fluorescent lighting for piggies?

[jacblades]

i was considering putting a small 6 inch fluorescent light under one of the shelves in my cage since its a little dark under there. (this corner of the cage is right against the corner of a wall too so sometimes it is hard to see the piggies)

would a fluorescent light turned on only in the daytime bother them? is there another sort of light i should use instead?

this is what i am talking about: (broken link removed)

thanks in advance!
+jac+

 

[Faunn]

I don't think so, your pigs proably should hide there, just because it is dark for you, for the piggies mihgt see just fine.

 

[jacblades]

well, really i was concerned about me being able to view them. i know they can see fine and they have their hidey house that they can go in if they want to be in the dark.

are fluorescent lights bad for them though?

 

[suzy_99]

fluorescent lights give off radiation, which is heat and piggies need to stay in a fairly stable temperature so I would not add a heat source to their cage. This may increase the temperature even though you might not notice. Fluorescent lights are also used to created tropical environments in other habitats, so I really beleive that it would not be the best thing for your piggy.
Personally, I believe that you should just leave that area dark, you being able to see them is not as important as them being happy and comfortable and guineas do love a place where they can hide and this place sounds perfect for that.

 

[pennick]

I dont know the answer to that but is there somewhere else close by that you can put a small lamp?

 

[ChadWPB]

Actually a constant dark environment is not healthy for pigs. And the flourescent lamps she is referring to are the more ordinary kind that one uses in a room in the house. Flourescent bulbs generate far less heat than an ordinary incandescent light bulb.

I don't think the light she wants will be a problem and may help the pigs by providing a more stimulating environment. Dark hiding spots are great, but pigs do enjoy bright, stimulating environments.

 

[jacblades]

there is not place nearby where i can put a lamp. the cage was built to fit a niche in my wall which is why there isno light nearby. (i have really wierd shaped rooms in my house)

here is a really old picture of my room of where the cage is now located. (i took these pictures a long time ago to prove to someone that my room was the messiest room ever-its now very clean)

you can see the edge of the bed in the left side of the picture (black and white sheets.) there is now a 29 gallon aquarium under the purple lord of the rings thing on the wall so the cage fits between the bed and the aquarium. (where the gray cubes and the black shelf/table is)
the celing slopes all the way up to a point and so there is no lighting in that niche which is why it is dark.

the light is very tiny and is only 13 watts i believe. i am almost positive heat will not be a factor. i nkow because i have one of these on one of my small aquariums and it does nothing to the temperature.
i just want to know if fluorescent lighting would be harsh on their eyes or something like that. i would like to have a light of sme sort and am trying to find the best option for them. i know incandescent will certainly not work because those things do produce lots of heat and hurt to the touch.

 

[pennick]

can you have the light facing you rather than facing downward? How would that work

 

[pennick]

is the light small or like a kitchen fixture, long. If its small like under 12" i cant see where 13 watts is a problem.

 

[suzy_99]

I agree now that this type of light would probably not be a problem. I was thinking about the ones that I commonly see in aquariums for reptiles. I wonder if you wouldn't be able to get some sort of cover for it that it not completely translucent. That way the piggies wouldn't be getting the full effect of the light. Also you could put a dark hidey house over in that space just so they do have a place to hide if the light beginf to bother them.
By the way, I am not sure if the light will be 14 or 28 inches above them, but I would think if you attach it two grids up there would be absolutely no problem and that way they wouldn't get curious and try to chew on it.

 

[John4216]

Personally I would not use any type of fluorescent light for them. A lamp with a regular bulb or a natural light bulb would be much better. Fluorescent light is not good for humans let alone piggies. Fluorescent lights can cause headaches, trigger migraines, eye problems, irritable moods etc. The reason why is that the light in those "flickers" (the non scientific term) at a certain rate....its kinda like turning a light on and off very fast so it appears to be on all the time. Not to mention that mercury and such are inside that fluorescent light and you can see the problems that can arise.

Here are a few tidbits of information about Fluorescent lights:
Fluorescent lighting was not meant to come into such general use: it was a temporary, emergency feature that was only ever intended to keep factories working 24 hours a day during the second world war.



Based on the research of Dr Fritz Hollwich and others, cool white fluorescents are legally banned in German hospitals.

Dr Helen Shaw found that the people who had the lowest risk of developing skin cancer were those whose main outdoor activity was sunbathing. Twice the risk of developing melanomas was found in office workers who had to work indoors all day under fluorescent lights. She also demonstrated that office lighting caused mutations in cultures of animal cells.

Although humans cannot see fluorescent lights flicker, the sensory system in some individuals can somehow detect the flicker. Ever since fluorescent lighting was introduced in workplaces, there have been complaints about headaches, eye strain and general eye discomfort. These complaints have been associated with the light flicker from fluorescent lights.

 

[lauren]

I agree with John... Fluorescent lights are not good for anyone or anything...
How about a little clip-on desk lamp, clipped to the cage and aimed at the dark area? Easy to find at Staples or Target...

 

[Ly&Pigs]

A good lighting alternative for piggies are those rope lights. You can string them around to where the pigs can't get to them.

 

[suzy_99]

you could probably also use the stick on lights that are common at dollar stores. They are round and about 4 inches in diameter and only have a little light bulb in them. I use them on my desk and I find they are great. They run on batteries and all you have to do is push on the round light cover to turn it on and off. I am pretty sure that these would be alright and they are very economical...Anyone correct me if i'm wrong.

 

[Setsuna]

I have a lamp above my piggies cages almost constantly besides bed time. It not on them directly(its a ways out and above) but it makes about 1/3 of the cage lit just enough so they have a little bit of brightness if they want to be there. The rest of the cage has an overhang to theres plenty of shade and hidey houses as well.

 

[mncavylover]

Suzy, I've had one of those lights, and I can say they won't last for more than one night. My little brother was looking for a nightlight, and when we came to turn it off in the morning (maybe 8-10 hours later), it wouldn't turn on again. I think the rope lights look really neat, and they are practical as they can be put anywhere on the cage.

 

[jacblades]

alright-thanks for the replies.
i think i might try the clip on light like lauren said.
i need something that plugs into the wall, not something that eats batteries.

 

[Denise]

I use a clip on desk lamp. I clamped it on the top level and it works great. I zip-tied the cord out of their reach and it's really nice.

 

[dagwellismypigy]

I know this has absolutely nothing to do with your question, but I love the color of your walls

 

[Slap Maxwell]

I know this has absolutely nothing to do with your question, but I love the color of your walls

me too. It is a cool room.