# Does a cockatiel need to be exposed to the sun?



## Stefan97 (Aug 2, 2016)

The title says it. I had my cockatiel's cage on a specific spot in my room which in the morning was exposed to the sun. But my cockatiel for some reason didn't like that spot at all and had watery droppings (he wasn't sick since he didn't show any signs). When i moved his cage into a new spot the watery droppings stopped but that spot isn't exposed to the sun and its a little dark. 

Do I need to return his cage back on the original spot?


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

Sunlight through a window really does nothing for your tiel. Windows usually block most of the beneficial light. Instead, you can get a UV light from the store and turn that on a couple times a day. It could be that the droppings were caused because your tiel could see outside and was stressed out by any birds flying by, that sort of thing.


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## 7102 (Apr 14, 2012)

UV light allows the conversion of calcium in a bird's diet (liquid calcium, cuttlefish/blocks, etc.) into a form of calcium they can use to build their bones. Pretty dang important in females that have a tendency to overlay! I use Acardia's UV lamp for my 'tiels personally, set to a set amount of hours depending on if it's summer or winter (summer = longer hours, winter = shorter hours). Windows block UVA and UVB rays, rending the light useless as a health benefit to your 'tiel.

Birds can see four colours, whereas humans can only see three; it's pretty possible that your birb was spooked by something he could see outside, either obvious or not obvious to the human eye.

Have you had him checked out by an avian vet to ensure he's okay?


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## Jaguar (Jul 11, 2014)

Bright ambient light is still really important - they are highly dependent on vision. Give this article a read, it gives some great recommendations for supplementary (including UV) lighting as well.

http://mickaboo.org/sites/default/files/files/AvianLightingSummary.pdf


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## Lore (Dec 5, 2016)

I use full-spectrum lighting in my room, as I heard it has positive effects on humans. As an added bonus, it supposedly also helps birds see better inside! (compared to regular lighting) As far as I know, it doesn't have any UV-A or -B in its spectrum though, but I'd have to check that to be sure.

Some birds love looking outside, others are spooked easily by sudden movements. It could be that your bird got scared because there were cats or a bird of prey outside, or maybe even other birds that scared him. I think getting him a UV-light that has both UVA and UVB would be a good idea, but they are quite pricey, so I don't know if you could afford one.
Depending on how old the windows in your house are, little to no UV-light gets through them (Old houses tend to have windows that let through slightly more UV light than new houses, but this is not always the case and pretty much impossible to measure) so you can't really be sure how much of it he does get by sitting by the window.

Other downsides to keeping your bird's cage near a window is possible drafts and the sun getting too warm. If you keep the cage near a window, make sure that you have a part of the cage in the shade at all times, so that your bird can hide out in that part if it gets too warm.


*Edit:* I suppose if your tiel is harness trained you could take him outside in his harness if it isn't too cold for him. Or in his carrier or travel cage. But same as with a cage near the window, make sure he doesn't get in a draft, that's dangerous for your tiel's health!


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## littletiel (May 15, 2011)

Does anybody have any recommendations for a lamp I can buy in Australia?
Actually I do have a daylight therapy lamp (SAD lamp) I use for myself and he seems to even like it, but right now it's summer and it is a bit unpleasant on most days.


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## roxy culver (May 27, 2010)

> Actually I do have a daylight therapy lamp (SAD lamp) I use for myself and he seems to even like it, but right now it's summer and it is a bit unpleasant on most days.


It doesn't have to be on for long, a couple hours a day is really all that's needed. http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27549 this sticky has some really good info.


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## littletiel (May 15, 2011)

roxy culver said:


> It doesn't have to be on for long, a couple hours a day is really all that's needed. http://talkcockatiels.com/showthread.php?t=27549 this sticky has some really good info.


Thanks, I will have a look at that page.
Unfortunately when it is hot in Australia even a couple of hours a day are a torture... I constantly get a message that my hard drive is overheated...

I wish I could put my boy in another room, but I am sure he would protest, particularly if he is not in complete darkness and the lamp is pointing at him...


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## Lore (Dec 5, 2016)

I would suggest to try and take your tiel outside in his travel cage. However, with your computer's CPU already overheating as it is while inside, I think it may be too hot outside (for both of you) even in the shade. Then again I am halfway across the world and cannot really give fair judgement about this.

If you do find that it is manageable outside in the shade, I would say, take your tiel out in his.travel cage (or his regular one if possible. Even in the shade, UV rays will reach you.
If you do take him outside, make sure he has water available to him! And because of the heat I wouldn't recommend taking him outside for longer amounts of time. Maybe only about 5 minutes at a time with resting inside after?


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## Paul C (Sep 27, 2016)

I take Julie outside in the shade to dry up after a shower, here in QLD we are cruising at around 36 deg in summer.... no stress has been noticed, and also we have our fair share of hot rainy days to put the cage out under cover...
have to look out for those Noisy miners birds coming round for a look though..


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## littletiel (May 15, 2011)

I would love to have something like Pak-o-Bird, but it is incredibly expensive here. I have seen interesting substitutes, but as my boy is a plucker and a chewer they are not safe I think because of the nylon mesh, no matter how strong it is.

Currently I have a cat carrier, but while it works well when I go to the vet he wouldn't get much sun in it...


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## galactickiwi (Feb 4, 2015)

I live in a fairly cold area, even in the summer we get fairly cold days so my tiel doesn't get too much sun. The last vet we took her to basically said it was 100% necessary to get a UV bulb and to take her outside on any days warm enough. 
As soon as we turned the uv bulb on, she ran over to it and took a nap right in front of it (i made sure it wasn't close enough for her to touch it). She loves her UV bulb, but only for about 4-5 hours. After that she runs to the other side of her cage and chirps at me to turn it off.

Uv lights are a pretty good investment, though our vet did mention don't get ones for reptiles. I just get my avian bulb at a local pet store, and one of the people working there told us the ones for reptiles are basically the same thing and are cheaper - apparently this is not true and they put out UV differently, so look for ones specifically for parrots. And they're also good for people, too, UV light is very good for our mental health. So by helping your bird out, you're helping yourself out too


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