The popularity of keeping rabbits as pets is starting to increase again and with more and more people adding a pet rabbit to their family, we have noticed a spike in the number of people reaching out and asking various questions about offering their bunny the best care possible.
The most common type of questions that we see from rabbit owners about offering their pets the best possible care is related to food and treats for rabbits so we have decided to start answering more of these questions.
One of the more common questions that we have noticed people asking time and time again recently is based around if rabbits eat potato peelings or not so we wanted to make this the main subject of today’s article.
Our hope is that we will be able to help our readers better understand the potential consequences of trying to feed their pet rabbits potato peelings as well as offer a number of excellent alternatives that you are able to offer your pet instead.
Just like most pet types, people often make mistakes with rabbits that are very easy to avoid and trying to feed them potato peel is one of them.
Going over our article should be able to help you understand why this is as well as what you should be offering your rabbit instead of potato peels to try and keep it as healthy as possible.
Can Rabbits Eat Potato Peelings?
Although some people do feed their pet rabbits potato peels without issue, the risks usually outweigh the potential reward due to potato peels being toxic to rabbits in large amounts.
If the potato peels have eyes sprouting on them then their toxicity can be considerably higher than regular potato peels too so most people avoid adding them to their bunnies diet altogether.
Just because you have seen people on social media say that they have been able to feed their pet rabbits potato peel without issue does not mean that the same will be true for your pet rabbits.
Some rabbits will ignore potato peels or only eat a very small amount of them meaning that the toxicity in their body never gets to build up to cause any harm.
On the other hand, some rabbits will try to eat anything that you give them in large quantities letting the toxic properties of potato peel build up quickly and start to cause health problems.
Due to there being so many excellent rabbit food treat options available, there really is no need to risk feeding your bunny potato peels at all.
Are Potato Peelings Dangerous To Rabbits?
Potato peelings in large quantities can be dangerous to rabbits due to chemicals in the peels increasing toxicity levels in your rabbit.
If the peels of the potatoes have sprouting eyes then the toxicity levels of the potato peels are even higher than normal and can quickly cause health problems with your pet rabbit.
With so many people incorrectly thinking that rabbits are able to eat any leftover kitchen scraps there are countless cases of rabbits having health issues and potentially dying due to eating potato peelings.
In addition to this, the toxicity levels are able to cause problems with any female rabbits that are carrying babies too meaning that every possible step should be taken to keep them out of your pet rabbit’s diet if possible.
Depending on the amount of potato peel that your pet rabbit has consumed and the levels of toxicity that have been able to build up in its system, symptoms can range from your rabbit simply being lethargic to vomiting to seizures to death.
There is a good chance that your rabbit’s health will return to normal a large amount of the time as the potato peel works its way out of your pet rabbits system but with there being a fine line between the various symptoms and the toxicity build up, it’s just not worth the risk.
What Can You Feed Rabbits Instead Of Potato Peelings?
There are a large number of treat options for rabbits that you are able to use ranging from fruits like apples and bananas to weeds like dandelion to vegetables like carrots and asparagus with there being a large number of things in between.
There are also a wide range of commercially produced rabbit treats on the market too that mix up a number of great treat food options for rabbits to offer them a variety of flavours in their treats.
Although a large number of people do still like to feed their pet rabbits kitchen scraps when possible, more and more people are starting to make the switch over to high-quality commercial rabbit treats.
They tend to remove the risk of what you can and can’t feed your pet rabbit while also having a wide range of treat options within the treat itself too.
On top of changing up the tastes that are available to your pet rabbit in its treats, the added variety of force sources in the commercial treats also helps to increase the over all nutrition profile.
This can make the commercial rabbit treats a much better option than kitchen scraps as they are more nutritionally complete offering a better blend of the core vitamins and minerals that your pet rabbit requires for a healthy life.
What Should You Do If Your Rabbit Eats A Potato Peeling?
If your pet rabbit does eat some potato peels then it will be fine in most cases provided it only consumed a small amount of the potato peel.
Many rabbits seem to know that potato peel is bad for them and will nibble at it and then stop eating it in favor of other food sources instead too.
If you notice that your pet bunny is vomiting or having seizures then this may be due to the toxicity of the potato peels and you should try to book a video call with a professional veterinarian.
These video calls can work out to be much cheaper than a trip to your local veterinarian with you being able to book the video call for as soon as possible to reduce the chances of having any long term problems with your pet rabbit too.
Although the majority of the time when a rabbit is vomiting, it is due to the bunny purging the potato peel from its system, it can lead to more serious issues and it is usually better to double check with a vet if possible.
There can be a few reasons that your pet rabbit may have seizures but all of them should be checked over by a professional vet so they are able to offer you the best course of action to move forward.
Conclusion
That brings our article going over if rabbits eat potato peel to an end. Although some people who keep rabbits as pets do offer their rabbits potato peel, it is never worth the risk in our opinion. There are much better and safer treat options available to rabbit owner that you are able to use instead with no potential health risks to your rabbit so there’s no need to even try giving them potato peel.
