Parrot Health and Happiness
Written by: Korey Santor, Jan Santor, Kimberly Santor, & Arianna Pleitez

For the love of your bird:

Natural Light & Vitamin D in Birds

             Birds, like humans, require vitamin D to be healthy and happy. It is common knowledge that vitamin D is important for the absorption of calcium. Proper calcium absorption is essential to maintain healthy bones. Have you ever heard of rickets? It is a disease that causes brittle bones. This is a disease that children are at a high risk of getting if they either don't receive enough vitamin D in foods or they don't get enough exposer to the Vitamin D producing ultraviolet rays of direct sunlight.  The bones in birds are also at risk of being brittle if they don't have an adequate amount of vitamin D (but beware: too much vitamin D, such as that found in supplements, can cause illness such as vomiting or kidney stones) In birds, vitamin D is also important in feather development, reproductive cycles, and glandular health.       

The two main ways birds get Vitamin D is through food consumption (if the food either naturally contains vitamin D or is fortified to contain vitamin D) and through sunlight or ultraviolet light exposure. There is much debate as to how it is best to expose your bird to sources of vitamin. Should you feed your bird vitamin D fortified pellet and not worry about sunlight or ultraviolet lights? Should you not worry about your birds dietary vitamin D and instead focus on the amount and type of lighting your bird is exposed to? Well, from the research I have done I have come to the conclusion that both are great ways to make sure your bird is getting adequate vitamin D absorption. The key here is moderation.  Be sure you are feeding a balanced diet of pellet (vitamin D fortified) and delicious fresh foods, such as green veggies, for your bird (make sure to research what is ok for your particular bird to eat). Taking your bird outside for a few hours (never unsupervised, of course) when weather permits, is a fantastic way to get some sun exposure.  Now, it is important not to let your bird become over heated. Close attention to your bird will ensure that he or she is comfortable. A special ultraviolet light for birds can also be bought at a pet store, either online or in your area, if outside sun exposure is not possible. These lights come with instructions on how long to keep them on. Be sure to follow the instructions. Depending on how long lights like this are kept on, they can trigger breeding season behaviors, such as aggression and egg laying, so paying attention to guidelines is important. As a side note, I would not recommend choosing one form of vitamin D exposure of the the other. Try to do both: A balanced diet and UV (ultraviolet) exposure (either from real or artificial light).

                Birds not only benefit physically from sun or light exposure, but they also benefit mentally. Birds are happier when they are bathed in bright natural light like that of what they experience in the wild. They are more likely to talk, play, and preen.  They see vibrant colors while exposed to UV light. The color spectrum they see is much more broad than that which humans see. But, this intense eyesight is hindered by the dull, artificial lights commonly used in homes. The yellowish, unnatural light creates a boring atmosphere, in terms of color, for a bird. Do your birds a favor and feed them a well balanced diet and keep some nice UV light available during the day. They will thank you for it by being happy, healthy, wonderful pets.

Written by: Arianna Pleitez