by Kris Barton
Can rabbits eat Tomatoes? The quick answer is: yes! Rabbits can eat tomatoes!
The longer answer is: yes, but you have to be very careful.
Let’s get into a little more detail.
Table of Contents
- Can Rabbits Eat Tomatoes?
- The Benefits of Tomatoes
- Vitamin A.
- Vitamin C.
- Vitamin B-6.
- Potassium.
- Antioxidants.
- Fiber
- Low in Fat
- High Water Content
- Tomatoes Can Be Dangerous
- What part of the plant is poisonous?
- Pesticides
- Parasites
- Fresh Tomatoes
- Can Baby Rabbits Eat Tomatoes?
- A Healthy Diet
- Can Rabbits Eat Cherry Tomatoes?
- Summary – Can Rabbits Eat Tomatoes?
- Further Reading
Can Rabbits Eat Tomatoes?
Yes, rabbits can eat tomatoes! BUT…
…in moderation and as part of a healthy rabbit diet.
The first thing you need to know is: Tomato is actually classified as a fruit.
For some, this will come as no surprise. It’s one of those facts you hear from somewhere (I think it was school for me) that people tell you to shock you.
For those who didn’t already know this, then I’m sorry for completely changing your world view like this in an article about rabbit diets.
Don’t believe me? Here’s a detailed article about it. In fact, this article goes as far as to classify a Tomato as a berry that’s thought to have been originally gown in Central and South America. The use of cultivating the plant and using it in food is heavily attributed to the indigenous people’s of Mexico.
BUT ANYWAY…
…Back on point, tomatoes being classified as fruits is actually quite an important point to consider for a healthy rabbit diet.
Why? Because like most fruit, Tomatoes contain sugar and too much sugar, even natural sugars, isn’t great your little fluff monster’s digestive system.
However, tomatoes do also contain some pretty important nutrients.
The Benefits of Tomatoes
Before we get too bogged down in the sugar issue, Tomatoes also carry a lot of benefits and can also improve a rabbit diet.
Tomatoes are good sources of…
(Beware – boring, yet really interesting, tomato benefit information below).
Vitamin A.
Vitamin A is necessary in rabbits for bone development, vision, reproduction, and their immune system. Rabbits with a vitamin A deficiency can get very poorly as it makes them more susceptible to disease and infection.
Vitamin C.
Vitamin C is important for the growth, development, and repair of all body tissues. Whilst this is a benefit for us humans, it’s not really a requirement for rabbits. This is because their bodies produce it naturally in ways that our bodies cannot.
Vitamin B-6.
Vitamin B-6 helps the body store energy from protein and carbohydrates. This is an important vitamin for humans but not so much for rabbits, because their diet differs so much from our own.
Potassium.
Potassium is good for rabbits and it helps prevent a nasty disease called Hypokalemia. Hypokalemia presents itself in rabbits with poor growth and rapid weight loss in early stages and muscular weakness in later stages.
Antioxidants.
Tomatoes contain a nutrient called Lycopene, which has many antioxidant properties and actually gives the fruit the red colouring.
Fiber
Fibre is an important part of the rabbits diet. Your little fluff monster will mostly get this from hay, but an extra source can’t hurt.
Low in Fat
Too much fat will lead to an unhealthy rabbit, so a treat snack like this that’s low in fat is a good supplement to their main diet.
High Water Content
Tomatoes have high water content, which helps to keep your bunny hydrated. Due to their dry, high fiber diet, Rabbits need a lot of water.
As you can see, there are a number of benefits Tomatoes can bring to your little fluff monster’s diet, it’s important to point out that tomatoes can be dangerous too.
Tomatoes Can Be Dangerous
Dangerous? WTF? How can they be both good for my bun and dangerous for them too?
Great questions, the answer breaks down like this: some of the tomato plant is poisonous to rabbits, but the fruit itself is perfectly fine (if red).
Let’s go into a a little more detail.
What part of the plant is poisonous?
The following parts of the tomato plant is poisonous to a rabbit:
- Leaves.
- Stem.
- Flowers.
- Green fruit.
- Seeds.
Basically, the greens of the tomato plant contain a poison called Solanine and if eaten in sufficiently high quantities can prove deadly.
Obviously, you should avoid giving your bunny any green bits of the tomato plant and green tomatoes too.
NOTE:- Solanine is also present in the green bits of potatoes too.
Pesticides
Another thing you need to consider when thinking about feed tomatoes – or any other fruit and vegetables – to your pet bunny is: are there any pesticides?
Pesticides on fruit and vegetables shouldn’t be an issue in most cases. There are plenty of laws against the misuse of harmful stuff like this, but if you wanted to make 100% sure it’s safe you could try a testing kit.
Parasites
You should double check that any fruit and veg given to your pet rabbit has no parasites that can potentially harm them.
Fresh Tomatoes
You should only ever give your pet rabbit fresh tomatoes.
So, no:
- Tinned tomatoes.
- Chopped tomatoes.
- Over-ripe tomatoes.
- Completely off tomatoes.
Okay, this should go without saying, but sometimes you never know.
Can Baby Rabbits Eat Tomatoes?
Baby rabbits have a very delicate digestive system and cannot handle fruit or veg of any kind when they are very young. Common guidance suggests that you should wait at least 12 weeks before giving your little fluffer any fruit or vegetables, even if they bug you for your banana’s!
After 12 weeks, when you do decide to feed baby rabbits fruit and veg, make sure you start off with small amounts of a single type of fruit or veg first. It’s important that their little tummies get used to a change in diet and new foods can play havoc with their digestive systems.
A Healthy Diet
Another thing to consider is: can rabbits eat tomatoes as part of a healthy diet?
Of course they can. The key to a healthy diet for your rabbit is moderating how much fruit and vegetables you give them.
An adult rabbit’s diet should be made up of 3 things:
- Hay
- Pellets / Nuggets
- Fruit and Vegetables
And as rough guide, the portions for each should like this:
- Unlimited Hay.
- A half a cup (or 64 grams) of pellets / nuggets per 6lbs of your bunnies weight.
- 2 cups ( 256 grams ) of chopped vegetables per 6lbs of your bunnies weight.
- 2oz ( 56 grams ) of fruit per 6lb of your bunnies weight.
For hay, we recommend:
For pellets / nuggets, we recommend:
You can read more about what makes up a healthy rabbit diet in our more detailed article.
Can Rabbits Eat Cherry Tomatoes?
So we’ve answered the can rabbits eat tomatoes question, but what about cherry tomatoes? Are there different rules for cherry tomatoes?
The answer is: yes, rabbits can eat Cherry tomatoes.
The rules about eating cherry tomatoes are the same as regular tomatoes:
- Don’t feed bunnies the greens.
- Have to fresh, with no added sugars.
- Be fed to the little fluff monster as a part of a healthy, balanced bunny diet.
Summary – Can Rabbits Eat Tomatoes?
So after reading all of that (or not), you probably just want to know: can rabbits eat tomatoes?
Yes, they can. But remember:
- Rabbits can only eat the tomato fruit (yes, it’s a fruit) – no leaves, stems, seeds, flowers, or even green fruit because they’re poisonous.
- Rabbit’s can eat cherry tomatoes too.
- Tomatoes have a lot of goodness that will help keep your bunny healthy.
- Rabbits should only be given fresh tomatoes – no tinned tomatoes of any kind.
- You should make every effort to ensure tomatoes contain no pesticides or parasites.
- Tomatoes should only be fed to rabbits as part of a healthy rabbit diet.
Kris has had (and loved) Bunnies most of his adult life - he's even looked after friends fur babies too! He knows what makes them tick...and what makes them binky! 
