Leave the light on?

[Alicia Conklin]

At night do you all leave the light on for your buns or turn off the lights?  I usually turn the lights off except for one which I just dim down almost all the way..but then I was thinking that seems kinda mean   I wonder if he’d be happier if I left the light on for him at night.  He’s not so fond of night time anyway because he gets put into his condo and he’s not allowed in his yard.  Not that his condo isn’t plenty roomy..but he knows he doesn’t have the freedom so he’s not so fond of it.

[JK]

I turn off the lights.  I read that buns need 8 hours of darkness for their endocrine system to function properly. 

[Alicia Conklin]

Ooh ok well that makes me feel better then

I’m pretty sure the little light that is on would count as darkness still…I have to leave that on anyway because my son hates his bed and sleeps on the couch which is in the same room as Tucker.

[Beka27]

i don’t have a nightlight or anything for them. i have thought about getting one…

[JK]

Actually the rescue where I got Edson turns off the lights too.  I asked about this when I adopted him and they told me the same thing. I’m sure a little night light is ok but not necessary for the buns.

[babybunsmum]

hmm… good to know.  i used to leave the light over my sink on all the time & at night it filtered down the bedroom hallway.  but since the ‘turn out the lights’ campaign i’ve been more vigilant about turning off all the lights and unplugging things not being used and so we’re all in complete darkness over night.  i figured the buns didn’t mind.  sure doesn’t stop them from munching their greens after lights out!

[bunnytowne]

you know sometimes I wonder about that too.  Where I live  the lights on everyone’s porches  shine into the living room a  bit. Even with the shades and curtains closed. I feel good knowing Cotton can see his way around. The girls in the bathroom have the same situation. And when the moon is full oh my talk about bright in here.

I have dark blue curtains doubled plus another blue curtain hubby bought plus some shades. And gosh that moon still makes it’s way thru. Plus the nite lights in the back of the building as well shine thru the bathroom for the girls.

I was thinking of letting Cotton have run of the living room all day and nite. I know he can see. I just don’t feel good about letting him out at nite by himself tho.

Oh I remember reading somewhere that buns can see best at dawn as the sun is starting to rise and at dusk as it is starting to set. Dawn around 5 a.m. the very beginning of the suns raising and whatever time dusk is where you  live they see best then.

I find it cute that you leave a lite on for bun.

[skunklionshow]

As BB explained to me b/f:  bunnies can’t see in the dark, but the light isn’t necessary b/c they have excellent “mapping memory”.  So they don’t need the light.

However, I have a night light on the rabbit’s litterbox floor in their condo.  I also have a night light in the cat’s litterbox room.  I know I prefer a little light when I go potty in the night, so I figured everyone would appreciate that.  It’s not necessary, but it makes me feel better.  It only shines on the litterbox floor.  Their bed area is covered w/ a willow tent, so they have their little dark cubbies in their condo as well.  I also keep the AC on when it hits 82 degrees outside.  The humidity is awful out here!  I know my bill will be terrible this summer! The things we do for our pets

[skunklionshow]

As BB explained to me b/f:  bunnies can’t see in the dark, but the light isn’t necessary b/c they have excellent “mapping memory”.  So they don’t need the light.

However, I have a night light on the rabbit’s litterbox floor in their condo.  I also have a night light in the cat’s litterbox room.  I know I prefer a little light when I go potty in the night, so I figured everyone would appreciate that.  It’s not necessary, but it makes me feel better.  It only shines on the litterbox floor.  Their bed area is covered w/ a willow tent, so they have their little dark cubbies in their condo as well.  I also keep the AC on when it hits 82 degrees outside.  The humidity is awful out here!  I know my bill will be terrible this summer! The things we do for our pets

[MimzMum]

I noticed that when my daughter got her bun and would stay up all night with the light or tv on, Pip went nuts. That’s why I moved her to my room. Now both bunnies are together (separate pens) and in winter I usually have one of those scent/light show night lights on overnight, but without the scent because it’s too strong for MY nose, so I can imagine it would hurt the bunnies’. I also added a ‘glow’ feature to my overhead lamp so that I can gradually raise/lower the light brightness to simulate sunrise/set
If I DON’T turn the light off at a given hour (or on for that matter) I get a lot of grief from the buns. They want me up when they’re up and sleeping when they sleep…that’s that.
It’s hard here in summer, I need to put a dark curtain over my window to give them proper darkness (24 hr daylight here in Alaska) but when I open it in the morning I think they both turn into vampires and they foot thump that it’s too bright all at once. Poor things!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I leave two dim lights on at night so they can make their way around, but not so it would disturb them.

[Scarlet_Rose]

I have a night light on that comes on when there is no light (it has a sensor) for my two because rabbits can’t see well in the dark. I would say what you are doing is just right.

[ADEE]

since their space is attached to the master bedroom, their lights get turned off. all the way at night. During the day they have a large square hole in the bathroom door (Their own entrance, was here when we moved in) that was origionally for cats and that bathroom is kept fairly dark except for when we go in to use it.. otherwise their vanity area has a light on all day.

[skunklionshow]

Mimz:  I wondered what you did during white nights?

[Lightchick]

Thank goodness that buns want some darkness to function!

I had the same question, because Lizzy devours all of her night-time greens at some point between when I put her to bed and when I get up, so obviously she’s active when I’m asleep…  But I felt awfully guilty leaving the light on–electricity bill, carbon-footprint, Al Gore, and polar bears on melting ice-caps all worried me!  I do have one of those plug-in air-freshener night-light things in the vicinity of her hutch, but that’s all I leave on for her….  Glad that’s the right thing to do!

Poor Alaskan bunny-owners probably have a lot of challenges I can’t even imagine!

[Beka27]

i’ve been leaving the bunny room blind halfway pulled up, so at night the light dims, and in the morning it gradually gets brighter.

[MimzMum]

Posted By skunklionshow on 07/03/2008 3:17 PM

Mimz:  I wondered what you did during white nights?

 

Erm…pardon my ignorance, but, what’s white nights? You mean, like around Yule?

If so, at Winter Solstice we actually have about four hours of visible light, with one hour or the sun being over the horizon. It’s really not that bad. It’s the summer solstice that begins to drive me batty now, as I can’t sleep if it’s totally light outside.

Where I live, you can almost always see a glow over the northern hills that indicates there’s sun shining SOMEWHERE. ^_^ Now if THAT disappears…well…I’m keeping my ear peeled for the sound of Gabriel’s shofar at that point! 0_o;

Oddly enough, I just read the children’s book “Bunnicula Strikes Again” and althoughthe bunny plays a minor part, I found it pretty funny for a short story. ^_^

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