How to tell if my rabbit is blind???

[BallyFarm]

So I have a much older rabbit who I got over the summer and the lady who gave him to me said she was old but didn’t know how old. And usually he is super chill but in the last few weeks he is really jumpy when I stick my hand in to pet him to the point he bit me and that isn’t normal for him. His eyes looked cloudy when I checked in on him tonight. But I also was using my head lamp so maybe it was the reflection. What should I be looking for? I know If he is I can’t do anything for it but are there special procedures I have to do to his hutch or for his eyes and will he be fine? I’ll show a picture of his eyes tomorrow in the daylight.

 

[NatJ]

Do you usually talk to him while tending/petting? If not, try it--a constant soothing chatter lets him know you're there, and there's nothing to be afraid of. If he is blind, it should help. If he's not blind, it should not hurt.

If he is blind, it may help to keep his feed and water consistently in the same place in his hutch, and make sure there's nothing poky or otherwise dangerous, but that's pretty close to the way one cares for a normal rabbit anyway.

A blind rabbit will probably fare better than a blind animal of most other kinds, and not need much special treatment. (Because rabbits are often awake at night in the dark, and they certainly don't fly, and they have a good sense of smell, and there should be no predators inside the hutch, and so on.)

Sorry I don't know how to tell if he IS blind, just a few ideas in case he is.

 

[BallyFarm]

Do you usually talk to him while tending/petting? If not, try it--a constant soothing chatter lets him know you're there, and there's nothing to be afraid of. If he is blind, it should help. If he's not blind, it should not hurt.

If he is blind, it may help to keep his feed and water consistently in the same place in his hutch, and make sure there's nothing poky or otherwise dangerous, but that's pretty close to the way one cares for a normal rabbit anyway.

A blind rabbit will probably fare better than a blind animal of most other kinds, and not need much special treatment. (Because rabbits are often awake at night in the dark, and they certainly don't fly, and they have a good sense of smell, and there should be no predators inside the hutch, and so on.)

Sorry I don't know how to tell if he IS blind, just a few ideas in case he is.

Thank you so much. I need to make sure I start talking to him more and maybe a little louder And then hopefully he won’t be as jumpy!

 

[cassie]

First of all, I would check they eye and see if you can see any signs of infection. Is the eye cloudy? When it is dark, take a flashlight and shine it in the eye. See if the eye reacts to the light. I once had a blind baby goat. She was born that way. When I noticed the eyes looked abnormal, I shone a light into the eyes I could see that structures were missing.

 

[CatWhisperer]

If your rabbit is blind make sure you never rearrange his living space. If he lives in a confined area and things don’t change in his environment he should be fine. Blindness usually comes on slowly and animals generally adjust to it well as long as people don’t mess it up for them. Making soothing noises while you are around him is a good idea so you don’t startle him.
A concern would be if the blindness is not just an old age cataract. Rabbits can get glaucoma (painful) so if the eye looks swollen or red you may need to see a veterinarian. I’m sure there must be information on caring for a blind rabbit to be found online. Try googling it. Good luck with your bun.