question for rabbit owners or know well about them?

Question

ive gotten to notice that my rabbit seems to be 10 x more active at night than in the day, but im talking like from 2 am to 6 am. (i love to stay up late, really late so he stays along with me) so for a period i thought, he was awake all night because he probably slept all day while i was away during the day, but this month of august ive been home all day and he's been awake all day as well, and during the middle of the night he is hyper instead of sleepy as i would figure.

so my question is, are rabbits nocturnal animals?? do they see better in the dark than in the light??

does your rabbit do the same thing?

Answer 1

Dazzlingstars is correct - rabbits are indeed crepuscular, meaning that they prefer to be active in the morning, just after dawn, and at night, around dusk, preferring to rest in the middle of the day and the middle of the night. This “crepuscular” behaviour is great news for a human companion, since bunnies are at their most sociable when we are at home and most relaxed, particularly in the evenings, when we humans really get the opportunity to enjoy our bunnies’ company -
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnyhouserabbits.html

Also, rabbits are NOT rodents - they are lagomorphs, a separate order of animals -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagomorph

Here's some more websites on rabbits - hope they're helpful - enjoy browsing -
http://exoticpets.about.com/cs/rabbits/a/rabbitcare.htm
http://www.tagyerit.com/hopline/cold.htm
http://www.rabbitnetwork.org/philo.shtml
http://www.rabbit.org/
http://www.muridae.com/rabbits/rabbittalk.html
http://au.geocities.com/leaswebsite/bunnystomachhealth.html - my site - hope it's helpful :-)

Answer 2

Rabbits are not noctural. Rabbits are actually "crepuscular", meaning they are most active in the twilight hours of both sunrise and sunsetcturnal animals. This is because before becoming domesticated, rabbits evolved as a prey species for thousands of years. Evolutionarily it was safest for rabbits to leave the safety of their burrow and forrage for food in the transition between day and night when the light is dim. This is the time when nocturnal (night) predators such as owls can't see well because of too much light, and when diurnal (day) predators such as foxes, can't see well because it is too dark. Smart bunnies! Rabbits mostly sleep during the day. They often sleep with their eyes open so its hard to tell when they are sleeping. However a giveaway is that when they are sleeping rabbits often twitch, and their noses stop wiggling. Other rabbits will close their eyes and totally flake out, looking like they are dead. This can result in quite a fright!

Sometimes its hard to really tell if your rabbit is awake during the day as well.......I would call a vet to be sure.

Answer 3

Hi, It's me again. It's disgusting, but I know everything about everything. I once had a dream in which this girl came to me and asked me, "Don't you want to chase rabbits?" And I said "No, I can't run that fast." Do you know the name of a rabbit's round cottony tail? It's called a 'scut.' But to answer your question: They are active in the early morning and evening hours. Rabbits are 'crepuscular' meaning that they are most active at dusk and dawn. (I stay up late, too, sometimes til 4 am, so nobody can bother me and I can get some writing done). From 2 a.m to 6 a.m. would be the time that dawn is coming. Since they are very active at this time and not during deep night, I shouldn't think they can see better in the dark, but this is just a deduction. Did you know you can subscribe to RABBITS ONLY magazine & they will answer any questions you have about rabbits? Are you going to give me 4 stars and 10 points for answering this question? I'm holding my breath!

Answer 4

rabbits aren't nocturnal they are most active early in the morning and late at night. Perhaps if you gave your rabbit something to do during those hours you could sleep. rabbits like untreated wicker baskets, paper towel tubes, hard plastic baby keys. Maybe if you got your rabbit a spayed female he would have someone to play with. http://www.rabbit.org

Answer 5

My rabbit sleeps all the time.lol
No, they are not nocturnal. Rabbits are usually awake in the daytime but when taken in as pets don't always follow the laws of nature. I would't worry about him. He's just used to your routine.

Answer 6

This is because before becoming domesticated, rabbits evolved as a prey species for thousands of years. Evolutionarily it was safest for rabbits to leave the safety of their burrow and forrage for food in the transition between day and night when the light is dim. This is the time when nocturnal (night) predators such as owls can't see well because of too much light, and when diurnal (day) predators such as foxes, can't see well because it is too dark. Smart bunnies!

Answer 7

Rabbits aren't nocturnal. My rabbit sort of does the same thing. It's weird.

Answer 8

That could be it. I think I read someplace they're actually considered rodents. They travel mostly at night for obvious reasons. Bats look like rats with wings. The bigger the lens, the more night use they get, eyes I mean.

Answer 9

Yep, they sure are! I had my rabbit for 12 years. The typical life span is 6-8. She was my best bud. If they aren't too familiar with you, they won't sleep around you. They mostly sleep with their eyes open anyway. Mine actually got so comfortable with me that she would lie on my stomach and sleep. Aww, I miss her!

Answer 10

rabbits are rodents, and are neither night or day sleepers. They need very little sleep to get by.