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Yes, degus can eat a little ripe tomato. Degutopia lists cherry tomato among the vegetables degus can have. Give about a quarter of a ripe cherry tomato per degu, a couple of times a month at most, because tomato is sweeter and more acidic than leafy veg. Never give the leaves, stalks, vine or unripe green tomatoes.
| Safe? | Yes, ripe fruit only |
| How much | A quarter of a cherry tomato per degu |
| How often | Occasionally, a couple of times a month |
| Best served | Raw, ripe, washed, green cap removed |
| Watch out for | Leaves, stalks, green tomatoes, sauces |
Are tomatoes safe for degus?
Ripe tomato flesh is. Degutopia, the UK degu care site, names cherry tomato in its list of vegetables degus can have weekly. No other degu source we trust covers tomato, so we've reasoned from what they say about the degu diet as a whole: degus are strict plant-eaters, prone to diabetes, and the RSPCA wants a diet low in sugar. Ripe tomato has more natural sugar and acid than leafy greens, so we keep it occasional rather than weekly.
How much tomato can a degu have?
About a quarter of a cherry tomato, a piece roughly the size of your thumbnail (1.5 cm, half an inch), per degu. Give it no more than a couple of times a month, as part of a mixed veg portion. PDSA advises fresh veg only once or twice a week in total, so tomato takes one of those slots now and then, not every time.
Which parts of the tomato are safe?
Only the ripe fruit. Tomato is in the nightshade family. Burgess lists tomato leaves as a food to avoid for guinea pigs, and no degu source says the green parts are safe, so we treat them as unsafe for degus too.
| Part or form | Verdict |
|---|---|
| Ripe flesh, skin and seeds | Yes, a small piece occasionally |
| Green cap and stalk | No |
| Leaves and vine | No |
| Unripe green tomatoes | No |
| Sun-dried tomatoes | No: concentrated, often oiled and salted |
| Ketchup, sauce, soup, juice | No |
Keep degus well away from tomato plants during time out of the cage. If yours chews the leaves or stalks, remove the plant and ring your vet the same day.
How to prepare tomato
- Pick a ripe one. Fully red, orange or yellow, with no green patches.
- Wash it and pull off the cap. Remove every bit of green stalk.
- Cut a quarter. One quarter of a cherry tomato per degu.
- Clear leftovers. Tomato goes off fast, so take away uneaten pieces within a few hours.
Who should skip tomato?
Leave tomato out for diabetic or overweight degus, and for degus with soft droppings. Better low-sugar choices are cucumber and romaine lettuce. Tomato is still a far better choice than fruit such as strawberry, which we'd leave out. See our degu safe food list, the degu diet guide and the complete degu care guide.
Tomato questions
Can degus eat tomato leaves or stalks?
No. Tomato plants belong to the nightshade family, and Burgess lists tomato leaves as a food to avoid for guinea pigs. No degu source says the green parts are safe, so we keep leaves, stalks, vines and the green cap away from degus completely.
Can degus eat green tomatoes?
No. Unripe green tomatoes are closer to the leaves and stalks than to ripe fruit, and no degu source covers them. Only fully ripe red, orange or yellow tomato is suitable, and only a small piece.
Can degus eat tomato ketchup, sauce or soup?
No. These are cooked, sugared and salted, often with onion and garlic, which Burgess, quoting the RSPCA, lists as poisonous to rodents. PDSA says degus shouldn't have human food scraps.
What if my degu chewed a tomato plant?
Take your degu away from the plant and remove any chewed pieces. Ring your vet for advice the same day, saying which part was eaten and roughly how much. Watch for drooling, not eating, soft droppings, weakness or sitting hunched.
