Does anyone use UVA/UVB Full Spectrum lighting?

[yasmin]

I am asking this because I have been using the ZooMed Avian sun lamp for my budgies and their health has significantly improved, so I would like to use it for my degus as well. 

Also, I would like to move my degus onto as much of a natural diet as possible; however, I am concerned about the lack of Vitamin D and would rather not give them human vitamin D supplements (worried about incorrect dosing). Ideally, my degus would get time in the sun like they would in the wild but, though the room they are in has large windows on two sides and is bright, I live in Canada and our windows are double (or triple) glazed thereby blocking out much of the important rays required for internal manufacture of Vitamin D by the body.

I have been using a full spectrum light bulb to light the degu room but I doubt it is close enough to the degus or strong enough for the rays to adequately reach the degus. So, I would like to use the Avian Sun lamp for my degus but am not sure how to mount it around/on my cages or if it is the right bulb to use.

Does anyone have any recommendations?

[feffie]

I've been using an Arcadia 6% strip bulb for mine the past week or two, they seem o absolutely love it, spend a lot of time basking under it and are rather unimpressed when I turn it off.

As the goos are under my bed I attached the bulb to the metal mattress support things so it's a good few inches above them, though I can lower it down a little bit if I need to.

[yasmin]

Thanks feffie. I will check that bulb out.

[yasmin]

I purchased and set up the same lamp that I use for my birds (ZooMed Avian Sun). Both Peridot and Jin are loving it! I will be rotating the lamp daily between the four cages and will probably eventually buy a few more so I have one per cage.

[deguconvert]

That is so cool, and so interesting!! That is great! I hope it provides great health benefits!

[moletteuk]

It's a shame you didn't get more replies, Yasmin, I'm pleased you have decided to try it and have had a positive response so far. What percentage UV light is it?

I'll put a link to the other UV thread here in case anyone browsing is interested:
deguworld.proboards.com/thread/19147/interesting-page-on-providing-light

[bouncy]

I got a bulb at the weekend, and have been giving it a go. It's not a heat lamp, but a uvb light. It's quite a bright, white light, but also an energy efficient one, so I've tried leaving it on with them all day. It certainly makes Scaredygoo a little chirpier, but probably too early to tell.