfast) and I can see by those. And the mud room light goes on because that's the back door where I let the dog out. After I shower and dress, then I go in the kitchen to make breakfast and then the kitchen light goes on.

See it makes perfect sense

Just caught up with this thread. For those who are interested in learning more about stepped, or "incremental" lighting, this article that I wrote in 1999 (and appeared in the NCS Journal) is available at the Birds & Lighting Website. "SIMULATING NATURAL PHOTOPERIOD: THE STEPPED LIGHTING APPROACH."

Unless there is limited or no infiltration of outside light into a bird area, the idea of multiple light installations may be a bit of overkill. The need for this will be determined by the amount of light that is present in a room during normal sunrise and sunset, and the position of the cage in relation to the light.

For areas that do receive adequate early morning light, it is a relatively simple matter to delay the main lighting till a little after sunrise and just before twilight. This was one of the considerations of the timer technology of the SpectraBird fixtures, which calculates local sunrise/sunset times as an astronomic event and operates the timer accordingly.

Typical electronic ballast fluorescent lamps cannot be used with dimmer circuits--don't try as it will damage both the dimmer control and the ballast. There are special ballasts that can be dimmed--but they are meant to work with conventional tubes--low mercury full spectrum lamps do not function well with them.

If poor natural lighting conditions in a room dictate using a separate fixture to supply stepped light, a 15-25 watt incandescent lamp in a bowl reflector is recommended. Placement should be a distance away from the cage, and directed toward a wall--AND NOT DIRECTLY AT THE CAGE.

This allows two things to happen. The first is that the incandescent lamp provides light that is rich in reds--matching more closely the spectral content of early morning light. Second, reflecting it off the wall scatters the light--giving it a softer, more diffuse effect that accurately mimics the polarization of the light as it would occur naturally.