General

If you’re like me, the first time your rabbit sprinted around the house or garden, you were amazed at how fast they zoomed around, from a standing start, turning corners sharply, before coming to an abrupt halt. It seems like they go from 0 to a million miles per hour in a nanosecond. So I investigated how fast rabbits do run, and how they get so fast. And then, I measured how fast one of my rabbits can run.

How fast can rabbits run?

A rabbit can run at speeds of up to 35 mph (56 km/h). Some breeds of wild hare can run even faster – the jackrabbit can reach speeds of 45 mph (72 km/h). Domestic bunnies can run faster than humans – a human’s top speed (Usain Bolt while breaking the world 100m sprint record) is 27.78 mph (44.72 km/h). Rabbits (unlike hares) can’t sustain their speeds for very long – they are sprinters, looking for a quick getaway to a nearby burrow or shelter from a predator. 

But how fast is your bunny likely to be? How do they run? And how do they get to be so speedy? Keep reading to find out more.

How fast do domestic rabbits run?

Wild rabbits may run faster than pets – their survival depends on it. But how fast can your pet rabbit go?

I saw a few figures bandied around the internet, but I couldn’t track down any reliable source for most of them (many just seem to copy the same initial information). 

Can a pet rabbit really run as fast as 30mph? 

I decided to find out by measuring one of my bunnies.

How I measured the speed

To measure speed, you need to measure how long it takes a rabbit to cover a known distance. But how do you go about this?

You could try to use a stopwatch, but if your rabbits are like mine, they don’t run to order, and it’s difficult to start and stop at the right time.

Fortunately, many modern mobile phones can help out through videoing your bunny in slow motion. Here’s what I did.

1. I took a video of one of our rabbits (Yoshi) zooming around the garden (Yoshi likes doing this for fun).
2. I then measured the distance between two spots that Yoshi had sprinted past. I did this after I had taken the video – it means you don’t have to hope that your bunny runs past specific areas or markers.
3. I checked out the video. On my phone, the video takes 30 frames every second. Yours may be different, so check your phone’s settings.
4. I calculated how many frames it took for my rabbit to travel between the two spots I had measured. This gives me the time Yoshi had taken to cover this distance (you could also check this in a video program like iMovie).
5. Speed is distance divided by time. So I divided the distance between the spots by the time Yoshi had taken to travel that distance.

My results

This was a young bunny just playing in the garden, not going flat out. So your own rabbit, scampering around, is probably also doing about 20mph.

Do rabbits run, or hop?

Rabbits hop, rather than run. 

When sprinting, both back feet push off the ground together, lifting the rabbit forward, and then the front paws are used in turn (not together) for extra momentum. 

You can see this in action by watching this slow-motion of Yoshi running forward.

This is actually similar to how some other fast animals run, like the cheetah, who use their hind legs nearly simultaneously.

The hop is so powerful that bunnies can cover up to 10 feet (about 3m) in a single hop.

How do rabbits run so fast?

Rabbits can reach these speeds despite their small size because of their powerful hind legs. Rabbit also have muscles that have evolved to enable them to sprint fast. 

Rabbit muscle fibre

Muscle fibre can come in two types – fast twitch and slow twitch.

• Slow-twitch muscle fibre is good for endurance and tasks needing stamina. (These types of muscle fibres would help a marathon runner – up to 80% of their muscle is slow-twitch).
• Fast-twitch muscle fibre is good for speed and acceleration. (These types of muscle fibres would help a sprinter – up to 80% of their muscle is fast-twitch).

But there are two types of fast-twitch muscle – red ones which use oxygen (fast-twitch oxidative) and white ones which don’t (fast-twitch glycolytic). The fastest type of all are the fast-twitch glycolytic. [Source].

Rabbits (unlike hares) have a high proportion of fast-twitch glycolytic muscle fibre (up to 50% of fibres are fast-twitch glycolytic – source).

Hares are the opposite – they are built for greater endurance, with up to 55% more fast-twitch oxidative fibres.

This means bunnies can reach their top speeds quickly because their leg muscles can generate tremendous force near instantaneously, but they can’t run very far.

Rabbits have more powerful muscle fibre than cheetahs

Incredibly, rabbit muscle fibres are even more powerful than those of the fastest land animal, the cheetah. Researchers isolated fast-twitch muscle fibres from a cheetah, and compared experimental results with those of muscle fibres from rabbits.

The cheetah’s muscle fibres could generate 92.5 W/kg (a measure of how much force the fibres could produce.

Rabbit muscle fibres could generate 119.7 W/kg – over 29% more powerful.

So your bunny has (relatively speaking) more powerful muscles than a cheetah! [Source]

How rabbits use their speed

In the wild, the fast turn of speed enables them to reach a burrow or other place of safety quickly if they sense a predator nearby.

How fast are rabbits compared to other animals?

Rabbits are one of the faster land animals, about matching the speed of greyhounds, and horses, but some other animals are faster. Cheetahs can reach speeds of around 70mph. 

But if you really want speed, go for the peregrine falcon, which can reach a velocity of over 200mph when diving (stooping) [source].

Domestic rabbits have similar turns of speed as cats, dogs and foxes.

Why do rabbits seem so fast?

Rabbits seem to zoom around so fast for a few reasons. Here are some of them:

1. They are fast – 30mph is faster than any human could manage
2. Compared to their size, their speed is even more impressive.
3. Rabbits not only run fast, but can accelerate quickly. 

Humans take a while to reach our top speeds. When Usain Bolt broke the world record in 2009, he took 60m to reach his top speed. Rabbits can get there in a couple of yards or metres. 

And rabbits can not only accelerate quickly, but also turn on a dime. You may have seen this yourself – bunnies can corner and change direction really speedily.

This quick turn of speed and ability to zigzag also helps them to evade being caught by any predators.

Have a look at how quickly rabbits accelerate, turn and jump in this video:

Conclusion –  how fast do rabbits run?

Rabbits are fast runners. Your pet bunny may be able to hop at up to 35mph, and reach that speed within a few yards. 

Rabbits are not only speedy runners, but great hoppers. Find out how high bunnies can jump (and how to stop them escaping).

Rabbits don’t only rely on their speed to evade predators, their eyesight and hearing are also specially adapted. Find out more about how rabbits see the world and hear the world.

Rabbits enjoy being stimulated, and get bored easily. See what toys our bunnies enjoy playing with.

Everyone knows that rabbits have distinctive ears (what shape are your bunny’s ears?) – but how well do bunnies hear? You can find out below detailed answers to your questions, based on scientific research. But here’s a quick summary of how rabbits hear:

Do rabbits have good hearing?

Rabbits have good hearing for high pitched sounds, but humans are better with deep, low sounds. Rabbits can hear in a range from 96Hz to 49,000Hz (humans can hear lower-pitched noises, but rabbits can hear much higher-pitched noises). They hear noises best whose pitch is between 1,000-16,000Hz. But rabbits don’t only use their ears for hearing – they also use them to communicate, to help them stay the right temperature, and to keep their balance.

This post covers:

• The range of noises rabbits can hear
• How well rabbits detect low-pitched noises
• How well rabbits detect high-pitched noises
• The noises that rabbits hear best
• How rabbits’ ears help them to hear
• The structure of a rabbit’s ear
• How rabbits’ ears move independently
• How rabbits use their ears to communicate, to cool down and to balance

The range of frequencies that a rabbit can hear – from low to high notes

Rabbits can hear a different range of frequencies from us humans (though with much overlap).

The frequency of a sound is its pitch – low frequency sounds are low-pitched noises like the bass on a guitar, or the lowest note on a piano, or the rumbling of thunder. High frequency sounds are high-pitched noises like a whistle, or the top note of a piano, or a mosquito buzzing around.

Rabbits can hear very high pitched sounds better than humans (they can hear sounds that are beyond our ability to detect).

But humans can hear very low notes better than rabbits.

The range that rabbits can hear is 96Hz to 49,000Hz [source].

Humans can hear from 12Hz to 20,000Hz.

How well can rabbits detect low pitched sounds?

The pitch of a sound (whether it sounds high or low) depends on its frequency (measured in Hertz or Hz) – how fast it is making the air vibrate as the sound travels. Low sounds have low frequency – high sounds have high frequency.

Rabbits can hear sounds as low as 96 Hz. [Source]

You can check here what this sounds like:

This is better than most other mammals, but it isn’t exceptional. For example, it’s about the same as cats. 

But humans can detect even lower sounds – in laboratory conditions down to 12 Hz. [Source]

This may be partly to do with us having bigger heads! As the frequency of a sound wave gets lower, the wavelength gets longer. 

It becomes an advantage to be able to have more distance between your ears as the pitch gets lower and the wavelength gets longer. 

Humans have more distance between their ears than rabbits, so find it easier to hear low pitched noises.

This is part of a pattern in mammals – the smaller the mammal, in general the worse their hearing at low frequencies.

How well can rabbits hear high-pitched sounds?

Rabbits can hear sounds as high as 49,000 Hz.

This is much better than us. Most humans struggle to hear anything above about 20,000 Hz. 

You can check out how high a frequency you can detect here (and compare yourself to your bunny!)

So our bunnies can hear high-pitched noises that we can’t detect.

What is the best range of sound for rabbits to hear?

Although rabbits can hear noises as low as 96hz, and as high as 49,000Hz, they hear best between the range of 1,000 to 16,000Hz. These are the frequency ranges that they are most sensitive to.

How do their ears help rabbits hear?

Rabbits have large ears – this helps them to hear better. The ears funnel sound waves into their ear canals, and into the middle and inner parts of the ear, which transform these vibrations into signals to the rabbit’s brain.

This is just like humans – except our ears are shaped differently. 

You can get some idea of the advantage of a bigger ear by standing some distance from a friend and asking them to whisper. It’s easier to hear them if you cup your hand behind your ear. This mimics having a larger ear.

It’s a bit like if you imagine trying to collect rainwater – you’ll collect more with a wide bucket than a narrow bottle. In the same way, larger ears can collect more sound waves.

What is the structure of a rabbit’s ear?

Rabbits have three main parts to their ears – the outer ear (the bit we can see); a middle ear (inside their head) and an inner ear (also inside their head). This is similar to humans.

Outer ear

The outer ear is called the pinna, and it directs the sound into the ear canal. This starts off vertical, and becomes more horizontal as it gets closer to the skull.

The ear canal leads to the ear drum (also called the tympanum or tympanic membrane).

Sound waves make the ear drum vibrate.

Middle ear

Three small bones are attached to the ear drum. These small bones (also called ossicles) are called the malleus, incus and stapes, which is the Latin for the hammer, anvil and stirrup (because the bones look a little like these). 

The vibrations in the ear drum are passed from one to another – from the malleus to the incus to the stapes.

The middle ear is filled with air. If a sound wave hit a fluid directly, much of the energy might be dissipated. Having these three small bones in an air cavity means that the energy of the sound isn’t lost as it’s transferred.

You want to be able to keep the air pressure the same on both sides of the ear drum. Rabbits and humans both have a tube that connects to the throat – the eustachian tube. It allows air to come or go to the middle ear cavity to keep the pressure the same. 

This is why going up to a high altitude quickly (or down) can hurt our ears – the air pressure on either side of the ear drum is different, stretching the ear drum. Swallowing can help as it enables air to flow in the tube to the middle ear, bringing everything back into equilibrium.

Inner ear

The stapes or stirrup bone connects to the cochlea, a fluid filled spiral tube. The cochlea has a membrane running along it (the basilar membrane) that gradually changes in its stiffness and thickness as you travel along it. This means that each part of the basilar membrane reacts to a different frequency (just like different lengths of string will vibrate at different pitches).

The vibrations enter the cochlea and travel along it. Certain parts of the basilar membrane will vibrate if they match the frequency of the vibrations (low frequencies near the middle or apex of the spiral, higher frequencies towards the outside of the spiral). 

Little hairs (called cilia) on the basilar membrane move and trigger nerve cells, sending electrical signals along the auditory nerve to the brain.

The whole process is the same as in humans (and most mammals).

Rabbits can move their ears independently

Rabbits can move their ears, unlike humans (though some of us can waggle ours a tiny bit). But not only can they move their ears, bunnies can also move each one independently of the other. 

This helps them to hear better (just like if you turn towards a noise you can hear it better). 

So if the rabbit either hears a noise, or sees something (you can read more about how rabbits see, including how they can see all around them, in our post here), they can move an ear so it can pick up what’s going on better.

In the wild, this helps them to hear any predators who may be trying to sneak up on them.

What else do bunnies use their ears for, besides hearing?

Rabbits don’t only use their ears to hear the world better. They also use them for three other purposes: to communicate, to control their temperature, and as part of their sense of balance.

Rabbits communicate with their ears

Bunnies also use their ears to communicate – and if your rabbit isn’t a lop, you’ve probably seen this yourself. Even with lops, you can still see similar movements of the ears near the head.

If a rabbit is frightened, the ears go back, almost flat along their back. Their body will also tense up.

However, the ears can also go back if your bunny is relaxed.

If a rabbit is curious or interested, the ears prick up and forward.

Rabbits control their temperature with their ears

Rabbits don’t sweat. Their only sweat glands are in their mouth, and bunnies mainly breathe through their noses, so the sweat glands aren’t much help.

Unlike dogs, rabbits don’t pant much either (though they will in hotter weather, along with licking their face and forelimbs to try to keep cooler).

With their thick, warm fur coat (see our article on whether rabbits feel the cold at night), rabbits need a way of cooling down (getting too hot, also called hyperthermia, is dangerous for rabbits).

Rabbits use their ears for this. The ears provide a large surface area that also isn’t too furry.

The ears have a large blood supply going to them.

In hot weather, more blood is pumped around the ears, where it can be cooled down in contact with the air around them. In cooler weather, less blood is sent to the ears.

So the ears provide a main way that rabbits can lose heat and maintain the right temperature in hot conditions.

In fact, rabbits can lose up to 50% of their heat just through their ears [source]!

Rabbits aren’t the only mammals that use large ears for air conditioning – this is also why elephants have such large ears.

Rabbits’ sense of balance is linked to their ears

How rabbits balance is also part of their ears – but not the part you can see. Of the three parts (outer, middle and inner), the inner ear controls balance.

Alongside the cochlear, the spiral tube that converts vibrations to electrical signals for the brain, lie three semi-circular canals at right angles to each other – these are part of what is sometimes called the vestibular organ. 

These canals help detect rotational movements. As your bunny moves their head, fluid in the canals swoshes around. This move hairs in the canals, which then send electrical signals via nerve cells to the brain.

Rabbits (like humans) also have otoliths. These help them detect how fast or slow they are going. Little bits of calcium carbonate move in fluid in the vestibule. As they move, they trigger more hair cells, which then trigger signals through nerves to the brain.

The entire inner ear structure – cochlea, vestibule and semi-circular canals – are sometimes called the labyrinth.

Head tilt

If the inner ear of a rabbit gets infected, then it can affect their balance. The signals being sent from the semi-circular canals or otoliths are being scrambled.

The result can be that a rabbit keeps trying to tilt their head to one side.

Inner ear infection is only one possible cause of head tilt.

If your rabbit shows signs of head tilt, take them straight to a vet.

Conclusion

Rabbits are famous for their ears – and rightly so. 

• Their ears help them to hear, including high pitched noises beyond human hearing. 
• Their ears help them to communicate.
• Their ears help them to control how hot or cold they’re getting.
• And their ears help them to balance.

So next time you stroke your bunny, take a moment to appreciate how much they use their ears.

You can find out how rabbits see the world from our article here. (We also have an article on bunny eye care.)

We also have an article on how and when rabbits sleep.

Rabbits are amazing. Discover some fantastic facts about their teeth.

And there’s more! Ever wondered how fast your bunny can run, or how high they can hop?

And if you want some suggestions for some toys to keep your bunny happy and busy, take a look at our top ten.

References

Heffner, H., & Masterton, B. (1980). Hearing in Glires: Domestic rabbit, cotton rat, feral house mouse, and kangaroo rat. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 68(6), 1584-1599. doi:10.1121/1.385213

Kluger, M., Gonzalez, R., & Stolwijk, J. (1973). Temperature regulation in the exercising rabbit. American Journal of Physiology-Legacy Content, 224(1), 130-135. doi:10.1152/ajplegacy.1973.224.1.130

By Craig, bunny lover and HVAC expert at Appliance Analysts.

While we’re sitting cosy and warm at home, it’s easy to worry about how our bunnies are faring out in the cold.

But how cold is too cold for a rabbit?

Rabbits are cold weather animals. They’re highly temperature resistant, and can handle temperatures down to almost 30^oF (-2^oC). With a well-insulated hutch, they’ll be fine even in near-freezing conditions. You can always check by measuring their temperature – which should be between 101-103^oF (38-39.5^oC). If it’s under 100^oF (37.8^oC), it’s time to warm them up. And if that doesn’t help, get in touch with your vet.

Do rabbits feel the cold?

Even if it’s freezing outside – your teeth are chattering, you can’t get enough layers on, and you’d give anything from a hot cup of tea – your bunnies are probably A-OK.

Rabbits are made to survive the winter. They’re found all over the coldest parts of the world – from Antarctica to Russia. Their winter coats make them much tougher than they are cute. (Which is pretty darn tough).

That said, there is a chance that one of your rabbits gets too cold. Either from illness, or from extreme temperatures. 

A quick way to check if your rabbit’s feeling the cold is to feel their ears. Overly hot or cold ears are a tell-tale sign of a bunny’s fever. If in doubt, give your vet a shout. (Same goes for their other extremities, like their paws.)

What if it gets too cold? How can I help?

Even the hardiest rabbit won’t enjoy sub-freezing temperatures. And they’ll get pretty frustrated at their water bottle becoming frozen!

Consider moving (The rabbits!)

Your best bet is to simply move them into a shed or garage. Moving them straight into the home isn’t a good idea. It’s likely too warm, and the sudden temperature change may shock them. 

Have you ever been in a major city’s underground system during winter? Above ground you have about 5 layers on – hats, scarves, gloves, everything. Then you go onto the metro or underground, and you’re suddenly overheating, feeling dizzy, and can’t focus. That’s what it’s like for a rabbit when they suddenly get brought indoors. Except they can’t take their jacket off!

Your goal isn’t to make them as warm as you would need to be. Instead, it’s just to keep them above freezing. I know – it can feel harsh and even cruel. But it’s their natural environment, and they’re used to it. 

A touch of refurbishment

Being small wooden structures, rabbit homes can easily deteriorate over the years. One of the most important things in winter is to make sure there’s no water getting into the hutch itself. Reapplying coating, or even sealing off gaps can go a long way.

Make sure they’re also elevated above the ground to avoid the base becoming damp from the ground. This can be as simple as placing bricks underneath the edges.

A note on wind and dampness

A bigger culprit than the cold will be wet and dampness. Rabbits can handle cold – but being overexposed to wet conditions with strong winds can make them uncomfortable. Their hutch should always be dry and comfortable – just like their natural burrows would be. Soaking in icy damp bedding and wood isn’t comfortable for anyone!

Wrap them up!

A go-to should always be a combination of an old blanket (or even carpet) underneath a waterproof material (like a tarpaulin). This will help keep your buns safe, dry, and warm at very little cost or effort. Some hutch manufacturers sell custom-made covers for their hutches.

Do make sure they can still get plenty of sunlight during the day. I know, the days are short and dark, but every little helps!

Making sure that they’ve got plenty of thick bedding can also go a long way. Adding an extra layer of newspaper beneath their standard bedding can go a long way.

Share the love

One way that rabbits naturally deal with the cold is to face it together. Such internally warm animals know to cuddle up against each other, and produce a ton of heat this way. Having multiple rabbits, and making sure they’re happy to snuggle with each other, is an easy way to check they’re dealing with the cold well.

Consider a heated pad

Heated pads are becoming incredibly popular in the bunny-keeping world. These are simple, small pads that provide a gentle heat for a bunny to enjoy.

They can make a real difference, and the best part is that your rabbit can decide whether they need that heat or not.

(Jonathan writes: we use the Snugglesafe heat pad, which goes in the microwave for a few minutes then stays warm for around 10 hours. You can have a look at it on Amazon US here, Amazon UK here).

One of the most difficult parts of looking after animals can be figuring out what they need, and what they’re thinking (other than about food). Giving them the option to heat themselves is a great way to get over this.

What about getting too hot?

This is where the issue becomes a little serious. Rabbits can tolerate plenty of cold, but they’re not made for the heat.

Their bodies are like wearing the biggest coat you’ve ever tried on – all the time. Maybe even two of them.

Temperatures much higher than 75^oF (24^oC) can start to cause them problems. Now while you wouldn’t be buying them their own portable air conditioner, there are a few you things you can do to help. Including:

• Make sure they have plenty of shade
• Put down hard flooring like slate, marble, or tile
• Buy a second water bottle and freeze it overnight. Alternate between the two.
• Clean their hutch more often to avoid their droppings getting… funky.

Conclusion

Animals are different from us, but that doesn’t mean we don’t worry about their wellbeing.

It’s hard to imagine spending endless dark nights in cold weather, but that’s what rabbits are used to. So although it feels harsh, it’s important to let animals be animals. Keep that warm cosy bed to yourself!

I hope this article has helped answer whether or not your outdoor conditions might be too cold for your bunnies.

If we’ve helped you out today, please consider checking out some more of our bunny related posts!

If you want to find out more about the Snugglesafe heatpad, check out our review (we own two of these).

You can read about the outdoor hutch (with winter cover and run) we use here, and if you’re looking to keep your bunnies from being bored then check out the toys that our rabbits have loved playing with.

Have you ever wondered why your pet rabbit can spot a movement to its side hundreds of feet away, but can’t find the treat you placed right in front of her? Or thought whether or not rabbits see colour the way we do? 

I was curious. Fish and Chips, our pet bunnies, sometimes seem to see us from far away, and yet other times seem to have quite poor sight. So I decided to dig around a little, checked out some scientific articles, and discovered more about how rabbits see. This is what I learned along the way about rabbit vision. Here’s a quick summary, with more detail below.

How rabbits see

Rabbits can see all around them at once. Most of their vision is long-sighted (seeing better at far distances), except in front where they become short-sighted. They also have a blind spot directly in front of their nose. Most of their vision is monocular (only using one eye) but rabbits do have binocular vision straight ahead. They recognise patterns and objects best to the front of them. They see colour, but are red-green colour blind. Rabbits’ vision isn’t as sharp as human vision, but they can see better in poor light. Their vision is adapted to see predators quickly from any angle, and to be out feeding at dawn and dusk.

How wide can rabbits see – what is their field of vision?

Rabbits can see just about all around them – they have pretty close to 360^o vision.

They achieve this by having their eyes on the sides of their head.

Humans are different. Our eyes are close together at the front of our heads. This helps us hunt for stuff, and we have sharp eyesight. Our priority historically has been hunting – either fruit, or animals. 

We’re similar in this to other predators, like cats and dogs and owls. 

But rabbits aren’t predators – they’re prey. 

The rabbit’s main concern is making sure that nothing is about to eat them. The rabbit needs to see an attacker coming from any direction, so having eyes on the side enable them to see a wraparound view of the world, and keep them safer.

There is a downside to this. First of all, it means rabbits have a blind spot right in front of their noses, where they have no vision.

This is why you can place a treat directly in front of your bunny, and she’ll not respond. She’s not being picky (this time…) – she just hasn’t seen it yet.

Secondly, while rabbits can see all around them, they don’t have binocular vision for most of this. 

Binocular vision is how we see the world – our brain can integrate the information from our two eyes and create a 3-D picture of what’s in front of us. Rabbits only have a small part of their sight where they can do this – mostly they rely on one eye. To get a little idea of what the world looks like for a rabbit, just close one of your eyes.

Do rabbits see equally well all around?

If rabbits can see all around them, is their vision equal throughout? The answer is no, in a number of different ways. 

Rabbits look ahead to see patterns and recognise shapes

First, rabbits see patterns better using the parts of the eye facing frontwards – an angle of about 60^o either way (have a look at the diagram). So if a rabbit wants to make sense of what he is looking at, he’ll look towards something. The rear part of their vision is mainly there to warn of any movement – this could be a predator creeping up on them.

We know this from experiments done by de Graauw & van Hof (1980), who covered up different parts of rabbits’ eyes & saw whether or not they could recognise patterns (tested by rewarding the rabbits with food if they could). If the rabbits had to rely on the rear 120o of vision, they did no better than chance. Abstract here.

Rabbits are both long-sighted and short-sighted

Rabbits are generally long-sighted (hyperopic is the technical term). This means that they can see objects more clearly if they are further away, and less clearly if they are too near. 

This makes sense – the bunny’s main concern is looking out for attacks coming from the distance.

This is true both round the rabbit’s vision horizontally and vertically. 

However, when you get to the front of the rabbit, things change. As you move to in front of the rabbit’s face, the rabbit’s vision becomes short-sighted (myopic). 

Right in front of the rabbit (but beyond their blind spot) their vision is about -5 dioptres – I’m pretty short-sighted myself (I need glasses all the time) and this is about the same as me.

This means that rabbits can see close up the things in front of them (like food or toys). 

To sum up – most of their vision is adapted to be sensitive to possible threats in the distance, but part of their vision is perfect for checking out stuff close by.

The research papers that discovered these aspects of your bunny’s vision are de Graauw & van Hof (1978 & 1980). You can get the abstracts here and here.

Do rabbits use binocular vision?

As explained above, most of the rabbit’s field of view is coming from one of their eyes. They don’t overlap much except a little at the front. 

This got researchers wondering whether rabbits bother at all using binocular vision (where the brain integrates the signals from both eyes together).

What they have found is that, most of the rabbit’s vision is monocular, and the rabbit is fine with that. It is quite capable of processing both eyes independently.

However, they can also use both eyes together in the narrow overlap in front of them. So if your rabbit is looking straight ahead, it might be seeing the world in 3D similar to us.

The research discovering this was done using different coloured filters over each eye and requiring both eyes to work together for patterns to be visible. The work was done by van Hof & Russell (1977) – you can find the abstract here.

Do rabbits have good eye sight?

Rabbits don’t have as sharp eyesight as humans. We can distinguish lines that are 1/60^th of a degree apart (lines closer than this blur together for us).

Rabbits don’t do as well – they can only distinguish lines about 1/3-1/6 of a degree apart.

This is slightly worse than cats (1/12^th of a degree) but better than rats (about 1 degree). 

Check out van Hof (1967) for more information – abstract here. 

What does this look like? If you’re about 50cm or 18” away from this screen, then you can probably tell lines that are 0.15mm or 0.005” apart. In contrast, your rabbit will struggle with lines 1.5mm (0.05”) apart.

So rabbits don’t have as sharp eyesight as humans – but their eyesight is ideal for their purposes. The next section explains a bit more why.

Can rabbits see colour? Are rabbits colour blind?

Rabbits can see colour, but by human standards they are slightly colour-blind. Bunnies can see colour a little like some humans who have a particular type of red-green colour-blindness.

Eyes have two different types of cells that react to light (photoreceptors) and pass on signals to the brain. These are called rods and cones.

Types of photoreceptors

Rods are sensitive to blue-green light (peak wavelength 498 nm). These are used in poor light conditions. It is the rods in your eyes that are working when your eyes are trying to adjust to the dark.

Cones are more sensitive, and give us our colour vision. They come in three varieties in humans:

• Red (or L-cones, most sensitive to red light at 564nm); 
• Green (or M-cones, most sensitive to green light at 533nm);
• Blue (or S-cones, most sensitive to blue light at 437nm).

(The L, M and S stand for Long wave, medium wave, and short wave, and refer to the wavelength of the light – you can find out more here).

Rods and cones in rabbits – types

Rabbits also have cone photoreceptors – but only the green and blue cones (at slightly different peaks – 520nm and 425nm).

This means that, compared to most humans, they are slightly colour-blind (protanopic or dichromatic). Some humans (about 1% of males) also have only functional green and blue cones – this is a form of red-green colour-blindness.

So rabbits do see colours, but will find it hard telling reds and greens apart, and also blues and greens.

But there’s another difference between rabbits and humans.

Rods and cones in rabbits – where they are in the eye

The distribution of rods and cones is different between bunnies and us.

In humans, most of our retina (the back of the eye) is made up of rods. But there’s a small central indented area (the fovea centralis – more here) that is packed with cones (180,000 per mm²). This means that when we look at something directly, it is our cones that are picking up the visual information. 

This is also why, when it’s dark, you see better to the side of whatever you’re looking at directly. Your peripheral vision is using rods, which work well in dim light (but don’t give much colour information), while your central vision is using cones which need brighter light. 

But rabbits don’t have their cones concentrated in the centre, but in a horizontal streak across the retina (this is called the visual streak). Most of these are green cones (up to 13,000 per mm²) with some blue cones (up to 2,500 per mm²).

In the lowest part of the retina, there is a blue streak – a crescent shape that has no green cones, but only blue cones (up to 11,000 per mm²).

How do the cones help rabbits?

What does this mean in practice? Having a wide horizontal band of cones enables rabbits to see more clearly all around them. Rather than having to look directly at something to see sharply (as humans do), rabbits have sharper vision all around them.

This is another way that rabbits’ vision is adapted to help them survive. They are able to spot and identify attackers more easily because they have this wide band of cones.

But what is the blue streak about? This is located at the bottom of the retina, which means that it is the light from above that reaches it. Researchers have suggested that this gives great sensitivity to spotting any attacks coming out of the predominantly blue sky.

In other words, the blue streak helps the rabbit to monitor the sky for threats, and the visual streak (mostly green cones) helps the rabbit to keep watch on the ground and horizon.

So rabbits do have good vision – good for spotting predators.

You can read more about the visual streak and blue streak in the research by Juliusson et al (1994). You can see the abstract here.

Can rabbits see in the dark?

Rabbits can see in the dark better than humans, but not in pitch black. Bunnies have eyes that are adapted to work best at dusk and dawn, but rabbits are not nocturnal animals. Their night vision is better than humans, but poorer than some other mammals.

Some nocturnal animals (including cats) have a mirror-like backing to the retina that helps the eye detect every ray of light (this is called the tapetum lucidum). Rabbits don’t have this (neither do humans). Rabbits can see about twice as well as humans in poor light.

Rabbits have both rod and cone photoreceptors. The rod photoreceptors help them to see in poor light conditions. A rod photoreceptor can detect a single photon of light. 

Rabbits have far more rods than cones (up to 300,000 per mm² – see Famiglietti & Sharpe (1995) – abstract here).

The peak concentration of rods is about twice that of humans – so rabbits can see better in the dark and in low light conditions than humans. However, they are not fully adapted to see at night.

Rabbits have adapted to see best at dawn and dusk (rabbits are crepuscular – see our article on when rabbits are awake and asleep, and also on whether rabbits are nocturnal). In these conditions, their combination of lots of rods and blue and green cones enable them to spot any potential threats, whether from land or sky.

The rods make sure that they are sensitive in poor light conditions. The blue and green cones make sure that they have colour contrast ideal for dawn and dusk. How come?

When the sun is low in the sky, the direct light is particularly yellow, while reflected light is particularly blue. The rabbit’s green and blue cones are ideally placed to detect any objects lit with these contrasting colours. See Nuboer and Moed (1983) for more information (abstract here). 

So rabbits can’t see in pitch black, and are not nocturnal animals. But their eyesight is ideal for an animal that comes out at dawn and dusk in poor light, wary of any predators that are looking to pounce.

Can rabbits see infrared?

Rabbits cannot see infrared. They have poorer vision for red light than humans, as they don’t have any red cones in their eyes. Infrared light is beyond what is visible to them.

Do rabbits blink their eyes?

Rabbits do blink, but much less often than humans. They blink about once every five minutes.

They need to blink far less because they have an extra (transparent) eyelid – called a nictitating eyelid or membrane. This helps keep their eyes moist whilst enabling them to continue keeping an eye out for predators.

Rabbit eye problems

If you are concerned about your bunny’s eyes, check in with a vet, and also have a look at our page on common symptoms and what you can do at home to help.

More articles…

If you liked this article, read our article on how and when rabbits sleep.

You can also find out more about how rabbits hear, and how fast bunnies run.

Just want to treat your bunny? Check out our in-depth articles on what herbs are safe for rabbits, and what fruit are safe for rabbits.

And have a look at our suggested toys (all tested by our own rabbits).

Introduction

Whether you are thinking about getting a new rabbit, or just trying to understand your pet bunny better, you might be wondering about a typical daily routine. And, just as we humans need our beauty sleep, so getting some sleep is important for rabbits. 

But when and how do rabbits sleep? Rabbits are crepuscular – they are most lively at dawn and dusk, and get their sleep (typically around 11 hours a day) during the middle of the day and also at night.

Because people see rabbits sleeping during the day, many assume that they are nocturnal – awake all night. But they aren’t. Crepuscular comes from a Latin word meaning ‘twilight’. This is the time of day (at both dawn and dusk) that rabbits feel most secure feeding and being active. 

Bunnies are prey animals – always looking out to make sure that a nasty predator isn’t out to get them. As many predators work best either in bright daylight or at night, feeding in twilight helps decrease the danger. It also means that they aren’t around in the heat of the middle of the day (rabbits can find it hard to regulate their body temperature when it gets too hot).

How many hours do rabbits sleep?

Rabbits sleep on average anything from seven to twelve hours a day. But their sleep pattern is different from ours. Because they have to be alert to danger, bunnies are light sleepers. They frequently wake up, having shorter periods of sleep. 

A common number you will come across on the web is 8.4 hours. But scientists measured the sleep patterns of some adult male rabbits. They found that the rabbits slept on average for 11.4 hours a day.

The scientists even broke down the type of sleep. 

The rabbits were in deep sleep about two-thirds of the time asleep. So about seven or eight hours a day.

The rabbits were in a light sleep – what the scientists termed drowsy – about a quarter of the time. So about two or three hours a day.

About a tenth of the time the rabbits were in what the scientists termed ‘paradoxical sleep’ – this is similar to REM sleep in humans, and may be an indication that this is when the bunnies are dreaming! See below for more on this.

You can access the abstract of the journal article here.

Other studies also show similar results (eg in one study the rabbits averaged nearly 10 hours a day asleep).

How do you know when a rabbit is sleeping?

But how do you know when your bunny is sleeping? The scientists used sophisticated polygraphic recordings, but our pet bunnies aren’t wired up. It can be hard to tell if your rabbit is simply lying still, or actually asleep.

Here are five signs that your bunny is sleeping. 

1. They will be still. Rabbits don’t move around while asleep, though they can fall asleep in many different types of position.
2. The ears will be relaxed. This can be harder to tell if you have a lop – they can always look relaxed! But if your rabbit’s ears are pricked up, this is a sign that they are awake. When sleeping, the ears will be lying against the head.
3. The nose won’t be twitching. Rabbits wiggle their noses all the time while they’re awake, but not when asleep.
4. The breathing will be slower. You won’t be able to notice this unless you are close. Just like humans, rabbits breathe more slowly while asleep.
5. Just like some humans, some rabbits snore while sleeping. 

Do rabbits dream?

We can’t be sure what is going on in their heads. But it looks like they do dream. About ten percent of their time asleep is spent in a specific form of sleep, in which the body’s patterns look similar to wakefulness patterns, but the brain is asleep. Eyes can move fast (hence it is sometimes called Rapid Eye Movement sleep, or REM sleep for short). And the body can twitch or jerk around a little. 

This is similar to humans. We have different sleep states, and REM sleep is when we are dreaming (if you ever remember a dream, it is because you woke up during REM sleep). We too can twitch a bit during this state, and move around.

So it looks like rabbits do dream – we just can’t tell what they’re dreaming about. 

Can rabbits see while sleeping?

If rabbits can sleep with their eyes open, does this mean they can see while asleep? Not necessarily. But it does have advantages for them. Potential predators might think that they are awake. Also, if there is movement, the rabbit is more sensitive to the change in light, and so more likely to wake quickly and respond. 

Do rabbits sleep in the dark?

Rabbits sleep both in the day and at night, so they sleep both in the dark and in the light. They use the cues from the light to tell them when to sleep – when it is darkest and when it is lightest. 

What positions do rabbits sleep in?

Rabbits can sleep in a whole variety of positions. Some flop on their sides, and others splay themselves out. This is Fish’s favourite position. 

Partly it can depend on the weather. In cold conditions, rabbits are more likely to curl up into a ball when sleeping to keep warm. In hot weather, your bunny may stretch out as much as possible to keep cooler. 

Do rabbits like to sleep with other rabbits?

Rabbits are highly sociable creatures, and most love to sleep with other rabbits (once they know each other). This is one of the reasons that it is good to have to rabbits rather than just one. Our bunnies Fish and Chips like to sleep close together. 

Can you sleep with your bunny?

Some rabbits live indoors. If you have an indoor rabbit, you may wonder whether it is possible for an owner and rabbit to share a bed. There are a number of important considerations. 

The biggest factor to consider is the safety of your bunny. You are much bigger than they are. If you roll over in your sleep, you could crush your rabbit, injuring or even killing it.

Doctors don’t recommend that parents and babies share a bed for similar reasons. 

But there are other things to think about as well. 

One of these is hygiene. Rabbits like to mark their territory with both scent and urine. Additionally, they can carry germs into the bed.

Also, rabbits have different temperature needs from humans. We like warmer temperatures, and use duvets or covers to keep up the temperature. Rabbits prefer cooler temperatures, and already have a coating of fur. What is ideal for you may simply be too hot for your rabbit.

Another factor to consider is the sleep cycle. Rabbits have shorter periods of sleep than humans, so while you are trying to get your beauty sleep your rabbit may be nudging you and wanting attention and to play.

Consider the height of your bed. You also need to think about how easy it is for the bunny to get on and off the bed. If yours is really low to the floor, it may be fine, but a standard bed height is high for a rabbit to be expected to jump up or down.

You also need to think about your own health. If you have asthma or allergies, sleeping with a furry animal may not be a good idea!

For all these reasons, you should at least think extremely carefully before planning on sleeping in the same bed as your bunny.

Instead, you could create a sleeping area near or next to your bed. This could be safer for your bunny, and better for both of you.

Conclusion

Your rabbit needs their beauty sleep just like you. But rabbits sleep day and night in shorter bursts, sometimes dreaming. They are most active at dawn and dusk.

If you want to find out more about activity times for rabbits, check out our post on whether rabbits are nocturnal.

Ever wondered whether bunnies yawn when they’re tired like we do (and what yawning does)?

Has your bunny woken up and wants something to do? Have a look at our top toys for rabbits – all cheap, and all road-tested by ours.

You might be wondering how well rabbits see at night – find out more about how rabbits see the world in our article.

Is your bunny listening to you? Find out more in our guide to how rabbits hear.

Worried if your rabbit can go out in the rain? Find out in our article here.

Worried if it’s getting too cold for your bunny? Check out how cold is too cold for rabbits in our article here.