Tomatoes add a great taste to our meals. They are packed with several essential vitamins and minerals and have a lot of health benefits for us, but what about our Hedgehogs? Can Hedgehogs eat tomatoes? Is it safe for them? Let’s find out!
Hedgehogs can surely eat fresh tomatoes. Although tomatoes are rich in nutrients, they also contain a decent amount of sugar and traces of acid. Therefore, it is important to serve in moderation. Overconsumption of tomatoes can lead to health problems such as diarrhea, mouth sores, obesity, and more.
Tomatoes alone cannot fulfill the vitamin and mineral needs of our Hedgehogs. Therefore, tomatoes should be served as treats only. Also, it is crucial to serving your pet with kibble and insects/worms to create a healthy and balanced diet.
We understand you have several doubts and queries regarding serving tomatoes to your Hedgehog. Therefore, we have covered everything relevant to this topic.
Nutrition In Tomatoes!
Let us look in detail what are the nutritional values of 100 grams of tomatoes holds.
| Name | Amount |
|---|---|
| Vitamin C | 14 mg |
| Vitamin A | 30% |
| Calcium | 10 mg |
| Phosphorous | 24 mg |
| Potassium | 212 mg |
| Fiber | 0.9 g |
| Sugar | 2.6 g |
| Water | 95 g |
| Protein | 1.16 g |
| Carbs | 3.2 g |
| Calories | 16 |
| Fat | 0.19 g |
Tomatoes are the epitome of nutrients and minerals. Vitamin C present in tomatoes helps to prevent cardiovascular disease in our Hedgehogs. Also, Vitamin helps them to maintain their dental health.
Tomatoes contain traces of Vitamin K, Vitamin A, and Vitamin B-6. These vitamins are crucial for the overall development of our pets.
Tomatoes also contain some amount of calcium and phosphorus. They are essential for proper bone growth, dental health, and different nervous system needs in our pets.
Fibers present in tomatoes help to maintain a healthy digestive system in our Hedgehogs.
Are Tomatoes Good For Hedgehogs?
Tomatoes provide our Hedgehogs with some health benefits if served in limited quantities. Tomatoes contain a decent amount of Vitamin C, which is important for our Hedgehogs. It helps in keeping their immune system strong and also prevents many diseases.
Tomatoes also contain nutrients like Vitamin A, Vitamin B-6, iron, and some other minerals. These nutrients are also essential for the health of our Hedgehogs.
It also contains additional fibers, which help in the digestion of our Hedgehogs. It also helps in keeping up the high strength of their stomach-related framework.
It also contains a low amount of calcium, which is good for our Hedgehogs since too much of it can lead to the formation of bladder stones.
Are Tomatoes Bad For Hedgehogs?
Fresh tomatoes will not do any harm to our Hedgehogs if served in moderation. Overeating any fruit or vegetable can lead to serious health consequences.
You must keep in mind that tomatoes contain a decent amount of sugar, which can be harmful to our Hedgehogs. It might even lead to health problems like obesity, diabetes, and diarrhea.
Also, tomatoes contain a small number of natural acids, which makes them acidic. As Hedgehogs have a very delicate stomach, sudden changes might lead to several problems.
Make sure that you introduce it to them slowly. It is also essential to serving them only ripe tomatoes. Serving unripe and mushy tomatoes often leads to digestive problems.
Also, we should altogether avoid the green part of the tomatoes as they are extremely harmful to our Hedgehogs.
It is important to remember that some Hedgehogs might love it while some might not even like it at all.
How Many Tomatoes Can Hedgehogs Eat At A Time?
Even though there is no exact amount for serving tomatoes to your Hedgehogs. Make sure that you do not serve more than one small cherry tomato or a small slice of a big tomato at a time.
Feeding limited quantities of tomatoes to our Hedgehogs will not harm them at all. However, overfeeding can be fatal.
Serve new food to your Hedgehogs slowly. This is essential as it tells you if your Hedgehogs like it or now, or maybe even if it is toxic for them.
How Often Can Hedgehogs Eat Tomatoes?
Hedgehogs can eat tomatoes once or twice a month. Serving more than that might lead to severe health problems in Hedgehogs.
Tomatoes are packed with natural acid, which makes can lead to mouth sores and other digestive complications in Hedgehogs. Furthermore, tomatoes are high in sugar, which can cause diabetes and diarrhea.
Correct Way To Feed Tomatoes To My Hedgehog?
Although tomatoes are not a great snack for Hedgehogs, you can serve them as occasional treats. Hedgehogs have a fragile digestive system. Therefore, they can easily face health problems.
It is essential to prepare tomatoes the correct way for your Hedgehogs.
Follow these simple steps to prepare tomatoes for your Hedgehogs:
- Choose the correct tomatoes for your Hedgehogs. Make sure that you choose ripe and fresh-looking tomatoes. Serving unripe tomatoes might lead to digestive problems.
- Wash the tomatoes properly. Also, I advise you to serve your pet with organic tomatoes only. Fruits and vegetables available in the local market are often sprayed with chemicals, which are extremely toxic for our Hedgehogs.
- The next step involves cutting the tomatoes into small slices. This will allow your Hedgehogs at it easily without any chances of choking.
- Now you are ready to serve the fruit to your pet. You can either hand feed them or serve them in their food bowl.
After your Hedgehogs have enjoyed eating their tomatoes, remove all the uneaten parts. This gets rid of the attraction of flies and rats. This also prevents bacteria buildup.
Related Queries:
Can Hedgehogs Eat Tomato Leaves?
Hedgehogs cannot eat tomato leaves at all. These leaves might prove to be poisonous for them.
Although tomatoes themselves are not poisonous for our Hedgehogs, their stems and leaves are. It contains alkaloids like solanine and tomatine, which are extremely harmful to our Hedgehogs.
Serving a small part might not be very harmful for our Hedgehogs. However, try to avoid it as much as possible.
Can Hedgehogs Eat Tomato Seeds?
Hedgehogs can eat tomato seeds without any problem. However, you must try to avoid the green part. The green part of the seeds is not fit for the health of our Hedgehogs.
Besides the green parts of the seed, remove the vines and leaves too. They are also extremely bad for their health.
Can Hedgehogs Eat Cherry Tomatoes?
Hedgehogs can surely eat cherry tomatoes. Make sure you wash the fruit properly before serving them to your Hedgehog.
You can wash the fruit with apple cider vinegar to get rid of the chemicals and pesticides. Also, avoid serving any green portions like leaves and stems as they are toxic for our Hedgehogs.
Can Hedgehogs Eat Tomato Sauce?
Although tomato sauce is exceptionally delicious, our Hedgehogs cannot eat it. Tomato sauce goes through a specific cooking process, which involves a lot of additives such as sugar, salt, preservatives, and more. Therefore, the best option is to avoid serving them with tomato sauce.
