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Rabbit Eye Color – What Color Are Bunnies Eyes?

This is a great question that we will be answering today! You may be wondering, what color are rabbits’ eyes or what colors can rabbits’ eyes come in, well today, we’ll be discussing the seven natural eye colors of domestic rabbits in 2020.

blue eyed rabbit

There are many more varieties of rabbit eye colors than you may think at first glance. Most rabbits have the common brown eyes; then, the second most popular is blue. But some uncommon colors that rabbits’ eyes can come in are grey, red, and pink.

The Seven Eye Colours For Rabbits

  • Brown
  • Blue
  • Pink
  • Flash Red
  • Ruby Red
  • Marbled
  • Blue-Greys

Those are the seven eye colors of bunny eye colors that the American Rabbit breeders association states.

Rabbit Eye Colours

Brown Eyes

Brown is the most common and most well-known eye color for rabbits around the world. We normally don’t see that many brown-eyed rabbits, and that because people are always advertising the more exotic colors of rabbit eyes.

But, a brown-eyed rabbit is beautiful, and in the sun it looks like honey, just beautiful! The famous breed of rabbits, the Black Silver Martens and Sable Martens come in brown eyes. Most rabbits with brown and black fur coats tend to have brown eyes, but there are cases where even white-furred rabbits have brown eyes; these are known as BEW’s in the rabbit breeding world!

Blue Eyes

grey and white rabbit

Blue eyes are the second most common eye color for rabbits. Blue eyes are able to occur in a variety of rabbit breeds, and these rabbits normally have gray coats. One of the most popular breeds of rabbits, the White Vienna is known for its crystal blue eyes.

Blue eyes are a rabbit buyer’s favorite purchase, as blue eyes can really stand out in the crowd! Blue eyed rabbits and a blue eyed bunny are beautiful!

Pink Eyes

rabbit eye color

Now, we have a more rare eye color for rabbits, pink eye color. You might have heard of red-eyed rabbits, but there are also pink-eyed rabbits. Pink eyes normally occur as the result of quite a rare mutation.

Normally, if a rabbit has pink eyes, both the rabbit parents have a recessive gene that normally dilutes the brown color into pink eye color. Some breeds of rabbits that are known for pink eyes are the New Zealand whites, which are, most of the time, white-furred rabbits with pink eyes.

Unfortunately, pink eyes are one of the most disliked rabbit eye colors. This means many pink-eyed rabbits are abandoned at shelters around the world, as people don’t want to own a pink-eyed rabbit.

Flash Red Eyes

grey and white rabbit

You have definitely seen a photo of a rabbit with gleaming red eyes. This is what flash red eyes are. Flash red is specifically a color, but rather the effect that happens when you take a photograph of a rabbit with red eyes.

This has been the spark of many social media talks, with the talk of ‘killer rabbits’ roaming the streets. So why does this happen? Well, the reason this happens is that rabbits have no tapetum lucidum, which is a tiny layer of tissue that is found on top of many species’ eyes.

So, when a rabbit is photographed with a flash, the light will instantly reflect straight from the retina of the rabbit, and this causes the bright red color of the rabbit’s eyes. This is also why the red-eye phenomenon occurs in humans.

Ruby Red

why do rabbits have red eyes

Personally, I believe ruby red eyes are the most beautiful eye color that a rabbit can have. Ruby red eyes are not common to any rabbit breed, but rather it happens to rabbits because of a common condition in rabbits, albinism.

Ruby Red eyes occur because of a lack of sufficient melanin within the rabbit’s body, which leads to the non-pigmentation of certain parts of the rabbit’s body, which can include the hair and eyes. An albino rabbit will always have white hair and red eyes.

The reason for the ruby-red eyes is because of the lack of pigmentation. It causes us to see the blood vessels in the eye, which can result in the red color of the rabbit’s eye. Albinism is not a good condition for rabbits to have, as it can cause extreme sensitivity to light and other negative effects.

But due to the popularity of white-haired rabbits, albinism has been and will continue to be bred into rabbits.

Marbled

Marbled eye colors are a mixture of colors that a rabbit can happen. The combination of colors can be brown, blue, gray, or red. The reason this eye color occurs within rabbits is because of a condition named sectoral heterochromia, and any animal with this condition has eyes with two different colors. This is common in dogs, and there are even humans with this rare condition.

A rabbit can develop heterochromia from genetics, injury, or even a disease. If your rabbit is developing marble eyes and it is not common for its breed, seek advice from a vet.

Blue-Greys

white bunny with blue eyes

Last but not least, we have the blue-grey eye color of rabbits. Blue-greys are actually quite common in rabbits and look like a cross between brown and blue eyes.

Many rabbits with blue-greys have brown coats and will have blue-gray eyes. This is probably the least well-known mutation of eye color, but many rabbits in the wild have this.

Why do rabbits’ eyes change color?

You may have heard stories of rabbits’ eyes changing colors, and this is common within rabbits. As rabbits grow older, the eye color of the rabbit will actually darken, and the size of the melanin particles within their eyes will actually grow. This can change the eye color of many rabbits.

Can rabbits have purple eyes?

This has been proven to be possible. The reason this can happen is because of the combination of brown and red and blue. This can cause the rabbits’ eyes to have a purple hue to them.

Can rabbits see all colors?

Unfortunately for rabbits, studies have shown rabbits have a limited ability to see different colors. It has been proven rabbits have limited color vision, and normally known that rabbits can see blue and green colors.

Conclusion

So there you have it, our guide on what color are rabbits’ eyes! If you were wondering what color are rabbits’ eyes or what color are bunnies eyes, this article should have answered your question!

This was a very interesting topic to research, and thank you for reading!

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About Grace Hocker

Hi, my name is Grace and I am a pet lover. Ever since 5 years old, I've owned some sort of pet from Bearded Dragons to Rabbits. I have dedicated my life to helping pets, and am here to help you get the best for your pet!