Assessing vision – is the menace response useful?

Jan 5, 2023 | Small Mammals

Assessing vision can sometimes be tricky in exotics. Most exotic pets do not exhibit a menace response. Being a prey species, it’s important to keep your eyes open!

In a study of healthy rabbits undergoing a neurologic exam, none of the rabbits blinked when a menace response test was performed. A more reliable test of the same cranial nerves is the dazzle reflex; it’s involuntary and involves a subcortical pathway. Remember that this requires a bright light.

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