I know rabbit eyesight is probably not nearly as interesting of a topic as \"sexing rabbits\" .... (still giggling about the STRONG magnifying glass...
), but I am curious about an earlier question posted that I think you may not have seen. I\'ll rewrite it here for easier reference:
***I\'ve heard that rabbits have good eyesight, but do they see in color? Also, do they see better far away by chance? I notice some times when I drop a treat really close to Petey he has a hard time finding it-- he can smell that it is near but can\'t easily find it up close.***
I think at least a couple of us are waiting for your worthy info!
Rabbits have great long-distance eyesight, but their near-distance vision isn\'t so great. Their large protruding eyes located high on the sides of their head, have a field of vision of almost 360 degrees, with vision well above the head also. This allows the rabbit to see danger coming from just about any direction without turning his head. Due to the placement of the eyes, a rabbit ends up with a small blind spot of about l0 degrees directly in front of his nose and below his chin. This explains his inability to find immediately a treat you have placed there.
Rabbits, despite their enormous visual fields, have a very small overlap between images seen by each eye. Thus, a rabbit only has about a 30 degree area directly in front of him where he has depth perception, and 10 degrees of this is his blind spot!
Because rabbits are crepuscular, preferring to be active at dawn and dusk, their eyes are adapted to being able to see moderately well in half-light conditions rather than extremely well in either light or dark. But unlike the eyes of other animals who can see in muted light but who also have enhanced night vision, rabbits\' eyes have no tapetum, that is, the structure that acts to amplify light that has entered the eye, so they cannot see well at night. Because of this, your rabbit sees objects with a somewhat \"grainy\" focus. He or she will learn to recognize you by your general shape and body movements rather than the details of your face. If you\'ve ever walked in wearing a bulky coat with a hood, for instance, you might notice an initial fright reaction from your rabbit.
The spectrum of colors rabbits can see is greatly restricted, and part of that spectrum is black and white. It appears that rabbits see mostly in terms of shades of gray, but some behavioral studies, seem to point to their being able to distinguish between blue and green - though probably not the blue and green that you and I recognize.
Charlcie Gill
Zodiac Rabbitry
Astoria, OR
http://www.zodiacsatins.com
Thank you. To think we get all this great info and advice free of charge ...I love this board!
I agree! So glad you are back with us, Charlcie.
Thanks, everyone. I am glad to be back.
Charlcie