Here at Hobby Farm Heaven, we often see several wild bunnies playing on the edges of our yard and the beef cattle pastures in the early evening.
Similarly, our homestead rabbits in their hutches seem to be most active during the early evening. This early evening activity leads most people to believe that rabbits are nocturnal and can see well in the dark.
Rabbits can see in the dark, but similar to humans, they do not see well in the dark. Bunnies are not nocturnal and do not have excellent eyesight in the dark. Rather, rabbits are crepuscular and therefore see best in low light conditions.
Read On To Learn More About Can Pet Rabbits See In the Dark, Rabbit Eyesight and
How Rabbits See The World
Can Bunnies See In The Dark
Bunnies can see in the dark, but not as well as the average human can see in the dark.
Rabbits’ eyes do adjust to the dark, similar to how a human’s eyes adjust to the dark. However, as noted, the typical long sighted rabbit sees in a grainy format whereas a human can see with better clarity than the average rabbit.
For more specifics about rabbit vision, how rabbits’ eyes work, how rabbits see, you may access this post: Rabbit Vision – How Do Rabbits See The World
For more on what senses rabbits use you can access this post: What Senses Do Rabbits Use.
Can Pet Bunnies See In The Dark
Pet rabbits see no better or no worse than wild rabbits.
Actually, we suspect that pet rabbits have been so domesticated for so long that their gene pools have begun to carry and include more and more weaknesses.
In the wild, the rabbits who are genetically prone to poor eyesight, or teeth problems, or disease, etc do not reproduce as much, and those weak genes die out.
So, in reality, the average pet rabbit may not see as well as the average wild rabbit. The offset arguments here include the concept that domesticated rabbits are fed better and therefore may have better eyesight development.
Are Rabbits Nocturnal
Rabbits are not nocturnal. Rabbits are crepuscular.
Being crepuscular means being most active in both the early morning light and the early evening light. The rabbit has evolved over time to be crepuscular. Part of the reason Bunnies survive to reproduce is because they are crepuscular. This is important for the survival of the rabbit as a prey animal. See the primary rabbit predators are hunting either at night (nocturnal) or during broad daylight (diurnal). So, being crepuscular means that rabbits are most active while their predators are not as active.
Do Rabbits Have Good Night Vision
No, rabbits do not have good night vision. Rabbits do not see particularly well at night. Note however that the rabbit does have exceptional night vision on a night where the moonlight is illuminating everything. We love these full moon nights, whether is is the january Wolf Moon, the may Flower Moon, the july Buck Moon, the October Hunter’s Moon, or the fall Harvest Moon. The bright moon light evenings are more like a twilight, so the crepuscular rabbit can see very well in a full moon.
One of the main reasons rabbits do not have good night vision is that they do not have a tapetum lucidum. That’s right, rabbits do not have a tapetum lucidum. What is a tapetum lucidum?
A tapetum lucidum is a reflective surface behind the retina which gives the light receptors in eyes a “second chance” to collect light and see better in the dark.
Having a tapetum Lucidum causes the common “eye-shine” that we see in some anima’ls eyes when we shine a flashlight into the dark and see a pair of eyes glowing.
Common homestead animals that do have a septum lucidum include: horses, dogs, deer, barn cats, cattle, goats, and ferrets.
Chickens, squirrels, pigs and rabbits do not have a tapetum lucidum.
How Well Can Rabbits See In The Dark
Like a human eyes, rabbit’s eyes have both rods and cones. A rabbit’s retina has a much higher concentration of rods than a human retina. Rods help animals see in low light but typically provide for a grainy resolution, while cones help with resolution or detail and determine colors.
This means that on a dark night a rabbit may only see about as well as a human, and perhaps with less resolution. However, in low light such as a full moon, the rabbit sees much better than the typical human.
Frequently Asked Questions Related To Can Rabbits See In The Dark
Can Rabbits See In Color?
Rabbits are partially color blind. Rabbits only have photoreceptors for blue and green light. Rabbits can see in blues and greens, but not in reds. Rabbits do not have photoreceptors for red light. This means that rabbits will see red light wavelengths as grayish or as shades of blue and green.
It seems that sharp vision in the red wavelengths was not as important for rabbits, so it did not develop and evolve with the rabbit. It is believed that the blue and green vision developed in rabbits because they need to be able to determine and see grasses and leafy greens while foraging.
Do Rabbits Have Good Eyesight?
Rabbits are far sighted, so they see better at distance than closeup. Rabbits can see things that are close to them, but typically close objects will lack some resolution or detail.
Can Rabbits See in Darkness?
On a dark night, rabbits do not see very well. In low light, such as morning or evening twilight, or with a full moon, rabbits see exceptionally well.
Do Rabbits Like The Dark?
Yes, rabbits do like the dark when they are in a safe. A dark, safe place where they will feel hidden, such as their hutch or den, helps them feel secure and rest easy.
However, a rabbit in an open pasture on a dark night, will not feel secure. As prey animals, rabbits instinctively know that they should find safe cover during the night.
Similarly, like most mammals, rabbits are healthiest and function best with regular periods of daylight and darkness.
Here is a Video about: Can Rabbits See In The Dark?
Final Thoughts on Can Pet Rabbits See In The Dark
Here are the key summary points about Can Pet Rabbits See In The Dark:
Rabbits do not have good night vision, they do not have a tapetum lucidum.
Rabbits have more rods than humans, so rabbits see well in low light conditions.
Rabbits are not nocturnal, they are crepuscular.
Crepuscular means they are most active during periods of low-light, such as morning and evening twilight.
Rabbits are far-sighted, they can see objects that are close, but usually the resolution is grainy.
Rabbits are not afraid of the dark, they are afraid of nocturnal predators that hunt in the dark.