Crows need UV-A and UV-B light. They get both outdoors, but not indoors. UV-A and UV-B lamps are available at your local pet shop, but of course also on Amazon and other online stores!
UV-A light is what a crow bird needs to see well.
If they don’t get UV-A light, they see colors incorrectly and that causes stress.
That’s why it’s important that they have access to a UV-A lamp.
-> Keep in mind that an ordinary LED lamp does not provide UV-A light
-> Remember that a window lets UV-A light through, but not UV-B light
A crow needs UV-B light to produce vitamin D in its own body.
So UV-B is very important. A crow bird that does not have access to vitamin D can have problems with its bones, immune system and other health problems.
-> Keep in mind that an ordinary LED lamp does not give UV-B light at all!
-> Remember that a window lets UV-A light through, but not UV-B light
It is important to put netting around the lamp so that the bird cannot reach it with its beak. The glass of a “bird lamp” can be very thin and this can be a problem if they peck at it.
The distance from the bird to the lamp is stated on the packaging. Make sure you buy the right lamp!
Things to think about before buying:
- There are fluorescent bulbs and there are regular “incandescent” bulbs.
- There are UV-A and UV-B and UV-A/UV-B lamps. Make sure the bird always gets UV-A and UV-B. It says so on the packaging!
- Unfortunately, the lamps are expensive and they do not have a long life. It says on the packaging how many hours they work well. Don’t go over the number of hours (there is information online that they can create a type of UV light that damages a bird’s eyesight if it has gone over the number of hours!)
- Don’t buy any cheap lights online. Sure, a known brand is more expensive, but you don’t want to save a few bucks and then damage the bird’s vision!
- After 6 months of use, the lights don’t give the same results anymore. However, you can’t tell the difference on the outside of the lamp!