Organic Sweet Potato Leaves for Your Rabbits

Pellets, timothy hay, certain vegetables and fruits are given to rabbits for their diet and nutrition. You can give some fresh sweet potato leaves, that contain a lot of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, to your rabbits. Sweet potato leaves are eaten in other countries such as South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. They are also given as supplement feeds to some animals like pigs, ducks, chickens, goats and cows.

Sweet potato leaves and flower	Sweet potato leaves growing abundantly
A row of sweet potato planted in plots

The chart belows shows the valuable nutrients that you can find in sweet potato leaves.

Nutrient	Unit	Value per 100 grams	1 Cup, chopped 35 grams
PROXIMATES
Water	g	86.81	30.38
Energy	kcal	42	15
Protein	g	2.49	0.87
Total lipid (fat)	g	0.51	0.18
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	8.82	3.09
Fiber, total dietary	g	5.3	1.9
MINERALS
Calcium, Ca	mg	78	27
Iron, Fe	mg	0.97	0.34
Magnesium, Mg	mg	70	24
Phosphorus, P	mg	81	28
Potassium, K	mg	508	178
Sodium, Na	mg	6	2
VITAMINS
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	11.0	3.8
Thiamine	mg	0.156	0.055
Riboflavin	mg	0.345	0.121
Niacin	mg	1.130	0.395
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.190	0.066
Folate, DFE	µg	1	0
Vitamin B-12	µg	0.00	0.00
Vitamin A, RAE	µg	189	66
Vitamin A, IU	IU	3778	1322
Vitamin D (D2 + D3)	µg	0.0	0.0
Vitamin D	IU	0	0
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)	µg	302.2	105.8
LIPIDS
Fatty acids, total saturated	g	0.111	0.039
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated	g	0.020	0.007
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated	g	0.228	0.080
Cholesterol	mg	0	0

Source: United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service,

National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 27

A rabbit's diet comprises three main sources of energy: (1) carbohydrates, (2) proteins, and (3) fats. Carbohydrates provide the kind of energy needed to activate the rabbit muscles. Proteins work to build and restore rabbit body tissues.

Sweet potato leaves contain some dietary fiber and water. Dietary fiber is part of vegetables, fruits, and grains that contain cellulose and is not digested by the rabbit's body. The main effects of dietary fiber are to (1) increase the bulk of the rabbit's stool; (2) make the stool softer by taking up water as it passes through the colon; and (3) absorb the wastes and toxins and carry them out of the intestinal tract. The increase in stool bulk hastens the passage of feces and may reduce the period of time the intestinal wall is exposed to toxic substances. The dietary fiber helps the rabbit's intestines to function properly by stimulating the muscles of the intestinal walls.

Calcium in sweet potato leaves helps in the normal growth and development of rabbits.

Magnesium in sweet potato leaves is an essential mineral needed for the rabbit's bone and tooth formation, nerve conduction and muscle contraction. It may help in treating some rabbit health problems such as anxiety, asthma, cardiovascular, and hyperactivity.

Herbivores, like rabbits, need a lot of potassium. Rabbits require a high content of potassium for their body cells and muscle tissues formation. A proper balance between potassium, calcium and sodium in the rabbits' plasma must be maintained at all times for proper cardiac function.

Vitamin C in sweet potato leaves is a water-soluble vitamin that (1) promotes the growth, formation and maintenance of rabbits' bones and teeth; (2) repairs body tissues and blood vessels; and (3) increases resistance to infections and respiratory problems.

Niacin is also a water-soluble vitamin that is needed by rabbits for the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and maintenance of the nervous system. Lack of sufficient niacin in the diet of rabbits may result to muscular weakness, general fatigue, loss of appetite, insomnia, irritability and vomiting.

Vitamin A found in sweet potato leaves is essential for rabbits' skeletal growth, reproduction and visual acuity. Deficiency of vitamin A in rabbits leads to night blindness, lessens resistance to infection of mucous membranes, and results to loss of body hair.

How to Grow Organic Sweet Potato Leaves for Rabbits

Materials Needed

1. One plastic pail with at least 6 inches diameter and 12 inches high
2. 10 sweet potato vines with leaves. You can buy a bundle of sweet potato leaves from any Asian store.
3. Organic liquid fertilizer. If you can not find organic liquid fertilizer, you can buy organic non-liquid fertilizer from any agricultural store, crush the fertilizer very finely, mix the powdered fertilizer with water, and store the mixture in a dark-colored glass container.

Procedures

1. Fill up the pail with non-chlorinated water up to 4 inches high. If you use tap water, leave the water first in the pail for at least 12 hours to make the chlorine evaporate.
2. Remove all the leaves from the sweet potato vines. You can give the leaves to your rabbits.
3. Submerge the bottom part of the sweet potato vines on the water inside the pail.
4. Wait for about 10 to 15 days to see if small leaves are already sprouting.
5. Add one-half (½) teaspoon of organic liquid fertilizer on the water inside the pail.
6. Add more one-half (½) teaspoon of organic liquid fertilizer on the water inside the pail every month or as needed to sustain the growth of sweet potato leaves.
7. Harvest the sweet potato leaves using a scissor when they are more than 3 inches long.
8. Give the harvested sweet potato leaves to your rabbits for their diet.

For commercial rabbit production, you can use several 55-gallon blue drums and cut it lengthwise into two using a metal cutter or saw. Then, follow the following steps:

1. Clean the drums thoroughly to remove some chemicals.
2. Use plastic board or styrofoam and make several three-fourth (¾) inch diameter holes where you can insert the sweet potato vines without leaves.
3. Place the plastic board or styrofoam on the drum.
4. Put non-chlorinated water on the drum up to the bottom of the plastic board or styrofoam.
5. Insert the sweet potato vines or slips on each hole of the plastic board or styrofoam.
6. Wait for about 10 to 15 days to see if small leaves are already sprouting.
7. Add one cup of organic liquid fertilizer on the water inside the drum.
8. Add more cups of organic liquid fertilizer on the water inside the drum every month or as needed to sustain the growth of sweet potato leaves.

You can plant sweet potato leaves in your garden provided you use organic fertilizer. However, there will be problems if there are chemical pesticides and fertilizer residues on the soil that will be pick up by your sweet potato leaves through their roots. If you give the contaminated sweet potato leaves to your rabbits, the chemical pesticides and fertilizer residues will be in the carcass of the slaughtered rabbits.

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