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Post by moletteuk on Feb 1, 2017 10:53:46 GMT
LOL about the spatial awareness, you can stand in the exact place with a tape measure hovering exactly where it is going to go and the right size and it's still a surprise sometimes. They do look great. I've used quite a few 'cuphooks' in our cage, they are easier than a screw to use for something else if the original thing you wanted a connection point for was temporary.
Great to know that you can get a UV bulb that will just go in a normal fitting with no fuss. An E27 fitting is just an ES edison screw fitting, the larger of the two standard screw fittings. I can't find a UVB percentage for that bulb but it sounds appropriate as it says it is designed to replicate shady rainforest rather than desert. Let us know what the goos think.
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Feb 1, 2017 13:10:15 GMT
The nice man in the shop said it provided about 2% UVB, and was the light he'd used for African grey parrots. That sounded about right, so I got them So far, the goos are unfazed by them- they don't put out much heat, so they aren't basking in it, but they all jumped in starlement when I turned the lights on!
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Feb 4, 2017 20:19:27 GMT
Photo updates! So, so far, Zoe and Nyota are spending a lot of time under the light. There's a lot more foraging going on in that area, and piles of degu that rotate and roll so that different areas are under the light (or maybe away from it? not sure on that) Miho and River are occasionally to be seen hanging out under it, but mostly they aren't interested. The light is slightly differently positioned on both cages due to limitations of plug sockets and extension leads, but I had another thought as to why they are less interested than Zoe and Nyota. The daylight that each cage receives is quite different. Although there's a lot of glass in the way, so no useful UVB rays, River and Miho see a lot more of the daylight than Nyota and Zoe - all Nyota and Zoe see is what they get from their little top box. So maybe they're more interested because they've been in the dark/gloom all this time?
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Post by deguconvert on Feb 4, 2017 21:39:10 GMT
I think that is a good possibility, Titchycatnipsandwich (TCNS, LOL). They may well be really liking the exposure, having had such limited light. They could change their behaviors longer down the road, too. Will be interesting to see what develops the longer they have the lights.
Love the picture of them balled up on the little ledges . . . initially looked like they were floating, LOL!
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Post by bouncy on Feb 5, 2017 0:08:41 GMT
I was going to go with fluffy hummingbirds!
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Post by moletteuk on Feb 5, 2017 10:48:25 GMT
Very interesting!
Which cage is which? Could the small perches be putting them off from spending more time under the light? Maybe you could swap the perches for a ledge big enough to pile on?
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Post by titchycatnipsandwich on Feb 5, 2017 20:23:16 GMT
The cage with the small perches is River and Miho's - the one that gets normal daylight. At the moment, there isn't the ability to change the light position or the chew-rungs - they're currently the only way to get up and down from one level to the next. My official plan is to get a longer extension lead so that the lamp can be positioned over the top shelf, same as Nyota and Zoe's cage.
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Post by morton235 on Mar 18, 2019 12:00:53 GMT
I know this thread is old, but how are the lights doing? I am looking at purchasing the same set up for Riley. She basically has a week to improve or it's curtains, so I want to do everything I can for her! The UVB conversation is, like mentioned in the beginning, so overwhelming with choices! So I figured that if both moletteuk and titchy have the same bulbs and are getting on well with those set ups then I could try to mimic that. I've found the bulb/holder you've used available on amazon with next day delivery, but wanted to be certain before I ordered. The issue I'm having is holders and how to install them, I'm crap with DIY and our walls are old with plasterwork boxed to hell, but this bulb/holder one looks like it'd be easiest if I put a shelf above the cage and attached it to the bottom of it. I'll upload a photo with what I'm thinking. Sadly I can't see titchys set up, but seeing molleteuks was helpful. Any thoughts or advice before I purchase it? Just wanting to make sure it's right. The one I'm looking at is here: www.amazon.co.uk/Arcadia-Parrot-Waterproof-Bird-Holder/dp/B00CMPYI1S With the position, here's a link to what I'm thinking: photos.app.goo.gl/7JeCL1JV15pzna9P9The green represents the light fitting, in the center above the cage. The red is where I think placing a hammock would be good, so they can lounge but also to provide shade beneath it. They'd have the lower levels for moving about if they wanted to get out of the light.
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Post by bouncy on Mar 18, 2019 12:15:30 GMT
Personally, I'd say fine, but just lay it across the top of the cage.
Come on Riley! You're amazing!
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Post by morton235 on Mar 18, 2019 13:18:37 GMT
Will it not be too close to them, or cause the bars to heat at that close?
If not great, cause that'd certainly be much easier!
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 18, 2019 13:34:39 GMT
Those distances look OK. I've checked and mine doesn't give off too much heat at 4 or 5 inches distance, so the bars should be OK. The only problem with that one is that you can only get the lowest strength lights and they aren't all that easy to get hold of and are bit awkward to get in and out of the fitting. It is the one that Arcadia recommend for degus though, and like you, I thought individual lights and holders looked confusing so I just got that kit.
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Post by morton235 on Mar 18, 2019 18:00:15 GMT
Thanks, I've ordered it so I'll keep y'all posted. I don't mind if the lights are awkward to fit, they only need changing once a... yeeaarr....? I think? But looking at all of the different easy-to-use screw in bulb ones this morning had me so overwhelmed with choices that I just had to stop looking at them, so I'll take a little awkwardness and them being harder to find over that feeling any day haha. Plus, the arcadia guy recommending this one specifically for degus has to be worth something, right?
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Post by moletteuk on Mar 19, 2019 11:26:19 GMT
Yes, that's what I thought, it should be fine. And yes, once a year for new bulb.
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nika
Foraging Degu
Posts: 106
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Post by nika on Apr 28, 2019 16:10:10 GMT
Hiya!
What sort of wattage should a bulb be? I’m starting my research into uva/uvb lamps... the height of each level of my cage is well over 12 inches, so I figured I could just install the lamp on the ceiling of one of the levels? There’s so many different choices out there and now my brain is hurting. Is there specific levels of UVA/UVB I’m supposed to be looking for? Is there any easy way to identify which lamps are suitable? I figured on getting a fluorescent style lamp to install. Thank you!
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Post by moletteuk on Apr 29, 2019 15:52:03 GMT
I got the Parrot Pro lamp as recommended by Arcadia at the start of this thread. It's 24w and 2.4% UVB, it's the UVB that is the relevant UV rating you need to look for. I would think the 24w is at the low end and the 2.4% is definitely the lowest available, you could go up to tropical/rainforest which is 5% UVB if your light is further away from the basking position, the UV absorbed falls away exponentially with distance. You can buy a flourescent style light or you can get bulbs in the shape of a normal light bulb that are regular screw fittings, I'm not sure if you need a starter/regulator/controller gubbins for a flourescent tube. I was struggling to figure it all out myself which is why I bought the kit.
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laiyah
Burrowing Degu
Posts: 181
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Post by laiyah on Nov 14, 2021 21:33:01 GMT
Hi everyone. I see that the thread is a bit dated and wanted to know how the people who used uv lights felt.
I am considering getting an uv light since the degus are quite young as a preventive measures in the long term, but I have read in some review about exploding light bulbs... And the other thread in the forum (much older) seems to hint that supplementation of vit D is more effective than uv lights.
So... Any opinion / experience on the subject?
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Post by deguconvert on Nov 15, 2021 6:18:35 GMT
I do not have personal experience with the use of either of these . . . but the supplementation thread, while started some time ago, is a process reported on and still in use by one of our moderators, Bouncy. She has worked closely with a very skilled Vet that monitors all that Bouncy does. I believe, correct me if I'm wrong Bouncy, that she uses both the lights and the supplement. The thing to know is that Bouncy feeds an all natural diet to her degus. That means that there are not manufactured foods with added vit. D in their diet. They eat forage that Bouncy grows herself, as well as more that she harvests from other areas open to her. Her degus have had well diagnosed dental issues, and these methods have made well observed and documented improvements to their dental health.
This information is shared, but with cautions to any who ask, because it hasn't undergone the rigors of a scientific study. However . . . these methods have greatly slowed (and even stopped) the growth of spurs on the molars and the elongation of roots down into the jaw, and up into the sinuses, eyes, and brain cavity in her degus. I don't think we have anyone else that has gone as far and documented as much as Bouncy has, at least no one that has reported it here, but her experience with these is amazing.
Dental health and it's treatments in rodents is very hit and miss. From just put the animal down, to inaccurate examination procedure's, to taking too much out, to excellent results. You have to be proactive for your degus in this regard.
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Post by bouncy on Nov 15, 2021 12:19:43 GMT
I had energy saving desert uvb bulbs for a couple of years. Personally found no change, but they did enjoy sunbathing under the heat of them. Feeding 100% natural diet,I found no improvement in elodentoma and switched to bit D3 drops. I have now removed the lights, but have substituted heat pads instead
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Post by moletteuk on Nov 15, 2021 13:27:22 GMT
I think it's a case of risk to benefit analysis.
If your degus eat pellets and do not have dental disease then vitamin d drops have relatively little benefit and some risk, so I wouldn't recommend. An appropriate UV light carries very little risk as degus use the light to create any vit d they may need, so I would recommend as the risk is lower than artificial drops.
If your degu eats a natural diet and has dental disease then they absolutely need vit d supplementation of some form, so either or both methods is required and the benefit clearly outweighs the minimal risk.
The middle ground where your degu eats some pellets and may have some dental disease needs more judgement. If they don't eat the full portion of pellets then a UV light is probably enough extra for a degu with healthy teeth. If there is some dental disease then I would probably recommend a small amount of vitamin d.
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ktz
Newborn Degu
Posts: 20
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Post by ktz on Apr 13, 2022 16:35:38 GMT
Hey! My girls wants some extra rays since we moved and our new apartment is kinda dark/shady - now they get almost no natural sunlight. I'm looking at this bulb for my setup reptiplanet.pet/portfolio-items/repti-planet-repti-uvb-5-0-2/?portfolioCats=88 Is this bulb acceptable? What about wattage 13 or 26? Distance? Sorry I'm so newb in this UVB game. I rather ask before I do something wrong. :S
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