Last Updated on May 31, 2023 by
Rabbits are herbivores. This means that they absolutely love munching down on all sorts of plants. Everybody knows that rabbits love a bit of salad mix (e.g. lettuce and a few carrots), but there are a few other fruits and vegetables which may go down well too. On this page, we are going to talk about whether rabbits can eat tomatoes.
Can Rabbits Eat Tomatoes?
Absolutely!
Tomatoes are not poisonous to rabbits at all. They are incredibly safe to eat, in fact. Although, you will probably want to take a few precautions to ensure that they are safe for the rabbit to eat.
We do want to point out that you should only be feeding rabbits tomatoes once they have hit 12-weeks of age. It is not something that a young rabbit should be eating. Their digestive systems are incredibly sensitive, and they won’t cope well with the tomatoes.
Precautions To Take When Feeding Rabbits Tomatoes
You should not be feeding rabbits whole tomatoes. You should be removing the following from the tomato before you feed it to the rabbit:
- Stalk
- Seeds
You should also be slicing the tomato into smaller pieces. You may want to hand feed the tomato as opposed to placing it in the rabbit’s bowl and hoping that they like it.
Only feed a small amount of tomato at the start. Do not overload your rabbit with tomatoes. You will want to check how the animal reacts to the tomato over the next 24-hours or so. Some rabbits will have a sensitive digestive system. This will cause diarrhea or other types of sickness.
How Many Tomatoes Can You Feed a Rabbit?
You shouldn’t be feeding a rabbit that much at all. In fact, the tomatoes will be a treat for the rabbit. They shouldn’t be eating them every single day.
Yes. Tomatoes are going to be high in nutrients, but they are also ridiculously high in sugar (as all fruits are). In fact; to give you an idea of how little tomato a rabbit should be eating; you should not be feeding them more than a single cherry tomato per week.
If you give them any more than that, then you run the risk of making your rabbit sick or at least overloading them with sugar which can cause all sorts of issues in itself.
So, there you have it. Rabbits can eat tomatoes. However, they should only be eating tomatoes. Not a single part of the rest of the plant. This will likely be toxic to them. You will also want to ensure that they eat cheri tomatoes in moderation. Tomatoes should always form part of a healthy, balanced diet.
