Most people associate huskies with those piercing blue eyes, but can they have brown eyes too?
This article has the answer and much more about a husky’s gorgeous eye colorings.
Yes, Huskies can have brown eyes. When a husky has brown eyes it means they have a higher amount of melanin in their iris. Those with blue have a lack of melanin in their iris.
Table of Contents
What Color Eyes Can Huskies Have?
Let’s go through all the eye colors that Siberian Huskies can have.
It only really falls into three colors,
- Blue
- Brown
- Green
With this colors, a husky can have bi-colored eyes, or parti-colored eyes. Both explained below with photos.
Blue-Eyed Husky
With blue-eyed Huskies, it can range from what looks like white, all the way to deep dark blue. White is technically not a color for eyes, so true white eyes are not actually a thing.
“white-eyed” Huskies are still actually blue-eyed Huskies, it’s just a very light, bright tone of blue.
Brown-Eyed Husky
Brown-eyed Huskies are just as common as blue-eyed Huskies. The browns can range from very dark brown, almost black looking, all the way to light hazel.
Green-Eyed Husky
Green seems to be the rarest eye color for Huskies, and it usually happens during the transition from blue to brown. Some Huskies stop in the middle of this transition to have green eyes.
Bi-Colored Husky
Bi-colored means when a Husky has a different color for each eye, for example, one blue eye and one brown eye.
This is less common than having two matching eye colors. Bi-colored Huskies make up around 15% of the population.
Particolored Husky
Particolored means when your Husky has two colors in the same eye.
This is even less common and is only seen in around 5% of the Husky population.
There is no way of really knowing if your Husky will end up with particolored eyes, and it typically only happens in one of the eyes. Despite the photo above showing two particolored eyes, it’s usually just one.
Do Husky Eyes Change Color?
One of the most fascinating facts about Siberian Huskies is that practically ALL newborn huskies have bright blue eyes. Which then later changes to the eye color they were destined to have.
So Yes, Husky eyes do change color. The change of color depends on their parents, genetics, and concentration of melanin.
At what age do Huskies’ eyes change color? With some Huskies, this process happens fast or slow, but will typically start around 5 weeks of age and end between 12 – 16 weeks of age.
By this time, their eye color is usually determined. However, in some rare cases, it’s been reported from other Husky owners that eye color has still changed near to the 6-month mark.
It’s very important to remember this when buying a Husky puppy. There’s no guarantee that the beautiful icy-blue eyes the puppy has, will stay with them for much longer!
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Can Purebred Huskies Have Brown Eyes?
Purebred Huskies will start life with blue eyes and will change to brown or green as they grow older if destined to.
Purebred Huskies can have brown eyes, and this may start to show from around 5 weeks old when Husky eyes typically start changing their color.
On top of this, remember that it’s entirely possible for your Husky to have brown eyes, even if both parents have blue eyes. This is because eye color for Huskies is not recessive.
Why Do Huskies Have Blue Eyes?
So many people are mesmerized by the beautiful blue eyes that Huskies have, but have you ever stopped to wonder why huskies have blue eyes?
What determines eye color is something called melanin, a pigment found in the iris. The concentration and the distribution of melanin will affect what color the eye is.
Typically, eyes that have a strong concentration of melanin will be brown, but if there is a lack of melanin, this will usually lead to blue eyes.
So all Huskies have a lack of melanin? Well, almost yes! There’s actually a genetic mutation (called the merle gene) present in nearly the entire Siberian Husky population. The merle gene is what’s responsible for a lack of melanin.
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Can Huskies Have Black Eyes?
With so many different colors seen in Husky eyes, it’s common for people to wonder if huskies can have black eyes.
So, can huskies have black eyes? well, technically no, Huskies cannot have pure black eyes, although it may appear they do. Huskies can have very dark brown eyes that seem to be black, but are in fact, not.
With eyes that are very dark brown, the color can often blend into the pupil which will also give the appearance of one big black eye. But don’t be fooled!
Can Huskies Eyes Turn Red?
This is actually a hot topic with Husky owners, and many report their Husky suddenly having “red” eyes, like the devil!
Although, this isn’t quite the case, and despite moments when they appear to have red eyes, this is not the color of their iris. Once your Husky has their color of eyes, you will not see it change.
Times, when a Husky can appear to have red eyes, is when they are looking directly at a light source behind you. If you catch it just right you will see the color red. Some consider this to be the red blood cells inside the eyes, while others think it’s just the glare of the light source.
This typically happens in photos, when the dog or person looks directly at the flash.
Are Huskies With Blue Eyes Blind?
A common question asked is whether or not huskies with blue eyes are blind, or more at risk to eye problems compared to Huskies or other dogs with brown or green eyes.
The answer is no, Huskies with blue eyes are not blind, and they can see just as well as Huskies that have brown, green, bi-colored, or particolored eyes.
While the sudden appearance of blue in your Huskies eyes may signify a future eye problem, it doesn’t mean that blue-eyed Huskies are blind or have eye problems.
Eye problems are quite common with Huskies and about 8-10% of the Siberian Husky population develop cataracts and other eye-related issues.
It’s easy to jump to conclusions and automatically assume this is because of heterochromia. But at the time of writing this article, heterochromia has still not been linked to the increased chance of developing eye problems.
Heterochromia is caused by a lack of melanin in the iris. Another common myth is that when there is a lack of melanin, there is more chance of UV damage from the sun. This again has not been actually proven and is yet to be confirmed.
So, despite eye problems being quite common with Huskies, it doesn’t have anything to do with heterochromia or their blue eyes. On top of that, Huskies with blue eyes are not blind and have the same vision as a Husky with brown or green eyes.
How to Get The Eye Color You Want in a Husky
If you’re thinking about getting a Siberian Husky, you’ve likely given the color of their eyes some thought.
If you want a particular eye color, the only reliable thing you can do is wait until they are around 1-2 months old. It can be frustrating to have to wait, but it’s really the only way.
No matter how much you examine the parents, it’s still no guarantee that the puppy’s eye color will be the same. Like I mentioned above, even if the parents both have blue eyes, it’s entirely possible for the puppy to end up with brown eyes.
If eye color matters a lot to you, you’ll have to wait until their eyes have started to change color around the 5-week mark.
You should also note, that although you may be able to determine the puppy’s eye color after two months, it doesn’t mean to say that the tone of the color won’t change. Your 2-month-old Husky puppy could now have brown eyes, but the tones can still change.
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Summary
Hopefully, you have learned everything you wanted to know about Siberian Husky eyes!
If you have any other questions about their eyes, be sure to comment below and I’ll do my best to answer them!
Resources:
https://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/colors-rare-coat-collie-5943.html
https://rarediseases.info.nih.gov/diseases/8590/heterochromia-iridis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2518194/
https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/003319.htm
Disclaimer
The advice given in this article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice in any context. Before making any decisions that may affect the health and/or safety of your dog, you should always consult a trained veterinarian in your local area. For the FULL disclaimer Visit HereCopyright Notice: The content produced and published on My Happy Husky is unique and original. My Happy Husky makes an active effort to search for plagiarized content using plagiarism detection software. If plagiarized content is found, action will be taken.