In my work with rabbits and other animals, it's very evident that they love to lie on the red when they lack regular contact with the outdoors. In contrast to red, blue is cooling. It calms and soothes and acts as an antidote for too much red.
The easiest method to help your rabbit relax is to place them in a familiar and secure environment. You're halfway there if your rabbit is already in its comfortable rabbit bed or close to its enclosure. Please turn off any loud noises and seal the door to keep other pets out of their secure place.
Compared to humans, rabbits have more rods than cones in their retinas. This means rabbits can see better than we can in the dark but are limited to two-color vision. For example, they can distinguish between green and blue but cannot see red. Rabbits aren't the only animals that have trouble distinguishing colors.
So, although rabbits can't appreciate the rainbow of colors like most humans can, the way they see is specifically designed to help them thrive in their own environment. Instead of color, they appreciate the love and care you provide. You witness their joy and happiness with every twitch of their sweet little nose.
There should be no problem but make sure you don't leave them on continually… rabbits are used to darkness and their eyes are adapted to low levels of light. They do enjoy (and need) a period of sun, too. So make sure you give them some time for that.
Between 6 and 10 weeks of age the rabbits significantly preferred white light (28.0%). The preference order was the following: yellow (26.3%), blue (23.4%) and green (22.3%) (P<0.001).
All my bunnies especially love orange light in winter, which helps to strengthen their immune system.
Rabbits need a contrast of light and darkness. A rabbit that lives in constant light can experience stress. In addition, their eyes can be damaged, and they'll gain weight. Provide a dark area for your bunny to sleep and relax within.
Rabbits have excellent hearing, so a loud TV can hurt their ears. You can leave the TV on while out. This way, your rabbit will some 'company. ' But television is no substitute for personal attention, so you should never ignore your pet just because the TV is on.
They prefer dim lights instead of complete darkness. In dim lights, they can see and feel safe. Hence, bunnies are the most active in dim lights.
When your rabbits are happy, you might notice them do a little 'binky'. This is when they hop in the air, twist a little bit, then land back on the ground. Nose twitching. Happy and content rabbits will be constantly wiggling and twitching their noses, whether they're bouncing about or relaxing.
Rabbits have dichromatic color vision, meaning that they have two types of functioning color receptors, called cone cells, in their eyes. While humans can observe a combination of red, blue and green, rabbits can only observe two colors: blue and green. Meaning that, rabbits are somewhat color blind by human standards.
Typical things that can make your rabbit stressed include: novelty (for example the first trip in a car or being handled by a stranger) fear-inducing stimuli (for example sudden noises) social stress (for example too many individuals in a small space, loss of a companion, living alone)
3-5 Years Old
Rabbits tend to become a little less active by the time they reach this age. It is said that rabbits also become more affectionate during this period and they will start to trust you more.
Give a few small treats as you are getting to know each other. Eating is a social activity for rabbits and eating together builds trust. Small portions of carrot, apple, herbs, or oats are offerings a rabbit will appreciate. Hold your rabbit properly.
The best places to pet a rabbit are their forehead and behind their ears. The cheeks and strokes down their backs are also good spots. But rabbits dislike being pet on their bottom, feet, chin, and underside.
Locking your rabbit up
Keeping them in these tiny cages can cause a range of health problems, including obesity and even deformities if they're not able to move around naturally. It's also cruel. Rabbits are smart, social and highly curious, and they need to be able to explore their surroundings.
At a minimum, you should spend at least an hour with your rabbit every day. However, 3-5 hours (or even more) are ideal. You do not have to be giving your rabbit undivided attention during this time, but instead, make yourself available to interact with them if they want to.
Rabbits prefer temperatures of about 60–65 degrees Fahrenheit, but they are comfortable in lower temperatures as long as they are appropriately housed. An outdoor rabbit hutch must be waterproof and should have a solid roof with a slight overhang to keep rain and snow out of the hutch.
Symptoms include shivering (although this will suddenly stop when their temperature reaches dangerously low levels), pale lips and gums, low energy and a loss of coordination.
Rabbits and other pets
Bunnies are prey animals (rather than predators), so they prefer a gentle, quiet environment, which means they may not fit in well with a family that includes rowdy dogs and cats.
Exposure to broad-band blue light up to 832 J cm-2 demonstrated the blood-retinal barrier of albino and pigmented rabbits to be equally sensitive.
Red LEDs have been shown to, amongst other things, prevent osteoarthritis in rabbits to some extent, even when used in low doses for only 10 mins a day. Much like in pigs and humans, there is evidence of a broader systemic effect in rabbits from appropriate red light exposure.
The Rabbit Habit
Once the light dims, they become more active foraging, providing for young, maintaining their dens or socializing. As the morning light comes up, they will return to their burrows. Rabbits are very sensitive to stress and excessive light or darkness can have significant negative health effects.