Potatoes

[Anisthelop]

Good morning!

I just found my rabbit eating a potato that she found on the ground - she had eaten about half a small potato when I found her. Should I be worried? What should I do to try to help her digestive system?

Thanks!

 

[Abi :)]

Hey! Potatoes generally don't have poisonous qualities towards rabbits, but are high in carbs and starch which can cause digestive system issues. Monitor your buns' poos and if s/he is drinking and eating as usual, encourage your bun to eat more hay, use herbs, treats or even treat hays such as botanical hay. <3

 

[Catlyn]

My past bun Musti would also sometimes snag a potato from the bag on the ground and then run off a meter with it, then garf it down until we managed to stop him. He had no issues whatsoever (note that he was a big bun usually 12lbs or rather 5.5-5.7kg as i use) as he garfed hay and pellets and leaves with equal interest. He lived through, without any problem, SO many things he wasn't supposed to have-chocolate, potato flakes, candy, iceberg, bread, beans+pods and much more than that! We didn't know any better back then but he didn't mind, an excellent first bun! So if you just monitor that your bun's doing fine and all normal half a day after the potato snagging you can rest assured that it's already passed her system and that she's safe!

 

[JBun]

If it had green skin, that could be an issue. But if it was a normal brown colored potato, then the main problem that could result is digestive upset from the excess starches. I would make sure bun continues to eat well and monitor poop. It would also be a good idea to stop any high carb/sugary treats for now and encourage plenty of hay eating. Good quality grass hay is the best thing to help get digestive function back on track.

 

[eskimoboy]

My buns love fresh grass over hay. I cut it fresh with scissors daily. I've read that grass is better than hay is that true?

 

[OreoTheMiniLop]

My buns love fresh grass over hay. I cut it fresh with scissors daily. I've read that grass is better than hay is that true?

You should post this on your own thread so that it is seen more!

 

[Diane R]

My buns love fresh grass over hay. I cut it fresh with scissors daily. I've read that grass is better than hay is that true?

True, fresh grass is at least as good as hay but do get your bunnies to eat lots of hay as well as grass is not always available and it's not ideal to leave it overnight as it starts to ferment after a few hours. Also, grass has to be introduced in small quantities too, especially during Spring.