Eyes Dilated Different Sizes

[Tums]

Got my rabbit from the shelter last year and at that time I noticed his eyes were dilated different sizes. I kinda thought that must just be how he was, but was surprised when it went away a few hours later. Since then, I’ve noticed on and off that they’ll occasionally be different sizes. I haven’t linked it to any sort of event, but he generally seems really healthy. He runs into things sometimes but I can’t tell if he’s playing around or just overeager (almost always runs into my legs if he thinks a treat is coming).

He’s an albino mini rec (I think), so I know he will lack some vision… I guess I wanted to check whether this is something to worry about?

[Wick & Fable]

From my observations, it’s quite common for a rabbit’s eyes to be at different levels of being open and dilated. They’re pretty animals, so their eyes are on the side of their head. With humans, our eyes are facing front, this both eyes share the same visual space, matching light received. For eyes on sides of head, one eye may not get as much light as another in any given environment.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[joea64]

All other things being equal, I think you can relax. Rabbits, as Wick noted, see differently than humans because their eyes are placed on the sides of their head rather than facing front. This means they don’t have stereoscopic vision and have a small blind spot directly in front of their noses, hence why they’ll often turn their heads sideways to get a better look at something. Their color vision is also tilted toward blue/green in order to help them better find food.

My Fernando is an albino, too, so doesn’t see too well in bright lights; fortunately, he has excellent senses of smell and hearing to compensate. I haven’t noticed that either Panda or Fernando has differently dilated pupils, but it’s hard to tell in Panda’s case because she has very dark brown eyes. Both my buns will bump against my legs/prop themselves on my legs when I approach them with treats in hand, or even when they think I might have a treat to give them, so I’d say it’s normal rabbit behavior. In fact, they perk up even at the mere sound of a food bag or my rummaging around in the bin where I keep the treat bags!

[Author]

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