Can Rabbits Eat Sweet Potatoes?
You are advised not to feed sweet potatoes to you rabbits, not even in small amounts. It isn’t that they are toxic but sweet potatoes are quite high in carbohydrates and starch – things that are not required by a rabbit’s body and are hard to digest too for the animal.
According to medical experts, sweet potatoes are not as healthy for rabbits as other high-sugar plants such as carrots, watermelon, berries, cabbage, etc. Sweet potatoes may harm some of the healthful nutrients found in other foods eaten by rabbits. Sweet potatoes may also upset their stomachs if your rabbits eat too many at once, or if they are not used to high-starch foods. Feeding a rabbit a low-fiber, high-starch food such as sweet potatoes may worsen this issue.
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When you feed your rabbit foods high in starch, or anything considered low-fiber, this can lead to many digestive problems such as diarrhea, un-eating of the food, and intestinal stasis. High starch and sugar foods are bad for your rabbits as it causes obesity, digestive problems, and dental problems.
As we know, foods with high starch and sugars may cause dental problems, gastrointestinal issues, and obesity in house rabbits. Too much starch and sugar harms our rabbits — both at one time and in the long run.
| What makes sweet potatoes bad for rabbit | Shelf life |
| Its high carbohydrate level | In refrigerator 3 months |
| Its high starch level | At room temperature 1 month |
Even if your daily starch limit is 140 grams, giving rabbits starch is still a bad idea due to their inability to digest starch properly. Small amounts of starch do not harm, but a study suggests starch levels should not be more than 14% of the rabbits diet.
Instead, stick with foods high in fiber and low in carbohydrates and starch, since this is what the rabbit needs in a diet. The best advice is to consult with a veterinarian regarding your rabbits diet, rather than researching various websites.
You should still take your rabbit to your veterinarian if he or she has digestive problems of any sort. If you suspect your rabbit may have G.I. Stasis, do not hesitate to take your rabbit to the vet, as G.I. Stasis can cause organ failure and death extremely quickly if left untreated.
Because the rabbits digestive system is so sensitive, if he experiences constipation or diarrhea, this can be life-threatening. This condition can be actually fatal if not treated, so be careful about feeding your rabbit foods that may be contributing to this. Choosing the wrong diet for your rabbits could make the rabbits sick, as well as hurt them in the worst way.
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Feeding the rabbits with proper amounts of food is essential to ensure they can have a long, healthy life. Keeping an eye on your pets rabbits nutrition plan will ensure they are wonderful companions for years to come. In addition, vets and other animal experts can suggest optimal diets suited for your rabbits particular needs.
While sweet potatoes indeed provide some valuable nutrients, they are far too high in sugar and starch for rabbits, and you are better off not adding them to a pets diet for that reason. The high levels of starches and sugars in sweet potatoes may help a rabbit to gain weight if he or she is not very fat. Sweet potato also contains more carbohydrates than a rabbit needs, so this may cause a quick weight gain, particularly if your rabbit is spending a lot of time in a pens.
If your rabbit seems to tolerate smaller amounts of sweet potato without any digestive discomfort or weight gain, then continuing to give them this as a treat likely would not harm them. Because it is not a great treat for baby rabbits or grown-up rabbits, these can cause diarrhea too, and they do not eat or drink very well, etc. You do not want to risk the rabbits life by giving them sweet potatoes. Raw potatoes cause digestive discomfort for rabbits, as well as causing gastro-intestinal-related problems.
Diarrhea is also a possibility if you feed a lot of sweet potatoes or kumara to the rabbits, as these are low in fiber and rabbits are poor at digesting starch. Overfeeding kumara/sweet potatoes, which are rich in carbohydrates but low in fiber, can be hazardous as it may disturb the balance in their digestive flora, leading to disease. The high carbs and low fiber means that the tubers from the sweet potatoes may overwhelm your rabbits hind gut, leading to intestinal inflammation, and also to weight gain and obesity.
Skins do not harm rabbits in small amounts, but better treats can be chosen that have high levels of nutrients and lower levels of sugar. Skins are not an especially great choice, as they still have a fair amount of sugar, but they are better for your rabbit than sweet potato meat.
Your vet might recommend feeding your rabbit a few kibbles of sweet potatoes or another starchy fruit to help them make – or keep – weight, if they are having difficulty making or keeping weight. The sugars in your rabbits diet may be too hard for him to digest, leading to considerable digestive discomfort, such as upset stomach, aversion or indifference to feeding, and pellets of manure gathering in his bottom fur.
Some rabbits develop digestive problems because they lose appetite and stop eating, but many digestive problems are caused by eating too much sugary or starchy foods. Gastrointestinal Stasis, or G.I. Stasis, occurs when a rabbit is fed large amounts of carbohydrates and a low-fiber diet. Rabbits may get GI stasis if they are fed a high volume of sweet potatoes (both sugar and starch) and not eating enough fiber to keep the GI tract moving.
Since potatoes are a substantial starch source, it does not make an ideal treat for your bunny. Because giving them would cause your bunnies a few digestive issues, but if your pets bunnies already eat sweet potatoes, and you are concerned about it disturbing the little rabbits tummy, watch out. When feeding sweet potatoes or ipomoea batata to your bunnies, the quantity should be a one-cup bag mixture with around 5-6 leafy greens, one leafy plant leaf and one vine for each rabbit that weighs two pounds.
Are sweet potatoes safe for rabbits?
It is not recommended that you feed sweet potatoes to your rabbit, although they are not entirely toxic to consume and will not hurt your rabbit if eaten in small amounts. It is generally advised that you avoid offering them to rabbits because they are high in starch and carbohydrates.
How much sweet potato can a rabbit eat?
Consuming sweet potatoes isn’t necessarily toxic to rabbits unless your rabbit has consumed a large quantity of potatoes in one feed. If you have fed your rabbit only a small chunk of sweet potato, there is no need for concern; however, your rabbit may experience temporary stomach cramps and abdominal pain.
Do rabbits like raw sweet potatoes?
Although, sweet potatoes are amazing for humans, but not advised for Rabbits in large quantities. Particularly they have a wealth of beneficial elements and are an important component of a balanced diet. So it makes it reasonable that you would set aside some sweet potatoes for your bunny when preparing them as a side dish for dinner.