Rabbits are herbivores, they like herbs, grass, fruits and vegetables. Can Rabbits Eat Potatoes?
However, potatoes are not good for rabbits. They are rich in starches that the rabbit’s digestive system cannot process. This can lead to diarrhea, constipation or gastrointestinal retention. The leaves and tendrils of potato plants are poisonous.
Let’s find out why you shouldn’t feed your rabbit potatoes and what can go wrong with doing so.
Can Rabbits Eat Potatoes?
Rabbits are herbivores, so most plants, grasses, and vegetables will do. But not potatoes? Why is that? Read through the nutrition facts for potatoes.
Potato nutrition
Carbohydrates make up 86 percent of a 100-gram serving of potatoes, according to Nutritionvalue.org. In other words, potatoes are made entirely of starch.
Rabbits can get almost all the nutrients they need from hay. This high-fiber food should make up about 85 percent of their diet.
Neither white nor red potatoes provide any nutritional value to rabbits. They can even harm a rabbit’s digestive system. My advice is don’t feed your rabbit potatoes!
Why Is Potato Bad for Rabbits?
Potatoes are not technically toxic. Because they contain too many calories and are difficult to digest, they are not good for rabbits.
Rabbits are not designed to deal with the dense starch found in potatoes. Consuming a lot of starch can cause problems for your rabbit’s sensitive digestive system.
If a rabbit eats potatoes, it may experience:
- Diarrhea
- Constipation
- Pain
- Comatose
Constipation can lead to gastrointestinal stagnation, a condition where the entire digestive system stops working.
In addition, sprouted potatoes are poisonous. They are highly toxic to rabbits, and can quickly lead to death.
If you are growing potatoes in the garden, keep rabbits away from them. If your rabbit is out in the open, keep the potatoes out of the rabbit’s reach.
Can Rabbits Eat Cooked Potatoes?
Rabbits’ digestive systems aren’t equipped to process cooked potatoes. Even though cooking removes much of the resistant starch, plenty of regular starch remains.
Rabbits cannot easily digest many forms of carbohydrates, except fiber.
Eating cooked potatoes may result in your rabbit developing the same digestive problems as raw potatoes. Diarrhea, constipation and gastrointestinal stasis can still occur with cooked potatoes.
Can Rabbits Eat Potatoes Peel?
Potato skins, whether white or red, contain more fiber than the white flesh inside.
However, potato skins still contain a high percentage of starch. High starch content loses fiber, making it difficult for rabbits to digest.
Perfect for your bunny! It should spend most of its time eating hay and not potato skins.
Can Rabbits Eat Potato Leaves?
The leaves, tendrils, and flowers of the potato plant are poisonous to rabbits. The same goes for all other members of the nightshade family. Better keep your rabbits away from them!
Can Rabbits Eat Sweet Potatoes?.
The leaves and vines of the sweet potato plant are safe for rabbits to eat. They are not nightshades. Research by Texas A&M University found that rabbits can eat sweet potato forage with no unwelcome consequences.
Although they have the word “potato” in their name, sweet potatoes are not closely related to common potatoes. They belong to different plant families and do not have much in common genetically.
Sweet potatoes belong to the family Convolvulaceae, related to woody roses and morning glory. Potatoes, on the other hand, are dark fruits.
For rabbits, only the leaves and vines of the sweet potato are healthy. And sweet potatoes and normal potatoes are equally bad.
Can Rabbits Eat Potato Chips?
Feeding a rabbit with chips is a terrible idea. You should never give your rabbit chips.
Not only do they contain all the starch that rabbits can’t digest, but they’re also high in fat (up to 50% more fat).
The rabbit’s diet should contain less than 3% fat. With that huge amount of fat, Potato Chips are really bad food for the health of rabbits.
Summary
Can Rabbits Eat Potatoes? I have the following answer.
Potatoes are not rabbit food. Do not feed your rabbit any processed potatoes. If you don’t want to harm your rabbit’s health.
