Here at Hobby Farm Heaven, we like our slumber time.
We work, play and snooze very hard. Sleep and proper rest are key elements of health for rabbits as much as they are for us!
When we don’t get enough sleep our immune system is weaker and we are more susceptible to all illnesses from the common cold to cancer and heart disease; the same is true for rabbits.
Do you wonder, “How Many Hours Do Rabbits Sleep?”
The most common answer you will find that rabbits sleep about 8 hours in every 24 hours. However, a very illuminating study of Rabbit Sleep Patterns found that adult rabbits sleep on average just over 11 hours in a 24 hour period.
Here are the details on the Rabbit Sleep Patterns:
- 26% or about 1/4th of Rabbit Sleep time = Drowsy or Light Sleep
- 65% or about 2/3rds of Rabbit Sleep time = Good Sleep
- 9% or about 1/10th of Rabbit Sleep time = Paradoxical Sleep or Deep REM Sleep.
Rabbits Are Crepuscular, Not Diurnal or Nocturnal –
Read On To Learn About Bunny Sleep Patterns!
How Many Hours Do Rabbits Sleep
To be clear, although adult rabbits sleep 11 hours in a 24 hour period, rabbits do not sleep for 11 hours straight. They are prey animals so they generally sleep very lightly for a few hours at a time throughout the 24 hour period.
Their light sleep allows them to hear or smell a predator and immediately be alert and ready to literally run for their lives. Often, another animal’s alarm call will wake the rabbit and allow it to be on alert!
Additionally, rabbits are not nocturnal. This means they are NOT up at night browsing and look for food and sleeping during the day. But neither are they diurnal, which means up during the day looking for food and then sleeping at night.
Rather, rabbits are crepuscular, which means they are most active in the morning twilight and the evening twilight. They then rest and sleep during the mid-day heat and during the dark of night.
Note that twilight is when their primary predators such as the fox, the coyote, and the hawk, are not active! Rabbits have evolved to be crepuscular so that they are most active, searching for food, when their enemies are least active.
Your domestic rabbits are also crepuscular, even though they don’t have to worry about predators.
How Much Sleep Does a Rabbit Need
Just like us, for a day or two a rabbit can get by on less than average sleep. But over the long haul, to stay healthy, an adult rabbit needs an average of about 11 hours of sleep each day, each 24 hour period.
Again, that sleep time may be made up of several short naps and a some longer sleep sessions of several hours each.
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Do Bunnies Sleep At Night… Or During The Day
Yes, bunnies may be resting and sleeping during the heat of the mid-day, when many of their diurnal predators are hunting, and then again during the full darkness of night when many of their nocturnal predators are hunting.
So, rabbits sleep some during the day and some during the night.
An owl is an example of a nocturnal rabbit predator.
A fox is an example of a diurnal rabbit predator.
Do Rabbits Need A Night Light For Sleep
No, at night light is not necessary or recommended for your rabbits. Natural light is best, meaning if it is dark out then the rabbit is fine in the dark and if it is light out then your rabbit is fine in the light.
Be do strongly recommend that you provide your rabbit with a box, crate or sheltered corner where it can go to be away from commotion and peacefully rest.
This box, crate or sheltered corner simulates the rabbit’s burrow or hollowed out log. It represents safety to this prey animal, a place where it can go to hide from predators and fully rest. Less light is preferred for the box, crate or sheltered corner. However, full darkness is not necessary.
The rabbit has better vision in low light than it does in total darkness.
Where Do Rabbits Sleep At Night
At night and during the day bunnies prefer to rest and sleep in a place that they know well and in which they feel safe. If they feel threatened then they will not rest or sleep.
Additionally, bunnies do not like to rest or sleep in the open. As a prey animal, they tremendously prefer some cover, a hiding place like a bush, tall grass, a hollowed tree trunk, etc.
What Do Rabbits Sleep In
In the wild, rabbits will most often be in their burrow or warren to sleep. Rabbits that are moving about at night, may also tuck themselves under their favorite bush or hollowed out log to rest or nap.
The domestic rabbit in a hutch or cage will often retreat to its box, crate or sheltered corner within the cage or hutch. The “enclosure” helps them feel safe and allows them to relax and rest better.
The house rabbit may also have a box, crate or sheltered corner that it prefers for quiet time, naps and restorative sleep.
How Long Do Baby Rabbits Sleep
Baby rabbits are growing fast. Their rapidly developing bodies need plenty of rest.
Kits are born without fur, and their eyes and ears are sealed shut. Other than nursing once a day for 3 to 5 minutes, the newborn kits are sleeping upwards of 20 to 22 hours a day.
As the days pass a kit is covered in “baby fur” by day 10 and its eyes and ears are open. At this stage, the kits is moving around in the nest a bit more but physical growth is still where most of the kit’s energy is used; the kit may be sleeping upwards of 15 to 21 hours a day.
By day 14 the kit begins to leave the nest for short periods of time and explore its surroundings, always returning to the nest. This local exploration and returning to the nest cycle happens several times a day. At this stage the kit may be sleeping upwards of 14 to 20 hours a day.
How Long Do Rabbits Sleep At Night
More than one scholarly study has determined that rabbits are crepuscular but prefer to omove around more in the evening. This means they naturally rest and sleep off-and-on during the day and during the dark night.
A rabbit may sleep for 2 to 6 hours during the darkness of the night and is more likely to sleep a bit more than that during daylight hours.
When Do Rabbits Sleep The Most
Bunnies sleep the most when they are newborn kits.
If you are asking what time of day do rabbits sleep the most, then as discussed the answer is during daylight hours. Additionally, rabbits have a hard time coping with the heat so resting in a cool spot in the shade during the heat of the day is beneficial to them.
Frequently Asked Questions Related to Rabbit Sleep Hours
How Long Do Rabbits Sleep Each Day?
Newborn Bunny Kits sleep upwards of 22 hours each day.
Kits that are furred out, eyes and ears open and beginning to explore the local area outside of the nest sleep (in the nest) for upwards of 15 to 21 hours a day.
Adult rabbits average about 11 hours of sleep in a 24 hour period; the majority of it is typically during daylight hours.
Do Rabbits Like To Sleep With Other Rabbits?
Yes, by nature rabbits are very social and once acquainted with other rabbits, they usually prefer to sleep together. Rabbits, like other animals, find safety in numbers.
Sleeping with other rabbits makes them feel more secure.
Do Rabbits Sleep With Their Eyes Open?
Yes, most rabbits sometimes sleep with their eyes open. This is a natural adaptation for these prey animals.
Can Rabbits See When They Sleep With Their Eyes Open?
If they are truly asleep then they are not “seeing”. Note, however, that their open eyes are more sensitive to changes in light and shadows.
This means that if there is movement near the rabbit, then the change in light and shadows may wake the rabbit. Again, this is a natural defensive adaptation for the rabbit.
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Final Thoughts About How Many Hours Do Rabbits Sleep
Rabbits are crepuscular, but studies have repeatedly shown that they are a bit more active during the night than during the day.
Adults rabbits sleep on average about 11 hours per day, but their sleep is not continuous. Rather, it is broken into various segments of napping, activity and sleeping throughout the 24 hour day.
Remember that newborn kits are growing rapidly. Most of their energy goes to their physical growth and they may sleep upwards of 22 hours a day! As kits grow and mature they sleep less and become more active.
Finally, as prey animals, rabbits have evolved to be very light sleepers. This is a natural defensive adaptation that their life in the wild depends upon.
Your domestic rabbits have inheretic this characteristic, so don’t be suprised if your rabbits are light sleepers!