# Do Rabbits Need Lights On?



## SOOOSKA (Jan 28, 2006)

Hi, now here's a dumb question. Do you leave lights on for your bunnies?

If we are not home in the evening we always leave a lamp on for thebunnies. We have four bunnies in three different rooms.

We do have night lights that stay on during the night.

I guess I feel they need lights on so they can see what they are doing.

Looking forward to your replies.

Soooska:apollo:


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## another_rabbit (Jan 29, 2006)

....


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## m.e. (Jan 29, 2006)

I don'tknow...personally, I think constant lighting might get irritating, andcould affect their sleep patterns. They're not nocturnal, afterall.

I find that my rabbits do best when Ioffer as much natural lighting as possible, including long periods ofdark during the nighttime. Just my opinion, though.

~Emily and the Fuzzbutts~


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## nose_twitch (Jan 29, 2006)

I agree with m.e. completely. While Ithink it's sweet that you have nightlights for your bunnies, I don'tthink this is necessarily the best thing, although I'm sure it doesn'thurt.

My opinion is that, as animal owners, it's our job to create as much ofa natural environment as possible. They are animals, notkids, and they are closer to being in tune with nature and theenvironment than we are as humans. They should have access today, night, sun, shade, etc.


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## Bunman (Jan 29, 2006)

According to what i've read, total darkness atnight is best also for humans - there is a greater incidence of tumorswhen lights are on - &amp; seems to make sense for buns also.

I do leave the radio playing softly for my bun when i'm away for morethan a short time, but no light unless its in the early part of theevening when i would normally have one on for myself; i think in thatcase it may be reassuring to her to maintain the routine.


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## m.e. (Jan 29, 2006)

I found a couple threads you might be interested in:

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=5996&amp;forum_id=1

http://www.rabbitsonline.net/view_topic.php?id=2664&amp;forum_id=1


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## Rembrant (Jan 29, 2006)

My rabbits have a sleeping box. So if they don't want any light they go in there and sleep.


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## KatyG (Jan 29, 2006)

The room my bunnies are in has a big window soif i am not there I just leave the curtains open as I thought it wouldbe more natural for them to be able to see the light outside and knowwhat time of day it is. In the wild rabbits are mostly activeat dawn and dusk so I don't think they mind low light levels in theevening.


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## bunnydude (Jan 29, 2006)

My bunnies sleep in my room, so I leave a lighton all evening until I go to bed. I used to put a nightlight by thecage, but Amber would be cranky in the morning. So it is almost pitchblack at night.


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## Beckers (Jan 29, 2006)

I tried leaving a light on for Floppy at night,but I found that more light=more thumping. Now that he sleepsin the dark, he tends to sleep all night (until sunrise, then he'sdestructo-bunny banging his toys into his cage bars)


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## AnnaS (Jan 29, 2006)

we used to leave light on too in the evenings, but since rabbits can see in the dark, I don't think its necessary.


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##  (Jan 30, 2006)

My buns get natural lighting during the day andthen I have a Glade plug-in that has a dim nightlight on it for thenighttime. I only have it because I couldn't findmyotherGlade plug-in without the built-in nightlight.


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## nose_twitch (Apr 7, 2006)

:bump

for maherwoman


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## bunnylover78642 (Apr 7, 2006)

Hmm.. I dont leave lights on for my bunnies atall. Of course they live outside so they have natural light (or nolight) when there is light outside. I dont think they really neeed itand find that when my bunnies did live inside that if I left a light onthey tended to think that making as much noise as possible was the bestway to go.


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## Nadezhda (Apr 7, 2006)

I keep my curtains open from the time I wake upto the time I got to bed (about 11) If it's dark in the roomI'll leave a light on for them  They calm down in the dark,and if they're in the dark for a while before I go to bed, they'er morelikely to rustle around at night.If there's a lighton, they usually settle down once the lights are low and let me sleep.


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## peapoo_bunny (Apr 8, 2006)

i dont leave any lights on at nightbecause they keep me awake...we dont have any street lights either soits really dark.. i leave the radio on really low when im going to begone all day...and if we're all going to be gone and the house is emptyi leave a light on for peapoo and skittles (bird) because he usualllyhates being in the dark...sometimes he starts screaming..spoiledthing:disgust:

it seems like peapoo likes being in the dark...maybe she doesnt i dontknow:dunno:.. but as soon as the light goes out she starts runningaround and throwing her toys...she is really loud..just having a reallygood time i guess..it goes on for at least two hours...im usuallyasleep by then, so it might go on all night who knows... then the nextmorning she's really calm...and usually just lays around until i takeher outside later in the afternoon...:no:


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## Lassie (Apr 8, 2006)

I always turn my light of at night for his bed time at night.

Light doesn't bother Buster at all.


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## Eve (Apr 8, 2006)

I only have a night light on if one of my bunnieshas recently gotten a new cage. 

When my bunny Rodney gothis new 3 story condo, I was worriedhe'd have trouble getting around the different levelsin thedark. I had the night light on for a week so he got used to whereeverything was.


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## Bun~Bun (Apr 8, 2006)

*Not a dumb question. Rabbits are said to be more active at night. I guess they need a little light.
I have my lights on in my room 24/7(Good thing their florestint.). LOL.
Bun-Bun actually doesn't like the dark. Back when Hurricane Isable'srage trampled us, where I lived, the lights where off for almost 1-2weeks!!
When the lights first whent out, Bun-Bun let out little squeals. Thewind and debris slamming against my apartment must of scared him aswell. He often still doesn't like the dark - especially durringthunderstorms. He some times whines but usually rigorouslyjitters fantrically in his cage.





SOOOSKA wrote: *


> Hi, now here's a dumb question. Do you leave lights on for your bunnies?
> 
> If we are not home in the evening we always leave a lamp on for thebunnies. We have four bunnies in three different rooms.
> 
> ...


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## BDSnareDrummer (Apr 10, 2006)

you should always keep it lit to a degree, notnessicarily really light, but a little. as with any eyes, too muchexposure to the dark will cause blindness


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## thor (Apr 10, 2006)

Since both my husband and I work in the day,if Thor's inside, we'll turn the kitchen lights on in the morning forbreakfast, and open the curtains to let the sun in. We'll lether run around. We put her back in her cage before we leavethe house, with only the natural outside light. When wearrive home, we only put on lights as it gets dark outside.When we retire, the house is dark. The rest of the year shespends outside-if she doesn't want the sun, she'll either go into herhole, or slip into her protected shelter. I find manymornings she is soaking up the sun beside her food dish (or is she justwaiting for me? ha ha).


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## maherwoman (Apr 10, 2006)

*That's pretty much what we do with Maisie,too. Her light is on from the time I wake to the time we goto bed or leave the house. We don't open the blinds much, asour livingroom window faces a walkway MANY people go downeveryday. We crack the blinds (enough so they can't look inand see anything/anyone), but they stay mostly closed. (We'llsoon be adding something to the window so they can't just lookin. :?) But until then, we leave the blinds mostlyclosed, and thus why she has her light.

I like to let her out to run around when I see her being the mostactive because otherwise she doesn't come out, which I find to befunny. Don't most buns wait on pins and needles to come out??

P.S. She also has a really dark area in her cage she goes to when shewants to hang out alone or in the dark. It's out of the wayof the kitties so they can't bug her. 

THANKS FOR BUMPING THIS FOR ME, GUYS!! 

thor wrote: *


> Since both my husband and Iwork in the day, if Thor's inside, we'll turn the kitchen lights on inthe morning for breakfast, and open the curtains to let the sunin. We'll let her run around. We put her back inher cage before we leave the house, with only the natural outsidelight. When we arrive home, we only put on lights as it getsdark outside. When we retire, the house is dark.The rest of the year she spends outside-if she doesn't want the sun,she'll either go into her hole, or slip into her protectedshelter. I find many mornings she is soaking up the sunbeside her food dish (or is she just waiting for me? haha).


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## bbgrl20 (Apr 10, 2006)

My boyfriend and I were just discussing why Ileave on the lights for Mocha. He thought is was dumb, but I leave thewindow open so she gets natural light and I leave a small light on forwhen it gets darker. Don't know if she needs it but I'll keep doing ittill I hear otherwise!!


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