Have you ever noticed that some bunnies prefer certain colors over others? Or you often wonder, what colors do rabbits hate? If you are keen enough, you’ll notice that indeed if given an option, rabbits have a preferred color choice.
For example, indoor rabbits may favor a specific colored lit room over others as we shall prove according to an experiment conducted on 128 bunnies. This article looks at what colors rabbits hate, the reason behind it, and other frequently asked questions in relation to rabbits and color.
What colors do rabbits prefer the least?
An experiment by the Department of Animal Science at Kaposvar University in Hungary was conducted in 2009 to find out the light preference of young rabbits. The results were later documented in the Italian Journal and published in January 2010.
As mentioned, the experiment was carried out on 128 young bunnies. They were placed in blocks that had four similar-sized cages they could freely access using swing doors. However, the only difference was the lighting color on each cage. To be precise, the first cage had a white light, the second had a yellow, the third had a green and the last had a blue light.
The experiment was carried out once (24 hours) per week for an entire month. The finding was that bunnies seemed to prefer cages that illuminated white and yellow light over the blue and green lit ones.
According to data, 28% preferred white light, 26.3% yellow, 23.4% blue, and 22.3% green. So what colors do rabbits hate the most? The short answer is green followed by blue color.
Why do rabbits prefer some colors over others?
Rabbits have two photoreceptors in their retina that are called cones and rods. Cones are mainly active when there’s light while the latter functions properly when it’s darker. Compared to us, bunnies have more rods than cones which essentially makes their night vision better than ours. In addition, these rods also contain mainly two sensitive cones which are in blue and green colors. In short, a rabbit’s retina is less sensitive to lighter colors as opposed to darker shades such as blue and green.
What colors are rabbits sensitive to?
Rabbits have cones in their retina that are sensitive to green or blue light. Although rabbits can distinguish these two colors apart, any other color is essentially grey. In other words, bunnies are dichromatic, meaning they have a two-colored vision and are somewhat color blind according to our standards.
What is a bunny’s favorite color?
Since bunnies’ vision is two-colored, their choice is essentially based on blue and green, and anything else is a mixture of the two (grey). However, according to a scientific experiment conducted by the Department of Animal Science in Kaposvár University, Hungary involving 128 bunnies, they prefer bright colors over dull ones. To be specific they seemed to favor white and yellow over green and blue colors.
Can rabbits see grey?
Since their retina is made up of two retina colors, which are blue and green, it’s impossible for them to distinguish other colors. As a result, other colors technically look grey to them. So yes, rabbits see grey if an image doesn’t fall in their retina vision category of blue and green.
Can rabbits see a red light?
Since rabbits lack red cones in their retina, it’s normally difficult for them to detect red light. In other words, bunnies are dichromatic or limited to a two-colored vision (blue and green).
Do rabbits prefer lights on or off?
It depends on their energy levels. For example, when indoor rabbits are in an active state, they don’t mind lighting. However, if your pets are given a choice, they’ll instinctively choose dim-lit rooms. These rooms are ideal for high-energy bunnies since they resemble natural light at dawn and dusk.
However, the rule of thumb is to provide them with natural light and darkness to help them moderate their biological clock. In other words, your rabbits need an environment that replicates their warren in the wild, especially if you house them indoors.
The main takeaway is that rabbits tend to least prefer colors similar to the cones in their retina. These colors are green and blue. Instead, they prefer light colors such as white and yellow. Hopefully, this article has answered the question, what colors do rabbits hate.