Chinchilla's in unnatural light?

[lisha]

Hello, soon I'm moving my bedroom to the basement and I'd like to take my chinchilla's cage down with me. There is a tiny window in the room I'm putting him in, but it barely lets in any light. Would I need to leave the light on during the day? Does he need natural light or is artificial alright?

 

[Stormcrow]

no idea about the type of light, but my chins try nothing else then hide from the light during the day (to sleep, if there is aome action around the cag they come and see ofc)

 

[chechinchillas]

I keep daylight bulbs on 8 hours a day for my herd, but I think that is more for breeding than pet chins. Wendy T. did an article, I believe in Empress magazine, about lighting and chinchillas so you could PM her on that too. I have also read that lighting may cause you to have more female than male kits, but haven't really noticed the proof of that.

 

[mistywaterwoman]

My girls have a window in their room but I keep the blinds drawn all the time to help keep the room temp down, so they don't get hardly any natural light anyway. I leave the overhead light on for them for a good while each evening, when they are most active, but that's it.
I think you will probably be fine, especially since you are going to be down there with him. He'll adjust to your light schedule with ease.

 

[jess32247]

My girl doesn't get much natural light. I keep the blinds closed, mostly because I'm asleep during the day and there would be no reason to open them when it's dark. I keep our stair light on when I'm wake, a lamp across form her cage, and a lamp on the other side of the room for me. It's still kind of gloomy since it's a big room, but I've never thought anything of it.

 

[Spirit Chaser]

I sleep during the majority of the day, so my boys only get a few hours of natural sunlight a day before the sun goes down, since they are in my room. I used to keep a full spectrum bulb in my room, but I’ve switched it for a normal one of those twirly shaped power saving ones (whatever they call them) since the other ones kept burning out much faster then they should. The electricity in this house is horrible, and nothing lasts as long as it should.
My boys are strange, I have seen them sun bathe a few times usually during the winter months even though the room is the same temp in winter as it is in summer

 

[liewwan]

Since chins are nocturnal animals lighting isn't to much of an issue for them.
Now if you want to look at the good side affect on sun light it would be for vitamin D. The chin room here does have windows with no blinds however doesn't get too much lighting in due to the directions the window is facing. I was once advised to get a uv lamp since that will mimic the sun's natural vitamin D. Now I'm not sure if that works or not.