Deaf Bunnies??

[Happy Hollands]

I have heard that all blue-eyed white rabbits are deaf. Is this statement true or false?

I do not believe this is the case, as I have tried it out with my blue-eyed whites and both of them responded to me clapping / making a loud noise even when they could not see my movement. Maybe they just don't have the same level of hearing as other rabbits? What does the coloring (or genetics) have to do with it?

I will say that they do flop pretty dramatically compared to my other bunnies and sometimes take a minute to wake up when I come into the bunny room. My other rabbits are always wide awake, and I never catch them sleeping! Does this have something to do with the fact that BEW's may be deaf?

Appreciate any and all comments, looking for some personal experiences and evidence that may back this claim up.

 

[AVIE]

I've had BEW cats that were deaf before. Never heard of it in rabbits though. Interesting

 

[majorv]

We raised BEW polish and, other than being a little more high strung, they acted & reacted no different from our other rabbits.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We have a new rescue that is a BEW and he definitely can hear.

 

[JBun]

I haven't read of genetic hearing issues in BEW rabbits, and my BEW holland can definitely hear too. The only genetic susceptibility I've read of for BEW rabbits is possible seizure issues. Though lop eared rabbits can sometimes be slow to respond or have some difficulty hearing just because of their lopped ears and wax build up.

If you come across any scientific articles of genetic deafness in BEW rabbits, please do post a link here. I couldn't find any during a brief search.