Can Bunnies Eat Sweet Potatoes? All You Need To Know

Do you love sweet potatoes and wonder Can Bunnies Eat Sweet Potatoes? It is pretty standard for you to worry about the foods you need to provide if you are a bunny owner. What about sweet potatoes? Are they delicious and nutritious for the bunny? Then keep reading to find out more.

There is no harm in providing sweet potatoes and potatoes to your bunnies. Because these vegetables match rabbits‘ diet, but these are not so good as other food choices and treats. But, it doesn’t harm them as well. Sweet potatoes aren’t bad for bunnies and won’t cause severe health issues. But, still, it isn’t good as other treats as well.

If you need to understand more about the nutrition facts of sweet potatoes and it’s composition, benefits to your bunnies, keep reading. We have tried to inform you of all the questions and answers you need to know about feeding your bunnies sweet potatoes.

Can Rabbits Eat Sweet Potatoes?

The answer is yes and no. It’s because there are lots of nutritions hidden in sweet potatoes. And, therefore many recommend that sweet potatoes are suitable for rabbits. But, the truth is it contains lots of starch and is rich in sugar.

can bunnies eat sweet potatoes

You may think there are many fruits available that are more sugary than sweet potatoes, and there is no danger in consuming those fruits. Then, why can’t I give sweet potatoes to rabbits?

You need to know that the combination of starch and sugar isn’t a perfect choice for your bunnies. It is a dangerous combination. But, some rabbits enjoy eating sweet potatoes and are physically capable of consuming sweet potatoes.

Sweet Potato Nutrients

A single serving of sweet potatoes contains lots of vitamin A. There are lots of nutrients in sweet potatoes. They are as follows,

In one cup serving of baked or mashed sweet potatoes, you get,

39.2 mg vitamin C

1.4 mg vitamin E

4.6 mcg vitamin K

3.0 mg niacin

0.6 mg vitamin B6

12.0 mcg folate

26.2 mcg choline

76 mg calcium

54 mg magnesium

1.4 mg iron

108 mg phosphorus

950 mg potassium

0.6 mg zinc

1 mg manganese

.3 mg copper

Sweet Potato Nutrition Facts

Sweet potatoes aren’t good for your bunnies. But, it contains lots of benefits; it is a home of lots of nutrients and a great addition to your diet. But, rabbits cannot eat potatoes in bulk.

One cup serving of sweet potatoes, whether it be mashed or baked contains,

180 calories

.3 g fat

4 g protein

41.4 g carbohydrates

6.6 g fiber

Are Sweet Potatoes Good For Rabbits?

Not really. Even though sweet potatoes are very nutritious and delicious, it isn’t a perfect food choice for your bunny. Because starch and rabbits always don’t go well. Since potatoes are a significant starch source, it doesn’t make an excellent treat for your bunnies.

cut sweet potatoes

Rabbits have a unique digestive organ called the cecum, which helps in fermenting the fibers from grass. But, consuming foods rich in starch and sugar deteriorates the balance of bacterias that live inside the cecum.

It will result in a severe problem such as gas. And, also it will lead to G.I stasis, which will stop the functioning of the digestive tract.

Are Sweet Potatoes Bad for Rabbits?

Yes. Sweet potatoes are not suitable for rabbits because sweet potatoes contain lots of starch and sugars, which will eventually cause obesity in rabbits. It will upset their stomach if they have too many sweet potatoes at once. It is best to avoid sweet potatoes as treats.

Because there is no advantage for them in consuming sweet potatoes, it has the power to deteriorate the stomach of bunnies. And also, if your rabbit falls in love with sweet potatoes and avoids all the other foods, it will cause a nutritional imbalance in them.

And also, rabbits need lots of fibers, which are available in the grass and leafy greens. So, avoid giving sweet potatoes to your rabbits. It will harm them.

Do Rabbits Like Sweet Potatoes?

Yes. Rabbits love sweet potatoes. Rabbits eat sweet potatoes. Rabbits find sweet potatoes delicious food. But, that is the food or treat that you need to avoid altogether. Because even though rabbits love to eat sweet potatoes, it isn’t a good choice.

Raw sweet potatoes

It has the power of destructing the digestive system of your bunnies and would be a potential threat to them. But, apart from that, rabbits love to munch on sweet potatoes and would eat any amount of it if it’s given to them.

How Much Sweet Potato Can A Rabbit Eat?

You may feel tempted to give sweet potatoes to your rabbits. But, it isn’t recommended at all to give them sweet potatoes.

Because it will cause some digestive problems in them, but if your pet rabbit has already eaten it and you are worried whether it will upset the tiny tummy of your bunnies, then watch them closely.

If you find your bunny to be lethargic, bloated, and or in pain, it will indicate that the sweet potatoes have caused digestive distress in them. Call a vet immediately and try to treat it. So, the amount of sweet potatoes you can give to your baby or adult rabbits is zero.

Because it is not a good treat for them, these will also result in diarrhea, not eating or drinking well, etc. You don’t want to risk your bunnies’ life by giving sweet potatoes.

How Often Can A Rabbit Eat Sweet Potatoes?

Rabbits should never eat sweet potatoes. But, if you are already started providing sweet potatoes to your rabbits, you need to stop that habit. Because it is a potentially dangerous threat, and you don’t want your rabbits’ life to be at risk.

Therefore, you should try to avoid giving sweet potatoes to rabbits. Never even consider how often I can give sweet potatoes to rabbits because it is a dangerous threat, and you should try to avoid giving sweet potatoes to your cute rabbits.

What Are Other Healthy Alternatives To Sweet Potatoes In A Rabbit’s Diet?

There are many veggies, fruits, and roots that are perfectly safe for your bunny to consume. That food also contains lots of nutrition. Some name of the alternatives to sweet potatoes are as follows,

Spinach, carrots, kale, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, tomato, cucumber, zucchini, pumpkin, celery, bell pepper, cilantro, broccoli, dandelion, etc. These can be given as treats, and your bunnies would fall in love with them.

Vegetables and fruits

These are delicious as well. You can provide little slices of cucumber and fresh berries to your bunnies without any worries; these are the perfect treat and contain lots of nutrition.

So go and feed this delicious alternative food to your bunnies instead of providing life-threatening sweet potatoes.

Do Rabbits Like Sweet Potato?

Rabbits always love to eat food that is high in sugar. And as a result, they enjoy eating sweet potatoes as well. Rabbits Eat sweet potatoes. They love it more than anything. But, unfortunately, it isn’t good for your bunny.

Foods in high starch and sugars aren’t good for your bunnies because they cause obesity, gastrointestinal issues, and dental problems.

Even though your bunnies love to eat sweet potatoes, it isn’t a good treat. Rabbits need to have foods that are high in fiber, not high in starch or sugar.

Can Rabbits Eat Sweet Potato Leaves?

Okay, we all know that sweet potatoes aren’t suitable for rabbits. But what about sweet potato leaves? Are they suitable for them? Sweet potato leaves are safe for your rabbits to consume.

Sweet potato leaves

But, before providing sweet potato leaves to them, you need to wash them thoroughly. Overall, Sweet potato leaves can be safer for them to consume, and there is no harm in them.

Can Rabbits Eat Sweet Potato Vines?

Several studies have been done on feeding sweet potato vines to rabbits as cheaper foodstuffs like maize. Yes, sweet potato vines are safer for your rabbit to consume. And also, these vines are rich in fiber and protein, and hence it is an excellent foodstuff for them.

But, before providing sweet potato vines directly to your bunnies, you need to prepare them properly. You should wash the potato vines thoroughly to remove any diets or pesticides present in them. And also you should provide these in a limit.

Because if you provide too many sweet potato vines, then your bunny might stop eating fresh Hays. So provide sweet potato vines to your rabbits moderately.

Can Rabbits Eat Sweet Potato Skins?

Sweet potato skins are rich in fiber. So, instead of providing sweet potatoes to your rabbits, you can provide sweet potato skins to bunnies without any worries.

But, the main thing you need to worry about providing potato skin to your rabbit is any toxin or dirt present on the skin.

And, even sweet potato skins can still upset the stomach of rabbits. You can provide potato skin moderately in a small amount after cleaning the sweet potato skins very well.

Can Rabbits Eat Cooked Sweet Potatoes?

Cooked sweet potatoes don’t harm your rabbits. It isn’t poisonous to them. But, it is the one thing you need to avoid. Because these sweet potatoes contain lots of starch and sugar that will upset the rabbit’s stomach if eaten in a high amount.

And also, rabbits’ digestive systems cannot efficiently process cooked sweet potatoes. Cooking sweet potatoes might remove lots of starch present in them. But still, plenty of regular starch will remain on it.

Rabbits cannot easily digest any form of carbohydrates. And also, cooked potatoes will affect the digestive system of rabbits, same as raw potatoes. Constipation, gastrointestinal problems, and diarrhea can also be caused by eating cooked sweet potatoes.

Can Rabbits Eat Raw Sweet Potatoes?

Even though there is no severe harm in consuming sweet potatoes, they shouldn’t intake sweet potatoes in any form because even raw potatoes contain lots of starch and sugar, which would make the bunnies obese.

Raw sweet potato

Also, raw potatoes can induce digestive distress in them and also cause gastrointestinal related problems. Therefore you should not consider feeding raw sweet potatoes to your bunnies, even though they seem to enjoy having it.

Can Rabbits Eat Sweet Potato Buds?

Sweet potatoes have green buds or sprouts. These buds also contain lots of starch. So it is not suitable for them to consume. Also, they contain small amounts of glycoalkaloids. So, you need to remove the bids before feeding sweet potatoes.

But, it is advised to remove the sweet potatoes from rabbits’ diet itself because sweet potatoes aren’t a great food choice for bunnies.

Can Rabbits Eat Sweet Potato Skin/Peels?

Potato peels contain more fibers than flesh. Half of the total count of fiber is in sweet potatoes skin. Also, the peel contains vitamin C and potassium. Rabbits need a high-fiber diet. Even though sweet potato skins contain lots of fiber, they are still rich in starch.

Starch is harmful to your bunnies, and consuming it won’t be good for them. Therefore even the peel isn’t good for them. Potato peels are also harmful to your bunnies, as the flesh. Therefore it isn’t advised to provide sweet potato peels to your bunnies.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Rabbits should not eat sweet potatoes because sweet potatoes don’t positively benefit the rabbits. Some elements in sweet potatoes have the power of potentially harming the rabbits. You don’t want your rabbits to fall sick.

They contain a lot of starch and sugar, which will affect the bunnies very severely. It will disrupt the bunnies’ digestive system. It will cause obesity in them, and also, digestive problems are linked to consuming sweet potatoes. Therefore, it is advised for you to remove sweet potatoes from the diet of bunnies.

Because more than good, it will harm your rabbits. You can provide plenty of grass hay to your rabbits without any worries. So, providing sweet potatoes to your bunnies as a treat isn’t a good idea.

FAQs

What happens if a bunny eats potatoes?

If your rabbits eat a tiny teeny bit of potato, then it won’t cause harm. But, if the bunnies consume the potatoes in larger quantities, then it would potentially harm them.
Potatoes have a side effect on them as junk foods cause side effects on humans. Potatoes will induce obesity in them since they are too high in calories, and also, it will make them very difficult to digest. Sometimes, it may even experience diarrhea, lethargy, weakness as a result of consuming potato.

Can you give rabbits potato peels?

No. Even potato peels are bad for rabbits, just as potato flesh. Even though the skin is fibrous, it contains lots of starch too. Starch and rabbits don’t get along well. Therefore, you should not provide potato peels to your rabbits, just like sweet potato flesh.

Can bunnies have fries?

No. Rabbits cannot have fries, burgers, and other fried foods. Because these are harmful to humans, and then think about rabbits. Rabbits have a very delicate digestive system, therefore providing these type of foods aren’t recommended. Fried foods are harmful to rabbits, and they would potentially damage their digestive system. So never attempt to feed fries to your bunnies.

What do potatoes do to rabbits?

Potatoes aren’t suitable for rabbits. Humans can digest potatoes without any trouble. But, rabbits have a very delicate digestive system, and consuming potatoes would harm them.
They are also high in calories and starch, and also there are no nutritional benefits in consuming sweet potatoes. Also, consuming potatoes would lead to many digestion-related problems and vomiting, diarrhea, and gastrointestinal problems.

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Gulshan
Hi, I am Gulshan, a pet blogger, and author. I've been working with the local pet groups for the past five years. I have been fascinated by our pets and am here to share that wonder with you.