Image of a rabbit falling asleep and a moon and stars. The caption reads "do rabbits sleep."

Yes, rabbits do sleep but have a different sleep pattern than people do. Rabbits are crepuscular, meaning that they are most active at sunrise and sunset. Rabbits sleep the most during the late morning and afternoon for a total of about 8 hours a day.

Do rabbits sleep

Every known mammal on earth does sleep including rabbits. What I have found interesting about rabbits and their sleep patterns is that even though they are much smaller than us humans they sleep the same amount of time that us humans do. Why is the world does a 4 to 8 pound animal need as much sleep as us giants? I wish that I could give you an answer to this, but I can’t.

Interesting fact: Bullfrogs do not sleep say scientists.

Rabbits are NOT nocturnal

Many people ask the question “Are rabbits nocturnal?” I have a post dedicated to this subject you can find here. Rabbits keep a very different schedule than most animals, here is an example of your average rabbit’s schedule.

  • Early morning – This is when rabbits start moving for the day. They will eat, play, run and dig. This is often just before or after first light.
  • Morning – Rabbits may continue eating but will eventually bed down somewhere and rest. They will still be somewhat alert.
  • Noon – Rabbits are least active currently and probably in and out of deep sleep. Many rabbits have dreams at this point.
  • Afternoon – Most rabbits will still be sleeping at this time still. Some may get up and poop or eat a snack.
  • Evening – Rabbits start moving around, eating and pooping. This is just before the sun goes down.
  • Night – Some rabbits will stay awake later into the night but by midnight most rabbits are not overactive and will start entering deep sleep.

Do rabbits dream?

Yes, I can tell you as fact that rabbits do dream, just like most other mammals do. You may have taken note of your twitching or grinding his or her teeth while asleep. When this happens, it means they are dreaming.

More on information on rabbit dreams here.

More information on sleep and rabbits

I have several posts about rabbits and sleep. If you are looking for in depth information, check out these posts.

About the Author

My name is Vanessa and I love my buns. My current house rabbit is Mr. Bunny, he is a black and white Dutch that just turned 9 years old.

I believe that rabbits are a magnificent animal that make great pets for SOME people. My mission is to share what I have learned about rabbits over the past 20 years to improve the relationship between our pets and us. Please contact me or comment if you have any questions or comments.