How to tell if your rabbit is blind? Rabbit owners know that detecting something amiss with their pet can be difficult. Moreso, when you don’t understand what to look for, it may be challenging to identify rabbit blindness. Finding out that your adorable bunny is blind in one or both eyes is equally upsetting.
This article will assist you in knowing how to tell if your rabbit is blind. You will also see how to help your rabbit cope and live a comfortable life. Here are the questions that will be answered in this article:
- How Can I Test My Rabbit Vision?
- What Causes Rabbits to go Blind?
- What Do I Do If My Rabbit is Blind?
- Can Rabbits Be Born Blind?
How Can I Test My Rabbit Vision?
While the best way to test your rabbit vision is by going to the vet, there are signs to help you tell if your rabbit is blind. The list below gives signs of visual impairment in rabbits:
1. Cloudy eyes
Cataracts are one of the most widespread causes of visual loss in rabbits, especially in aged rabbits. A foggy film grows on the rabbit’s eye lens at this point. So, when you stare directly into your rabbit’s eye, you’ll notice a white fog-like film.
The rabbit’s vision will be minimally clouded in the early stages of cataracts and only cause partial blindness. On the other hand, the foggy layer will become increasingly opaque as time goes on, resulting in blindness. Inside your rabbit’s eye, you’ll notice a white coating.
2. Bumping into things
Some rabbits will occasionally collide with an object because they aren’t paying attention or are zooming about the room at full speed.
However, Suppose your rabbit routinely collides with items while hopping around at a regular rate. In that case, they may have a vision problem. They may be blind in one eye, which affects their depth perception in certain circumstances. It is more challenging for your bunny to avoid objects in their immediate proximity with only one eye. Thus they constantly run into them.
3. Slow and careful movements
Rabbits become less confident in their environment as they lose their vision. Instead of zipping around the room, the rabbit will sniff and feel about with its whiskers to find its way around. Because they can’t see, rabbits are more hesitant to run through open areas because they don’t know what they’ll encounter.
They may pause to nudge nearby items to determine how big it is and how to navigate around them. These enormous objects can also serve as landmarks for the rabbit in determining their location inside the room.
4. Easily startled
When rabbits can’t see or understand the source of a sound, even simple, daily sounds might startle them. Thus, frequent startling can help you tell if your rabbit is blind.
If a blind rabbit is distracted and does not hear you enter the room, they may startle when you begin touching them. This is because they aren’t always aware of what’s happening around them.
5. Unusual eye appearance
Cataracts are not the only cause of blindness in rabbits. If their eyes appear unusual, this could be another symptom of blindness. Swollen or bug eyes, redness in and around the eyes, and dilated pupils are symptoms to watch out for.
These could potentially be symptoms of infection or other disorders in rabbits. Therefore, if you observe any of these signs in your rabbit’s eyes, you should consult your veterinarian. At the same time, your veterinarian will be able to tell you if your rabbit is completely blind or partially blind.
What Causes Rabbits to go Blind?
Rabbits are prone to a range of eye problems due to their structure. Because their eyes are relatively large, items frequently damage them. Foreign objects in the eye, traumas, and infections are all common causes of blindness in rabbits.
Foreign objects in the eye
A foreign body is anything that shouldn’t be in or near your rabbit’s eye, such as food particles or anything else that does not belong there. These things are frequently light and can become lodged in a big rabbit eye.
Eye abscess
The eye can be punctured, infected, and abscessed. A wound around the eye causes the region right behind the eye to enlarge and an abscess to form. You might notice a lump under your rabbit’s eye one day. Such lumps are usually the results of an infected scratch or bite.
Eye ulcers
Damage to the transparent, outermost eye layer, called the cornea, can occur when anything such as hay becomes stuck in your rabbit’s eye. Also, when the eyeball itself is traumatized, resulting in an ulcer.
An ulcer could be a tiny blemish or a full-fledged infection in the cornea. For example, due to inflammation or irritation, a rabbit with eye ulcers may constantly scratch its eye with its paw or close it.
Conjunctivitis
Rabbit Conjunctivitis (pink eye) is an irritation of the pink to red-colored fleshy portion of the eye(conjunctiva). Conjunctivitis can be due to contaminated water or an environment that houses germs, such as a filthy cage or a litter box where a rabbit sleeps.
Proptosis of the Eye
Eye proptosis is the most severe eye issue in rabbits and the least prevalent. Proptosis occurs when your rabbit’s eyeball pops out of its head. The only way this may happen to your bunny is through severe trauma, such as a dog attack or being squeezed so hard that its eye pops out.
Iris Prolapse
An iris prolapse happens when the part of the eye that contracts and expands, called the iris, pushes out through the cornea. Prolapse of the iris is an uncommon eye problem. Still, if your rabbit has it, you may observe a visible swelling on the surface of your rabbit’s eye.
What Do I Do If My Rabbit is Blind?
If you suspect your rabbit is blind or is about to become blind, you should see your veterinarian immediately. Many eye disorders are painful, and immediate treatment is essential for preserving your rabbit’s eyesight.
If your rabbit is blind, you should make some adjustments to their living quarters to make sure that they remain secure and comfortable. However, these minor adjustments will enhance your rabbit’s quality of life:
1. Maintain consistency
Maintain as much consistency in their environments as possible. When you constantly shift things around, blind bunnies are more likely to become confused. However, if their surroundings stay predictable, they will be able to navigate around almost as effortlessly as previously. Consistency may involve keeping water dishes and litter boxes in the same spot and removing any impediments or potentially dangerous materials.
2. Cover any sharp edges
If you have any sharp corners on your bookshelves, crates, or furniture, consider covering them with tape. You don’t want your bunny to injure themselves by accidentally bumping against a corner.
3. Maintain a clutter-free environment
Random items on the floor can act like landmines for blind rabbits and complicate the mental map of their environment. On the other hand, too much clutter might cause injury if your rabbit accidentally runs into or trips over anything.
4. Avoid strong odors
Because rabbits rely heavily on their sense of smell after being blind, perfumes, fragrance plugs, diffusers, scented candles, and other scented items might cause them to get confused. Therefore, it’s advisable to avoid utilizing strong fragrances like this in the rabbit vicinity.
5. Make your presence known to your bunny.
When you’re around, whisper to your bunny to let them know you’ve entered the room. Before caressing your rabbit, make some gentle fluttering sounds with your fingertips to let them know your hand is approaching. If a blind rabbit is unaware that you are around, it may become scared. Always come close to your rabbit from the side with a good eye.
6. Avoid using stairwells or elevated platforms
Many rabbits enjoy climbing and descending steps and platforms. However, blind rabbits who can’t see the ground when hopping down may be injured.
7. Create scent-based activities for your rabbit
Hide snacks or dried herbs for your rabbit to locate in hay or a digging box. These scent-based games provide excellent enrichment for rabbits increasingly reliant on their sense of smell.
8. If possible, avoid picking up your rabbit
Picking up a rabbit is a scary experience for most bunnies, but for blind rabbits, it is considerably more terrifying. With the ground firmly beneath their feet, they feel safer.
Can Rabbits Be Born Blind?
Rabbits are born blind, and it takes them 10 to 12 days to open their eyes for the first time. So, you cannot easily tell if your rabbit is blind at birth. Yet, a rabbit can be born blind or with a congenital disorder affecting their vision, such as stuck eyelids or nerve damage.
Observing that one young bunny out of a litter has yet to open its eyes following the typical two-week waiting time could be concerning.
Still, attempting to take the laws in your hands and force it to open its eyes could result in various negative results. These include injury, scarring, blindness, and even death.
Conclusions
No doubt, you now know how to tell if your rabbit is blind. However, you do not need to be concerned if your rabbit gets blind. If given enough time to adjust to their new eyesight impairment, rabbits may adapt amazingly well to having little to no vision. Your rabbit will become accustomed to it over time and with your care and continue to live happily with you.