Posted by Yes, hamsters can consume tomatoes. They’re high in nutrients, hydrating, low in calories, and full of helpful nutrients like antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. But they’re also quite acidic, which means that you also need to follow proper feeding guidelines for your pets as tomatoes can cause tummy problems like bloating and diarrhea. Tomatoes are also rich sources of lycopene, another potent antioxidant that can help protect the heart and lower blood pressure. So, what’s the deal about hamsters eating tomatoes?
Hamsters are omnivores, which means they can eat both plant and animal matter, including fruits, vegetables, seeds, meat, insects, etc. But, if you’re planning to include some fruits and vegetables in your pet’s diet, it might be best to go easy on the animal-oriented fare and give your hamster more plant-based options. In other words, don’t go overboard and grow tomatoes and squash all over your house just to encourage your pet to eat these sugary treats. After all, there are only so many varieties and colors of fruits and veggies that can tickle our fancy.
In terms of what can hamsters eat, this depends on how much of the fruit (some varieties only have the seeds, while others can have the flesh as well) and how much of the vegetable (some varieties only have the skin, while others can have the flesh as well) your hamster can handle. Keep in mind that the stems and leaves can also contain toxins that can irritate your pets’ stomachs. For example, the stems of tomato fruit can have latex and other toxins that may cause diarrhea or other types of digestive problems. And, the leaves themselves can also carry these toxins, so keep them out of reach. You can also help alleviate the effects of diarrhea by giving your hamster some extra fiber and water to drink after eating the fruit/vegetables.
On a side note, you should also keep an eye out for rotten or damaged tomatoes, particularly the kind that has brown spots. These spots can indicate spoiled, moldy or rotten tomatoes. If you notice this, make sure to remove the tomato immediately from your pet’s food. In fact, you may even want to throw the tomato away because it’s more likely to cause sickness in your hamster than in other animals.
Now, let’s move on to some different possibilities for what you can feed your hamster. Some varieties of hamster can eat fresh fruit (with the stems and leaves), vegetables (with or without the leaves), seeds, nuts and other treats. There are some hamster varieties (including yellow hamster) that only eat one type of food at a time. They will only take the skin off the fruit before they eat the seeds or other parts of the fruits. If you’re going to supply your hamster with only one type of food type, make sure you provide plenty of water and other treats nearby (water and treats being one of the most important things for your hamster).
As you can see, feeding tomatoes to hamsters is pretty versatile. You can combine different fruits and vegetables with other treats that are great for them (like nuts and fruits), or you can simply stick to feeding them fruits alone. Just remember that they are actually fairly easy to feed and handle, and they’ll reward you with lots of fun!