Can Hamsters Eat Tomatoes

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can hamsters eat tomatoes

We may know that the favorite foods of a hamster can be fruits and vegetables, especially carrots and grapes, but can hamsters eat tomatoes too? If you want to diversify your hamster’s diet, this question will certainly cross your mind. The answer is that hamsters can’t eat tomatoes in large amounts because they can be deadly for them.

Related Read : The Best Hamster Cages

can hamsters eat tomatoes

Why Can’t Hamsters Eat Tomatoes And Its Plant Leaves

Tomatoes can be deadly for your pet because they contain a lot of acid which can cause wet tails to your hamster. It can be harmful for its digestion and even cause diarrhea and lead to serious problems, but only if you give it a large amount of tomatoes. Moreover, if you give your hamster the leaves of a tomato or green tomatoes, they will make it sick. Also, tomatoes can induce dehydration, which is the most common disease that your hamster can get.

Can Hamsters Eat Tomatoes – The Disadvantages

As I said before, tomatoes can produce dehydration and can be fatal if your hamster is not hydrated quickly. How can you recognize when your hamster is dehydrated? It will have sunken eyes, it will feel weak and it will lose his appetite. You can pinch its skin to see if it’s retracting back or if it will tent. If it tents, then your hamster is suffering from dehydration.

How Can You Safely Feed Tomatoes To Hamsters?

If you insist on giving tomatoes to your hamster, half a teaspoon won’t make it any harm. Keep in mind that you don’t have to give it tomatoes daily, because your pet will get sick. Try to observe if it likes the taste of tomatoes or not. If not, you should not give your hamster tomatoes anymore.

What Foods Should You Include In The Hamster’s Diet?

Your hamster should have a balanced diet based on seeds, fruits, grains and vegetables. If you already have a hamster food mix, you can slowly include new ingredients to see if it likes their taste. Here is a list of foods you should give to your hamster:

  • Vegetables: chickweed, corn, broccoli, green beans, kale, carrots, cucumbers, dandelion leaves, peas, spinach, zucchini, turnip, sweet potatoes, water cress, parsnips, chestnuts, cabbage
  • Fruit: blackberries, mango, raspberries, melon, apple, blueberries, banana, plums, strawberries, peaches
  • Other foods: sesame seeds, flax seed, cooked rice or pasta, lentils, bran, buckwheat, squash seeds

Also, you can give it a small amount of meat that is cooked, low fat cheese, crickets and fish cod, but don’t exaggerate with these.

Also, vegetables and fruit are meant as treats only not for everyday staple diet. Moderation is the key. And always cut them into little pieces.

Foods That Are Forbidden For Hamsters

Hamsters can’t tolerate tomatoes, we agreed on that. But which other foods are not tasteful or healthy for them besides tomatoes?

Onions cause discomfort in the red blood cells of the hamster. The products that contain sugar are bad for its teeth and will make your hamster have weight problems. Also, the cyanide in almonds can kill your hamster. Chocolate causes circulation problems for your little pet and garlic can lead to indigestion. Moreover, unwashed fruits and vegetables are not good for its health.

How Can I See If A Vegetable Or Fruit Is Good For Hamsters?

If you decide to give a new touch to your hamster’s diet, verify the list above to see if the fruit or vegetable that you want to feed it is good or bad for your pet.

Always introduce new foods gradually and with caution. Make sure the hamster won’t get diarrhea and observe how it acts when feeding new foods to him.

Hamsters are enjoyable creatures which need lots of attention and affection. They can be easily stressed if the place in which they live is noisy, but if you keep them somewhere quiet, we assure you that they will live happy and in peace.

Try to make a balanced diet for your hamster in order for it to have all the vitamins and proteins that its little body needs. The food should be in small quantities and very diversified. Don’t change its diet too often because it can experience problems regarding its stomach. Avoid the food that is harmful for it and make sure that you change its water every day to avoid its most common problem: dehydration.

 

 

References:

http://pethamsters.webs.com/hamsterfooddiet.htm

http://animals.mom.me/hamsters-like-tomatoes-1697.html

http://www.smallanimalchannel.com/hamsters/hamster-diet/what-hamsters-should-not-eat.aspx

 

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