In this post we focus on rabbits’ sense of sight, or, how rabbits see in the world. Rabbit’s eyes are built for survival and we will explain just how a rabbit’s vision has evolved to help it survive in the wild with the help of some fantastic videos that elaborate on and reinforce the key points of this post.
So read on to learn some interesting things about your rabbit’s sense of sight!
Can Rabbits See Behind Them?
Yes, rabbits can see behind them without turning their head. Rabbits have widely set eyes on the side of their heads which gives them a field of vision that is nearly 360-degrees. Although vision is grainy in its clarity or resolution, in low light rabbits have excellent vision. Conversley, in darkness or very bright light, a rabbit’s vision is not good!
With both eyes rabbits can see from straight ahead to about 25 degrees either side. This means rabbits have binocular vision in the 50 degrees in front of them. Binocular vision is advantageous because it helps provide depth perception and the ability to judge distance and speed of approach.
With one eye, rabbits can see about 25 degrees on either side to directly behind them, A.K.A monocular vision. Monocular vision means that for most of the rabbit’s excellent field of vision, he can not see in three dimensions and has trouble judging distance and speed!
With both their binocular and monocular visions fields, rabbits have 155-degree vision with a single eye!
Additionally, there is a small blind spot right in front of rabbits’ nose. Rabbits’ whiskers and their nose help them keep track of what is in that blind spot. Their eyes are positioned high on their heads so they also have good vision above, which helps them see flying predators such as owls and hawks.
Rabbits also use parallax behavior to help them judge distance. Parallax behavior involves moving their head up and down and back and forth. When doing this, closer objects move more than farther away objects and the rabbit learns to judge distance and rate of movement of the objects it is viewing.
Can Rabbits See Straight Ahead or Right in Front of Them?
No, rabbits have a blind spot directly in front of them and under their chin. Their sense of smell and whiskers help them compensate for the blind spot.
Vision For Lop Eared Rabbits?
Field of vision can be a challenge for Lop rabbits. Their ears flop down and block much of their field of vision. Lop rabbits are not often found in the wild, they have been domestically bred to have the long flopping ears.
Can Rabbits See Red? Are Rabbits Color Blind?
Rabbits only have photoreceptors in their eyes for blue and green light. Rabbits are partially color blind because they do NOT have photoreceptors for red light. This means that red light wavelengths will look greyish or appear as shades of blue and green.
But like human eyes, rabbit’s eyes have rods and cones! Rods help us see in low levels of light but offer a grainy picture, while cones help us with resolution or detail and determine colors. The rabbit’s retina has a much higher ratio of rods to cones than our human retina. This means that rabbits see in low light much better than humans, but the picture is a bit grainy.
This adaptation seems to be evolutionary. For example, rabbits need to see mostly grasses and leafy greens while foraging, so they have developed keen vision in the green and blue wavelengths. Vision in the red wavelengths of the spectrum was not as important for them, so it did not develop!
How Far Can Rabbits See?
Rabbits are far-sighted, they see better at distance than closeup. Again, this is part of their evolutionary biology. They have evolved to be able to see and detect predators from a distance before the predators are ready to pounce on them.
Rabbits can still see things that are close to them, just not as well or in as much detail. They also have their whiskers and sense of smell to help them with objects that are close.
Does My Rabbit Recognize Me?
As noted above, rabbits generally have grainy vision and are partially color blind. However, your rabbit can distinguish your shape, your scent, your voice patterns, and your unique body movements. Your rabbit does know and love you!
Do Rabbits Sleep With Their Eyes Open?
Yes, rabbits often sleep with their eyes open. Sometimes their eyes are closed when they sleep. Again, this is part of their evolutionary biology. Rabbits have evolved to be able to sleep with their eyes open in order to be able to react quicker to the presence of a predator! Do rabbit eyes dry out? That is the perfect segue.
Do Rabbits Blink Their Eyes?
Yes, rabbits do blink. They have a lower eyelid and an upper eyelid for each eye. As they blink, the lower eyelid moves up and the upper eyelid moves down to meet together.
Rabbits also have a third eyelid, a thin membrane covering their cornea. It is called a nictating membrane and it is transparent. This membrane keeps the rabbit’s eyes moist. Additionally, the membrane helps protect the eyes by keeping dirt out. Because of this lubricating eyelid, the rabbit does not need to blink as much as we do!
Rabbits blink once every 5 or 6 minutes; that’s 10 to 12 times in an hour. We humans blink about 12 times per minute, more if it is dusty or windy, and less if we are inside and concentrating on something. We must blink often to cleanse and moisten our eyes, because we don’t have a transparent eyelid like rabbits. If your rabbit is blinking more frequently, then it likely has an irritated eye.
Do Rabbits See At Night?
Rabbits do not see very well at night because they do not have very good night vision. However, if there is some low light, perhaps moonlight, then rabbits see well. In fact, in low light or twilight conditions, rabbits see better than humans do.
This is because rabbits are crepuscular, not nocturnal. Being crepuscular means they are most active in both morning and evening twilight. Morning and evening twilight is when their primary predators such as foxes (diurnal or daytime predators) and owls (nocturnal or nighttime predators) are least active and have trouble seeing. Subsequently, the rabbit’s eyesight has evolved to be very good in dim and low light situations.
Do Rabbit Eyes Reflect Light? Do Rabbit Eyes Glow in The DarK? Rabbit Eyes Luminescent?
No Rabbit’s eyes do not have that glow, or “eye-shine”, that we see in many animal’s eyes when light hits them at night. This is because, like humans, rabbits do not have a tapetum lucidum, a reflective surface behind the retina which give the light receptors in eyes a “second chance” to collect light and see better in the dark.
We see the highly reflective “eye-shine” from animals like deer, dogs, cats, cattle, and horses because they have a tapetum lucidum. Squirrels and pigs do not have a tapetum lucidum.
Should I Use a Night Lite For My Rabbit?
Constant light is not good for a rabbit and neither is constant darkness. The rabbit needs periods of both light and dark. The natural cycles of daylight and night help regulate the rabbit’s body, as the cycles do for many animals. A night lite that is on all night is not helpful to a rabbit.
This article on chronobiology, circadian rhythms and biological clocks explains why most animals, including humans and rabbits, are healthiest and function best with regular periods of daylight and darkness.
Rabbits Eyes Sensitive to Light?
Yes, rabbit’s eyes are sensitive to light. As noted above, rabbits are crepuscular. So, their eyes are designed for low light. Bright light is irritating to rabbits. Conversely, a rabbit cannot see if there is literally no light. Complete darkness is also stressful for rabbits.
What Colors are Rabbit’s Eyes?
While shades of brown are the dominant gene for rabbits, there are rabbits with amber, blue, pink, ruby red and marbled eyes.
Here is a great article about rabbit eye colors.
A Rabbit’s Point of View – How does a Rabbit See?
Here is a nice video that elaborates on the rabbit vision information we have provided.
The Most Common Eye Infections for Rabbits
Here is a video that reviews the most common eye infections that rabbits may experience. The pictures are great and the video does a nice job of tying in the rabbit’s dental health with the rabbit’s eye health. Cataracts, weepy eyes caused by blocked tear ducts, and bacterial infections are the most common problems for rabbit’s eyes.
This post about rabbit sense of vision is part of our larger guide to the 5 senses that rabbits use:
Hearing, Smelling, Seeing, Feeling or Touch, and Taste.
Here is the link to What Senses Do Rabbits Use?
Please click and give it a read! It is full of great information, and I guarantee you will learn something valuable.
Final Thoughts
As we’ve discussed, Rabbits are far-sighted, have grainy vision, are somewhat color blind, so not have good night vision, but do see very well in low light or twilight.
Additionally, they have a tremendous field of vision, but most of it is monocular so they have trouble judging distance and speed. As a work-around they use parallax to help discern distance and speed of movement.
Further, they often sleep with their eyes open and they have a transparent third eyelid so they only blink about 12 times an hour. To compensate for grainy far-sightedness the rabbit uses its other keen senses such as hearing, smell and touch (or whiskers).
All of these biological adaptations are part of what helps the rabbit detect predators as early as possible. As always, if you have concerns about your rabbit’s vision or eye health, consult your local veterinarian!