Article Sidebar

Submitted
February 27, 2025
Published
May 31, 2025
Download
PDF
Statistic
Read Counter : 204 Download : 121

Main Article Content

Abstract

This review aims to explore the benefits and risks of using vegetables as rabbit feed. The study was conducted using a literature review method, examining various scientific sources including journal articles, e-books, and other relevant literature related to the selected topic. Based on the findings of the review, vegetables can serve as a supplementary feed due to their rich content of nutrients such as amino acids, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support rabbit health. Several types of vegetables such as water spinach, carrot leaves, carrots, and sweet potato leaves have been shown to improve feed intake and rabbit growth when given in appropriate proportions. Feeding vegetables can provide dietary variety, offer additional fiber, and serve as a cost-effective feed alternative. However, excessive vegetable intake poses several health risks, including digestive disturbances, diarrhea, bloating, impaired nutrient absorption, and potential toxicity due to the presence of anti-nutritional factors such as tannins, oxalates, phytates, and other compounds. In addition, pesticide contamination and residues may negatively affect rabbit health. Therefore, proper feeding strategies are necessary, such as ensuring vegetables are free from contaminants, wilting them before feeding, and regulating the quantity to avoid replacing primary fiber sources like grass or hay. A recommended inclusion rate of vegetables is 8–10% of the total daily diet. With proper feed management, vegetables can be a valuable alternative to support rabbit growth and health without causing adverse effects. This review provides insight into the potential benefits and risks of vegetable use as rabbit feed, along with appropriate recommendations to help achieve optimal daily nutritional balance

Article Details

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Ahmad Nasihin

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors submitting manuscripts should understand and agree that copyright of manuscripts of the article shall be assigned/transferred to Buletin Peternakan Tropis (Bulletin of Animal Tropical Science). This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA) where Authors and Readers can copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, as well as remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, but they must give appropriate credit (cite to the article or content), provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you must distribute your contributions under the same license as the original.

References

  1. Abdelnour, S. A., M. E. Abd El-Hack, and M. Ragni. 2018. The efficacy of high-protein tropical forages as alternative protein sourcesfor chickens: A review. Agriculture (Switzerland) 8(6): 86. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture8060086
  2. Akoto, C. O., A. Acheampong, Y. D. Boakye, A. A. Naazo, and D. H. Adomah. 2020. Anti‐inflammatory antioxidant and anthelmintic activities of Ocimum basilicum (sweet basil) Fruits. Journal of Chemistry 2020: 2153534.
  3. Bakshi, M. P. S., M. Wadhwa, and H. P. S. Makkar. 2016. Waste to worth: Vegetable wastes as animal feed. CAB Reviews: Perspectives in Agriculture, Veterinary Science, Nutrition and Natural Resources 11(12): 1–26.
  4. Carabaño, R., J. Piquer, D. Menoyo, and I. Badiola. 2020. The digestive system of the rabbit. In Nutrition of the Rabbit, 3rd Edition (eds C. de Blas and J. Wiseman) (pp. 1–18). CAB International.
  5. Chah, J. M., Ezeibe, A., M, C. J., O, U. I., E, N. W., and B C, E. A. 2017. Housing and feed management practices among rabbit keepers in Enugu State, Nigeria. International Journal of Agriculture and Forestry 7(4): 81–87.
  6. European Pet Food. 2024. Nutritional Guidelines For Feeding Pet Rabbits. European Pet Food Industry. https://europeanpetfood.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/FEDIAF-Nutritional-Guidelines-for-Feeding-Pet-Rabbits_NEW.pdf
  7. George, O. S., F. I. Ologbose, and O. A. I. Akintola. 2017. Sperm characteristics of rabbit bucks fed graded levels of Moringa (Moringa oleifera) leaf meal. Scientia Agriculturae 20(3): 67–70.
  8. Gidenne, T. 2015. Dietary fibres in the nutrition of the growing rabbit and recommendations to preserve digestive health: A review. Animal 9(2): 227–242.
  9. Gidenne, T., and F. Lebas. 2010. Feeding behaviour in rabbits. In Nutrition of The Rabbit (pp. 233–252). CAB International.
  10. Iske, K. 2021. Your new best friend: Rabbit diet best Veggies and Greens. Baltimore Humane Society. https://bmorehumane.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Rabbit-Diet-Best-Veggies-Leafy-Greens-final-1.pdf
  11. Islam, M. R., S. F. T. Zahra, S. M. I. Sumon, S. Parvin, K. Hasan, M. Ahmed, M. A. T. Siddique, and T. Haque. 2019. Evaluation of anthelmintic activity of ethanolic extracts of Carica papaya leaves using Paramphistomum cervi and Haemonchus contortus. African Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology 13(12): 146–150.
  12. Jamil, M., M. Kashif, M. Noman, M. Zeeshan, M. Adeel Ahmad, and M. Mubeen. 2021. Feed protein impacts on digestion and wool production in Angora Rabbits. Volatiles and Essent Oils 8(4): 63–74.
  13. Kindossi, J. M., F. Akogou, O. Herbert, I. Afé, A. Y. B. Tchani, F. Djibrila, and F. Hongbété. 2021. Leafy feed supplementation , rabbit growth performance and meat quality : Case study of Ipomoea aquatica. International Journal of Livestock Production 12(3): 140–153.
  14. Kylie, J., J. S. Weese, and P. V. Turner. 2018. Comparison of the fecal microbiota of domestic commercial meat, laboratory, companion, and shelter rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculi). BMC Veterinary Research 14(1): 1–15.
  15. Li, S., and H. Wang. 2018. Traditional literature review and research synthesis. In The Palgrave Handbook of Applied Linguistics Research Methodology (pp. 123–144).
  16. Macovei, L. A., I. Brătoiu, P. Richter, A. Burlui, A. Cardoneanu, and E. Rezuș. 2021. The impact of orthorexia nervosa on bone health. Bulletin of Integrative Psychiatry 89(2): 35–41.
  17. Mahendra, H., M. A. Wahyuningrum, and E. Manshur. 2019. Pertumbuhan Kelinci New Zealand White jantan dengan perlakuan pemberian pakan kombinasi limbah sayuran pasar. Jurnal Ilmiah Respati 10(2): 70–78.
  18. Marhaeniyanto, E., and S. Susanti. 2017. Penggunaan konsentrat hijau untuk meningkatkan produksi ternak Kelinci New Zealand White. Jurnal Ilmu-Ilmu Peternakan 27(1): 28–39.
  19. Martemucci, G., C. Costagliola, M. Mariano, L. D’andrea, P. Napolitano, and A. G. D’Alessandro. 2022. Free radical properties, source and targets, antioxidant consumption and health. oxygen 2(2): 48–78.
  20. Mas’ud, C. S., Y. L. R. Tulung, J. Umboh, and C. A. Rahasia. 2015. Pengaruh pemberian beberapa jenis hijauan terhadap performans ternak kelinci. Zootec 35(2): 289–294.
  21. Ndubuisi, N. D., and A. C. U. Chidiebere. 2018. Cyanide in cassava: A Review. International Journal of Genomics and Data Mining 3(1). https://doi.org/10.29011/2577-0
  22. Okpakpor, U. E., AM. degbenro, M. L. Adeleke, and G. E. Onibi. 2024. Nutrient composition of selected tropical forages and their effect on acceptability in rabbit feeding. Animal Research International 21(2): 5453–5458.
  23. Omenka, R. O., and G. N. Anysaros. 2010. Plant-based feed formulation on the quality of poultry meat. African Journal of Food Agriculture Nutrition and Development 10(1): 2001–2011.
  24. Osyntseva, A. (2024). Tuberculosis: Pharmacognosy, medicinal plant raw materials, medicinal plants, phytotherapy. SSP Modern Pharmacy and Medicine 4(1): 1–10.
  25. Puspani, E., I. G. N. G. Bidura, N. W. Siti, D. P. M. A. Candrawati, and N. N. Darmiati. 2024. The effect of carrot leaf flour in a concentrated diet on carcasses, blood lipid profiles, and pathogens in the intestines of rabbits. International Journal of Veterinary Science 14(1): 95–100.
  26. Sluis, M. van der, Y. R. A. van Zeeland, and K. H. de Greef. 2024. Digestive problems in rabbit production : moving in the wrong direction ? Frontiers in Veterinary Science 11(1354651): 1–11.
  27. Tistiana, H., Hartutik, E. Widodo, and I. H. Djunaidi. 2020. Effect of pellet size in ration with or without Indigofera sp on New Zealand White Rabbit performances. IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 478: 012048.
  28. Tistiana, H., and E. Widodo. 2023. Effect of feeding water spinach waste on performances of New Zealand White Rabbit. International Research Journal of Advanced Engineering and Science 8(2): 44–46.
  29. Utami, S. W., H. Sonjaya, M. F. Tullah, I. Irwan, E. Damayanti, M. Aksan, and R. M. F. Rahmat. 2024. Potential for developing rabbit farming business in Salokaraja Village, Lalabata District, Soppeng Regency. Agriculture and Socio-Economic Journal 1(2): 35–42.
  30. Valdivié, M., and Y. Martíne. 2022. Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Forage as a Potential Feed for Animals: A Review. Animals 12(3): 1–13.
  31. Varga, M. (2014). Rabbit Basic Science. In Textbook of Rabbit Medicine. Elsevier, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
  32. Wahyuningrum, M. A. 2019. Kandungan nutrisi pakan ternak Kelinci New Zealand White bersumber dari beberapa jenis limbah sayuran pasar. Jurnal Ilmiah Respati 10(1): 10–13.
  33. Walsh, P. A., and D. J. O’Donovan. 2020. The kinetics of inorganic phosphate excretion in the acidotic rabbit during intravenous phosphate loading: a pseudo-ruminant model. Scientific Reports 10(1): 1–9.
  34. Yanuartono, A. Nururrozi, S. Indarjulianto, H. Purnamaningsih, and S. Raharjo. 2020. Traditional methods of processing livestock feed to reduce antinutrient factor content: a brief review. Jurnal Ilmu Ternak Universitas Padjadjaran 19(2): 13