Tomatoes are great and easy to get anywhere. We mostly always have Tomatoes in our home. If you have hamsters, you might often think of giving this fruit to them.
But, Can Hamsters Eat Tomatoes?
Yes, absolutely! Hamsters can eat tomatoes. You can happily feed tomatoes to your little furry friend, and even they will be super delighted to have it. But you need to see and keep in mind that your Hamster is not reluctant to consume tomatoes. However, It has some essential nutrients that they need.
If your Hamster is unwilling to have tomatoes or shows a visible disinterest, you need not force them to have tomatoes.
After all, good foods do not necessarily make a place in everyone’s hearts. So let that decision rest solely on your little Hammy.
Most Hamsters love tomatoes. But how can you serve them safely? Let’s read in detail.
Types of Tomatoes
One of the healthiest fruit/vegetable one can ever find in the fauna kingdom is tomatoes-power packed with healthy nutritional values.
There are various kinds of tomatoes. Some of the commonly found tomatoes are:
- Cherry Tomatoes
- Roma Tomatoes
- Grape Tomatoes
- Red Beefsteak Tomatoes
- Green beefsteak tomatoes
- Cocktail tomatoes
- Tomatoes on the vines
There are hundreds of more tomatoes available. So, any tomatoes we eat, we can serve to our little hamster in small amounts.[1]Wikipedia
Nutritional Values of Tomatoes
Tomatoes are high in nutritional value. A 100gms of tomato contains:
| Ingredients | Nutritional Value |
|---|---|
| Calories | 18 |
| Water | 95% |
| Sodium | 4.8gm |
| Carbohydrates | 3.9gm |
| Sugar | 2.6gm |
| Fibre | 1.2gm |
| Protein | 0.9gm |
| Fat | 0.2gm |
Apart from these, other crucial nutrients are also available in this food.
Benefits of Serving Tomatoes for Hamsters
Tomato is an excellent veggie for not only humans but your pets as there are so many essential nutrients available in that veggie. So let’s look at the benefits of serving this veggie to your hammy.
- Vitamin C: This benefits their immune system and overall health.
- Potassium helps regulate your hamster’s blood pressure level and keeps them healthy.
- Folate: This helps your hamsters grow during their life.
- Vitamin K: This helps in your hamster’s blood clotting.
- Dietary Fibers: This aids in your hamster’s good digestion.
Risk of Serving Tomatoes for Hamsters
Everything has a limit. No matter how tasty it may appeal. Talking of tomatoes, if they are overfed, your Hamster can show some signs of restlessness or distress.
Some of the risk factors associated with tomatoes are:
- Choking – When feeding your Hammies, ensure the food is bite-size. Cut the food into extremely small pieces to avoid your Hamsters choking.
- High Acidity – Tomatoes are acidic. If they are overfed, it may have a toxic impact on your Hamster’s health. So while feeding them, be cautious of the quantity you are serving.
- Obesity – Too much food can also cause severe health problems like obesity.
- Avoid Green parts – Green parts of the tomatoes should be avoided to be fed. They are highly toxic.
Do Hamsters Like Tomatoes?
Hamsters are big fans of tomatoes, and they love tomatoes. You can start serving a small number of tomatoes and see if they are liking or not because it also depends on the taste buds they have developed.
Everyone has their tastes and preferences. If your hamster is not so sure about having tomatoes or does not enjoy eating tomatoes, you may skip them.
Skipping tomatoes from your hamster’s diet does not significantly change your little furry’s health.
How To Serve Tomatoes To Your Hamster?
You should know the proper way of serving food to your hamster, and tomatoes are one of the foods you need to learn in detail how to serve to your hamster.
- First, bring fresh tomatoes into your home; please carefully select tomatoes, and make sure they do not have any chemicals.
- Then, ensure you never forget to remove the top leaf of the tomatoes, as it is toxic.
- Now, wash it well in freshwater.
- And before serving, you should cut the tomato into small pieces.
- Or, you can cut a tomato into two pieces and serve one to your hamster. They will eat as much as they want and leave the rest.
Please don’t serve them in large amounts as they can have various health issues if served in large amounts frequently. Here is a detailed guide to read:
How Many Tomatoes Should You Give To Your Hamster?
The answer to this question depends on your hamster species, how hungry they are, how much they love tomatoes, and more.
As Syrian Hamsters are significant, they can eat more than others. So if you have a Syrian Hamster, you can feed them a little more, but if you have a Dwarf or Robo Hamster, it would be better to serve them a small amount.
First, you should serve 1 or 2 small pieces of tomatoes to your hamster, and then if they show interest in eating more, you can serve them some more pieces. But don’t give them the whole tomatoes at once.
Also, don’t feed your hamster daily; you should serve tomatoes to your hamster once a week or less.