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Scanning Rabbits

sidereus7

Mama Doe
This was actually the reason I joined these forums way back! Milo scans his head from side to side, and I was told that was because he was compensating for poor vision.

But how common is scanning in rabbits? I could've sworn I saw a holland lop (dwarf lop) at the pet store do it today as well, but I may have been wrong.

Also, do rabbits' eyesight deteriorate over the years, and could scanners go completely blind at some point? (Although, this would not scare me, as I know rabbits cope really well without their eyesight)
 
It's pretty common, especially in REWs and those with REW in their genes (siamese sable and siamese smoke pearl are common scanners too because those two colours should pretty much only be bred with each other, or REW).

I've never had a scanner go fully blind, although I did have one who was blind in one eye, but I'm fairly sure that unrelated. Sweep was a scanner and he lived to 9 and he had vision at the end of his life, he just swayed and scanned right from being a baby.
 
My Billy scans....when I first saw him as a baby bun I was worried it was something neurological but after an internet search realised it was scanning.

Hes got brown eyes but they glow red when the light shines on them.

He does startle easily so obviously doesn't see brilliantly well but he copes just fine.
 
Snowy is a REW and scans, as does Molly, she is a chinchilla lop but has fogginess in her eyes. It is almost like cataracts but not in the centre so has limited eyesight and the vet thinks tunnel vision. I think she is more likely to go blind than Snowy, as I suspect the clouding will eventually spread. She was rehomed because she was nippy, but I suspect it was just because she got a fright when picked up. I always talk to her first and she is fine now.
 
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