Organic Water Spinach for Your Rabbits

Water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica) is a vegetable eaten in some countries especially in Southeast Asia like Cambodia, China, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines and Vietnam. At the same time, it is eaten by some animals like rabbits, ducks, pigs and chickens. Just like carrots being eaten by humans and rabbits.

Water spinach is planted in water or on moist soil and matures in 30 to 35 days from planting. The stem, which is hollow and can float in water, expands up to one-fourth (¼) inch in diameter and grows from 1 foot (12 inches) to 10 feet. Water spinach bears flowers which produce small seeds. Below are images of water spinach.

Water spinach with flower

Harvested and bundled water spinach with roots

Nutrition Values of Water Spinach

Water spinach is nutritious which give some important nutrients to your rabbits. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, a 100-gram water spinach will give the following nutrition values:

Nutrient	Unit	Value per 100 grams	1 Cup, chopped 56 grams
PROXIMATES
Water	g	92.47	51.78
Energy	kcal	19	11
Protein	g	2.60	1.46
Total lipid (fat)	g	0.20	0.11
Carbohydrate, by difference	g	3.14	1.76
Fiber, total dietary	g	2.1	1.2
MINERALS
Calcium, Ca	mg	77	43
Iron, Fe	mg	1.67	0.94
Magnesium, Mg	mg	71	40
Phosphorus, P	mg	39	22
Potassium, K	mg	312	175
Sodium, Na	mg	113	63
Zinc, Zn	mg	0.18	0.10
VITAMINS
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid	mg	55.0	30.8
Thiamine	mg	0.030	0.017
Riboflavin	mg	0.100	0.056
Niacin	mg	0.900	0.504
Vitamin B-6	mg	0.096	0.054
Folate, DFE	µg	57	32
Vitamin B-12	µg	0.00	0.00
Vitamin A, RAE	µg	315	176
Vitamin A, IU	IU	6300	3528
Vitamin D (D2 + D3)	µg	0.0	0.0
Vitamin D	IU	0	0
LIPIDS
Cholesterol	mg	0	0

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

National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 27

Rabbits can eat water spinach and have the necessary plant-based protein, dietary fiber, carbohydrates, energy, water, minerals and vitamins. (Caution: Feed one of your rabbits with one cup of chopped water spinach (56 grams) for 7 days and observe if diarrhea does not occur. STOP feeding if there is a problem.)

A study was conducted and found that water spinach given to some pregnant rats with induced diabetes lowered the blood sugar by preventing the digestive absorption of glucose. If rabbits will be feed with water spinach, they may become healthy and avoid veterinary care expenses.

How to Cultivate Organic Water Spinach

A. Materials Needed

1. One plastic pail, 6 inches diameter and 12 inches high
2. Water. If it is tap water taken from your faucet, store water on the pail for at least 24 hours to eliminate the chlorine.
3. 6 to 10 pieces of fresh water spinach (stems and leaves – about 10 inches long). You can buy them from any Asian store.

B. Procedures for Cultivation

1. Fill up a pail with water up to 6 inches high or one-half of your pail.
2. Remove all the leaves from the stems of water spinach
3. Put the water spinach stems on the pail with water.
4. Add water on the pail if it is less than one-half full.
5. You will see small leaves that will be sprouting in about 7 days from “planting”.
6. If the leaves are more than 2 inches long (about 30 days old), cut the leaves using a scissor and feed the fresh leaves to your rabbits.
7. You can use 7 to 14 pails to cultivate batches of water spinach so that you can supply your rabbits every day or every 3 days.
8. Or, you can buy a 55-gallon plastic drum (color: blue); cut it lengthwise using a metal cutter or saw; put water on the 2 half-size drums, and “plant” the water spinach.

For commercial rabbit meat production, several 55-gallon drums (cut into two, lengthwise) can be used to “plant” water spinach to avoid contamination from chemical pesticide, chemical fertilizers, and soil bacteria and fungi. If water spinach is planted on soil, they may pick up some bad microorganisms and parasites that are detrimental to the health of rabbits and humans.

Organic Fertilizers for Water Spinach

To make your water spinach as organic vegetable, which is good for humans and rabbits, you can do the following:

1. Buy liquid organic fertilizer from any agricultural store. If it is not available, buy a non-liquid organic fertilizer and make it in powder form. Put one-half (½) teaspoon of liquid or powdered organic fertilizer on the pail.
2. Use one-half gallon of dry rabbit manure and put it in a small sack or used pillow and tie the “mouth” with a plastic or nylon cord. Submerge the entire sack with rabbit manure in a plastic or earthen container with 5 gallons of water. If you use tap water, store the water on the container for at least 48 hours (2 days) to make the chlorine evaporate. Stir the water at least every 4 hours. After 48 hours, scoop 2 tablespoons of rabbit manure tea and mix it with 1 liter of water (non-chlorinated). Put the mixture on the pail with water spinach. The manure tea mix can be applied to the water spinach every 2 months or as needed.

If you remove the old water spinach and clean the pails or drums, use the water in watering your plants and trees. The used water contained some nutrients needed by other plants and trees.

Other Names for Water Spinach

Water spinach, in different names, is eaten in different countries.

Water spinach is called	In
Water spinach, river spinach, swamp cabbage, water morning glory, Chinese spinach, Chinese watercress, Chinese convolvulus and water convolvulus	English
Kangkong	Philippines
Phak bung	Thai
Ong choy	Cantonese
Rau	Chinese
Muống	Vietnamese
Trokuon	Khmer
Kolmou xak	Assamese
Shak	Bengali
Kangkung	Indonesian
Hayoyo	Ghana

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Source: Images and some text from Wikipedia.org under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License