The neurophysiology of the rodent visual system has mainly been investigated by invasive and ex-vivo techniques providing fragmented data. This area of research has been deprived of functional MRI studies based on blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) contrast, which allows a whole brain approach with a high spatial and temporal resolution. In the present study we looked at the neurovascular response properties of the visual system of the pigmented rat, focusing on the visual cortex (VC), the superior colliculus (SC) and the flocculus-paraflocculus of the cerebellum (FL-PFL) using BOLD fMRI under domitor anesthesia. Visual stimulation was performed monocularly or binocularly, while presenting flashing light from a strobe unit. We have assessed for each structure the flashing frequency which evoked the optimal BOLD response: both VC and FL-PFL did not display frequency dependence during monocular visual stimulation, but were most sensitive to low frequencies (1Hz-5Hz) when flashing light was provided binocularly. The SC responded optimally to high flashing rates (8Hz-12Hz) both during monocular and binocular stimulation. The signal intensity changes in the VC and FL-PFL were locked to the stimulation period, whereas the BOLD response in the SC showed a similar onset but a very slow recovery at the offset. The VC and FL-PFL, but not the SC, showed signs of binocular competition. The observed correlation between frequency dependent responses of different visual areas during binocular visual presentation suggests a functional relationship between the VC and FL-PFL rather than between SC and FL-PFL.