Aussie Finch Forum

Some thoughts and info on full spectrum lighting, what we do in zoos, ideas for home; what is your experience? http://bitly.com/SFcJRK

Hi Frank. Looks like your link to the source article in "That Fish Place"is dead. I do think that UV is important if you're keeping anything inside but that's the exception in Australian aviculture but reptile keepers are another matter. I know someone that keeps an iguana indoors the Philippines and that poor animal suffers chronic calcium deficiency resulting in regular bouts of paralysis all because the owner won't/can't regularly give her lizard sunlight and full spectrum/UV lamps just aren't readily available.

GregH wrote:Hi Frank. Looks like your link to the source article in "That Fish Place"is dead. I do think that UV is important if you're keeping anything inside but that's the exception in Australian aviculture but reptile keepers are another matter. I know someone that keeps an iguana indoors the Philippines and that poor animal suffers chronic calcium deficiency resulting in regular bouts of paralysis all because the owner won't/can't regularly give her lizard sunlight and full spectrum/UV lamps just aren't readily available.

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the input....yes, I had the feeling that many Australians take advantage of the plentiful sun there; in the US, birds kept in zoos and private in our warmer states look so much better, overall, than those kept indoors, even with the proper lights. Predators a real concern here, though - raccoons are, quite literally, everywhere, including in the heart of Manhattan, and coyotes have made it to NYC in small numbers, very common in almost every other state; amazing story, actually, but lots of care is needed. San Diego Zoo has had flamingos carried off by golden eagles, and puma show up regularly. How about there? I've read of stoats, rats raiding wild kea nests, and other introduced predators, but what about in captive collections?

Here's the link to the article http://bitly.com/SFcJRK

Thanks, Best, Frank

findi wrote:

GregH wrote:Hi Frank. Looks like your link to the source article in "That Fish Place"is dead. I do think that UV is important if you're keeping anything inside but that's the exception in Australian aviculture but reptile keepers are another matter. I know someone that keeps an iguana indoors the Philippines and that poor animal suffers chronic calcium deficiency resulting in regular bouts of paralysis all because the owner won't/can't regularly give her lizard sunlight and full spectrum/UV lamps just aren't readily available.

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the input....yes, I had the feeling that many Australians take advantage of the plentiful sun there; in the US, birds kept in zoos and private in our warmer states look so much better, overall, than those kept indoors, even with the proper lights. Predators a real concern here, though - raccoons are, quite literally, everywhere, including in the heart of Manhattan, and coyotes have made it to NYC in small numbers, very common in almost every other state; amazing story, actually, but lots of care is needed. San Diego Zoo has had flamingos carried off by golden eagles, and puma show up regularly. How about there? I've read of stoats, rats raiding wild kea nests, and other introduced predators, but what about in captive collections?

Here's the link to the article http://bitly.com/SFcJRK

Thanks, Best, Frank

That is great little article. I am always looking for 'interesting' items out of the normal so If OK I would like to reproduce in our next club magazine as I think it would be enjoyed by our members.
BRGDS

Same thing Frank when you goto the source article cited in the link you get the message:
"404: Page not Found
Sorry, but the page you are looking for has not been found. Try checking the URL for errors, then hit the refresh button on your browser, or click here to try our search."

Our predators here are aren't as large as racoons, coyotes and pumas which I imagine can destroy wire mesh, eat their fill and allow the remaining inhabitants to escape or if caught in the act an inflict serious wounds (and carry the risk of rabies). I think that Aussies complaining about the occasional scare from a raptor or cat and actual break-ins by rodents and snakes should count themselves lucky. Unlike New Zealand we didn't have the misfortune of establishing feral populations of stoats and weasels so it's mainly foxes and cats decimate our wildlife. Our indigenous fauna isn't particularly savage but the early settlers in Tasmania had to endure thylacine predation of their poultry flocks but a bounty on their heads soon ended that. I did lose 2 double bars (owl finches) to a raid by a pair of sugar-gliders one night (my fault for keeping then in the same room and accidentally forgetting to shut the gliders cage after feeding them one evening). African aviculturists must encounter some truly spectacular challenges that make a family of miners (Meliphagidae) harassing captive finches or bloody raid by butcher bird (Cracticidae) look like a paper-cut. Still all losses are subjective and I've not felt my losses to eastern blown snakes, mice and butcher-birds were frivolous but I should count myself lucky!

Frank, we don't have stoats in Australia- only in NZ.

We do however have a swathe of other predators, both native & introduced.
Introduced: dogs, foxes, cats, rats, Asian house geckos?
Native: antechinus, goshawks, owls, sparrowhawks, butcherbirds, currawongs, pythons and I've probably forgotten a few as well.

Despite this, with proper aviary design and construction, we still prefer to house our birds in outside aviaries as a very general comment.

Sorry Greg, I've repeated many of your points.

However, backyard poultry keepers still lose many, many birds to these predators every years due to their being kept free range, or due to weakly constructed pens.

Myzo Iwas wondering why the site wouldn't let me submit - it was because you were beating me to the submit button. I'd be damned "annoyed" by a goanna attacking my bantams but excited by a thylacine! Anyway this is getting away from the original problem of UV/Full Spectrum lighting. Perhaps we have some cage breeders (canaries, zebs or society ??) that can shed some Australian insights on this.

jnorriss wrote:

findi wrote:

GregH wrote:Hi Frank. Looks like your link to the source article in "That Fish Place"is dead. I do think that UV is important if you're keeping anything inside but that's the exception in Australian aviculture but reptile keepers are another matter. I know someone that keeps an iguana indoors the Philippines and that poor animal suffers chronic calcium deficiency resulting in regular bouts of paralysis all because the owner won't/can't regularly give her lizard sunlight and full spectrum/UV lamps just aren't readily available.

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the input....yes, I had the feeling that many Australians take advantage of the plentiful sun there; in the US, birds kept in zoos and private in our warmer states look so much better, overall, than those kept indoors, even with the proper lights. Predators a real concern here, though - raccoons are, quite literally, everywhere, including in the heart of Manhattan, and coyotes have made it to NYC in small numbers, very common in almost every other state; amazing story, actually, but lots of care is needed. San Diego Zoo has had flamingos carried off by golden eagles, and puma show up regularly. How about there? I've read of stoats, rats raiding wild kea nests, and other introduced predators, but what about in captive collections?

Here's the link to the article http://bitly.com/SFcJRK

Thanks, Best, Frank

That is great little article. I am always looking for 'interesting' items out of the normal so If OK I would like to reproduce in our next club magazine as I think it would be enjoyed by our members.
BRGDS

Thanks for the kind words; please send me an email [email protected] so that I can provide an intro and link before using article, Best, Frank

Hi all,

Thanks for the kind words and info on Australian predators.

I'm not sure why some are having a problem with the link; works fine when I click on the shortened (bitly...) version. Here is the full link, hope this helps:

http://blogs.thatpetplace.com/thatbirdb ... pet-birds/

Best, Frank