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Can Rabbits Eat Potato Peels? (Read This First!)

Rabbits are one of the smallest mammals with prominent ears. This social creature stays in the group, and apart from their distinctive ears, the teeth of these mammals grow forever. Wild rabbits sometimes invade gardens, and you can also keep them as pets. 

Can you feed them potato peels? Let’s find out.

Can rabbits eat potato peels?

Rabbits cannot eat potato peels. As potato peels have more starch than regular raw potatoes. If rabbits eat starchy foods, they will have to go through much severity. It creates bacteria in their digestive system and causes an imbalance in their body. Too much starch is fatal to them.

Let’s walk through this section to know if the following rabbits can have potato peels or not –

Wild rabbits:

Rabbits are generally wild animals. They live in harmony, and a bunch of these rabbits creates a group. While invading for food, they go together and alone sometimes. 

The food they love counts from different types of weeds, wildflowers, vegetables, and other green plants. They avoid starchy foods. So, for them, it is hard to eat potato skin. Even they cannot eat raw potatoes, let alone peelings of potatoes.

Domestic rabbits:

Domestic rabbits are kept in the cage. They love fresh green and new leaves, also they love to eat fresh vegetables. Like the cartoons about rabbits, they love to eat carrots, radish, fresh flowers, etc. 

If you dream of feeding your pet rabbits the peelings of potatoes, then you better leave your rabbits to grassland or just give them to any other person. 

Because potatoes’ skin will harm them, it will also cause the rabbits to mourn for the long term as the rabbits are generally kept in the cage.

Baby rabbits:

Baby rabbits are also known as kittens. After they are given birth at this stage, the rabbits are called baby rabbits. Baby rabbits stay with their mother. The mother provides the kitten foods, and they love liquid foods and sometimes vegetables. 

Don’t provide them with any imbalanced diet. As baby rabbits cannot digest a high amount of starch, never give them peelings of potatoes. It will cause severe damage to their body. After certain months, provide them alfalfa pellets.

Bunnies:

Bunnies are somewhat more vulnerable than adult ones. But still, they get some leverage to eat starch. Bunnies can eat more starchy foods than adult rabbits do. The owner should give them a balanced diet.
Peelings of different vegetables, including potatoes, are not a recommended diet for bunnies. Bunnies love fresh hay fresh, vegetables such as bell peppers, sprouts, cucumbers, fennel, etc. So, give your bunnies proper food with ample water for them.

Can rabbits eat these?

Let’s walk through this section to know if your bunny can have the following potato peels –

Sweet potato peels:

Sweet potatoes have vitamins A, C, B5, B6, and E. Moreover, a good amount of Potassium and manganese. Along with all these good things, it also has starch and a large amount of sugar. The less sugary treat is considered suitable for rabbits. 

Some rabbits love to eat sweet potato leaves, peelings, and sweet potatoes. Generally, sweet potatoes are not as toxic as regular ones. But still, you should not provide them with sweet potatoes or sweet potato peelings. 

Instead, you should provide rabbit food with high fiber, vitamins, and water.

Irish potato peels:

Potato peels are made of starch. The peels help the potatoes stay healthy, and the nutrients stay safe. But, whenever we discuss potato peels as rabbit food, it is not a good choice. 

Whether it is an Irish potato or any other species of potatoes, they are not helpful to the tummy of a rabbit. Though Irish potatoes contain good nutrients, such nutrients are Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, and Potassium. But unfortunately, rabbits are still unhealthy. 

Irish potatoes and potato peels are made of starch.

Are potato peels good for rabbits?

Potato peels are not suitable for rabbits to have as a regular diet. Potatoes are considered a good source of carbohydrates, but they are not a good carb source for rabbits. Here we see why potato or potato peels are not good for rabbits,

Too much Carbohydrate can be fetal:

Every animal needs to have some portion of carbohydrates in its meal. Even carbohydrates are the easiest to consume and easy to digest. Carbohydrates are found in grains, normal or sweet potatoes, and different foods.
Carbohydrate provides instant energy to mammals, and the rest of the unused carb is stored as fat. But for rabbits, carbohydrates may play as a fetal food product if consumed at a significant amount.
It is important to give a balanced diet to animals. Also, processed foods are fatal to them. So, be aware of giving more carbs to rabbits. Too much Carbohydrate may disrupt the wellness of a rabbit’s tummy. It can cause diarrhea too.
Here potato peels are good with a huge number of carbs in them. Rabbits cannot even eat raw potatoes too. So, keeping this food product from a rabbit will be good.

Potato Peels Cannot Be a good Carb Provider:

Though potato peels can be an affordable choice for rabbits. The portion of peels you need to provide is so tiny. So, you can provide apples, bananas, grapes or alfalfa, broccoli, carrots, collard greens, etc.
These foods will provide ample carbs in fruit, sugar, and fiber. While providing nutrition to your pet, make sure you give the best food for them. And never give any sort of processed sugary or starchy food to rabbits. 

Rabbits cannot digest starchy foods properly.

Do rabbits like potato peels?

Raw potato, potato peels, and potato leaves are considered toxic to rabbits. They eat all the fresh things. Juicy, tender foods are highly loved by these small animals. Rabbits don’t love potato peels. Potatoes are full of starch. For rabbits, potatoes are not suitable at all. 

Potato peelings have more starch than raw potatoes. So, don’t provide potato peelings to a rabbit. But you can give other vegetable peelings such as carrot peelings. Beware of giving foods to rabbits with high amounts of sugar and starch.

What vegetables are safe for rabbits to eat?

Rabbits are mainly herbivorous. They love to eat fresh and tender foods. These are some of the foods that are safe for rabbits.

Hay:

The staple food for rabbits is hay. Hay is loved by bunnies, small or adult rabbits. Fresh grass is highly preferable for rabbits to have regularly. Rabbits love to eat the upper portion of hay as they are more tender and have more taste for it. 

Also, hays are found worldwide, and they are relatively cheap. Those who keep a rabbit as a pet can provide rabbits with fresh hay.

Spinach:

Spinach is induced with a bulk of vitamins, such as Vit-A, Vit-C, Vit-K, and a huge portion of iron and Potassium. For rabbits, these plants can be highly demanded, as they will not cause any problem to their stomach and provide them with all sorts of iron and vitamins.

Radish:

Radishes are not that popular on those TV shows. As they always showed, the rabbits are only carrot eaters. But radish is loved by rabbits like a carrot. They generally eat the upper tender portion of radish plants. Radish plants provide rabbits with fiber and water.

Carrot:

Rabbits are fond of carrots. But mostly, they love the upper green part of the carrot. The orange root is induced with a high amount of sugar. Rabbits have strong teeth to eat the green tender part and the orange part. 

Like radish, carrots have a high amount of water and a good amount of fiber.

Lettuce:

Though rabbits have large teeth, they love to eat tender and fresh foods. Lettuce is one of the most healthy and delicate foods these small creatures love to churn. 

Lettuces are filled with Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Moreover, a good amount of fiber, manganese, and Potassium is found.

Brussel Sprouts:

Brussel sprouts are loved by rabbits. These foods help rabbits to grow faster. As Brussel sprouts have Potassium and iron in them, along with Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, and Vitamin K. These elements help the rabbit speed up their metabolism and grow faster.

Squash:

Squash should not be put in rabbits’ regular diet. As squash contains a good amount of vitamins and minerals and starch and sugar. So, giving rabbits squash may cause some imbalance to their body. But you can give them as an occasional treat to the rabbits.

Broccoli:

Raw broccoli is safe for rabbits. Broccoli is not a good everyday food for rabbits. Though broccoli has a considerable amount of nutrition. This vegetable has vitamins such as vitamin C, vitamin K, and Vitamin A. 

Also, broccoli has a significant amount of protein too.

Final thoughts

Rabbits’ tummy is highly sensitive. Rabbits cannot take a huge amount of carbohydrates. If they do, the bacterial infestation will occur in their tummy. Which will cost them a lot. Provide them with fresh foods, such as hay, carrots, radish, Brussel sprouts, and other green foods.