Updated

Small mammal food safety

Can Small Mammals Eat Tomato Leaves?

Unsafe

No. Tomato leaves are unsafe for small mammals. If leaves, stems, vines, flowers, green fruit, or garden trimmings were eaten or chewed, remove access and call an exotic-pet veterinarian or poison hotline.

Tomato leaves, stems, and a small green tomato kept away from an empty saucer, hay, water, and a gram scale.Tomato leaves
SafetyUnsafe
Next stepRemove the plant material, save details about the part eaten, and call with the animal's species, weight, amount, and time.

Call before guessing

If any small mammal ate or chewed tomato leaves, stems, vines, flowers, green fruit, or garden trimmings, call an exotic-pet veterinarian or poison hotline with the species, weight, plant part, amount, time, and symptoms.

Guinea pigs

Call if exposed

Do not feed tomato leaves to guinea pigs. If tomato leaves, stems, vines, flowers, green fruit, or garden trimmings were eaten or chewed, remove access and call with the species, weight, plant part, amount, time, and symptoms.

Syrian and dwarf hamsters

Call if exposed

Do not feed tomato leaves to Syrian and dwarf hamsters. If tomato leaves, stems, vines, flowers, green fruit, or garden trimmings were eaten or chewed, remove access and call with the species, weight, plant part, amount, time, and symptoms.

Rats

Call if exposed

Do not feed tomato leaves to rats. If tomato leaves, stems, vines, flowers, green fruit, or garden trimmings were eaten or chewed, remove access and call with the species, weight, plant part, amount, time, and symptoms.

Mice

Call if exposed

Do not feed tomato leaves to mice. If tomato leaves, stems, vines, flowers, green fruit, or garden trimmings were eaten or chewed, remove access and call with the species, weight, plant part, amount, time, and symptoms.

Gerbils

Call if exposed

Do not feed tomato leaves to gerbils. If tomato leaves, stems, vines, flowers, green fruit, or garden trimmings were eaten or chewed, remove access and call with the species, weight, plant part, amount, time, and symptoms.

Chinchillas

Call if exposed

Do not feed tomato leaves to chinchillas. If tomato leaves, stems, vines, flowers, green fruit, or garden trimmings were eaten or chewed, remove access and call with the species, weight, plant part, amount, time, and symptoms.

Ferrets

Call if exposed

Do not feed tomato leaves to ferrets. If tomato leaves, stems, vines, flowers, green fruit, or garden trimmings were eaten or chewed, remove access and call with the species, weight, plant part, amount, time, and symptoms.

Use the right tomato answer

A ripe tomato-flesh question is different from tomato plant material. Leaves, stems, vines, flowers, and green fruit should be treated as exposure.

Garden details matter

Plant part, amount, soil, pesticide use, and the time of exposure are the details to collect while you keep the animal away from the plant.

If exposure happened

  • Remove tomato leaves, stems, vines, flowers, green fruit, soil, garden trimmings, and any contaminated food or bedding.
  • Keep the animal contained and calm while you call an exotic-pet veterinarian or poison hotline.
  • Write down the plant part, approximate amount, time, whether pesticide exposure is possible, and any symptoms.

Avoid

  • Tomato leaves, stems, vines, flowers, green fruit, garden trimmings, compost scraps, and tomato plants near floor time.
  • Letting small mammals graze tomato plants or chewing cut vines after gardening.
  • Treating tomato leaves like safe salad greens or a ripe tomato piece.

Helpful food-safety supplies

Optional tools for measuring, storing, serving, and cleaning up small portions safely.

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Small lidded countertop scrap bin beside fruit peels and a cutting board

Lidded scrap bin

Keep peels, pits, seeds, and spoiled food out of reach after prep.

 Plain notebook and pencil beside a gram scale and food dish

Emergency notebook

Track what was eaten, when it happened, symptoms, weights, and vet contacts.

 Clear small animal water bottle beside a food prep setup

Water bottle

A clear bottle makes daily water level and spout checks easier.

More Food Safety Pages

Potato plant leaves and stems kept away from an empty saucer, hay, water, and a gram scale.

Potato leaves

Exposure steps for potato plant leaves, stems, vines, and garden trimmings.

 Green-tinted potatoes and a cut green potato slice kept away from an empty saucer, hay, water, and a gram scale.

Green potato

Exposure steps for green skin, green flesh, old potatoes, and kitchen scraps.

 Sprouted potatoes and loose potato sprouts kept away from an empty saucer, hay, water, and a gram scale.

Potato sprouts

Exposure steps for sprouted potatoes, eyes, loose sprouts, and old potato scraps.

 Tiny ripe cherry tomato wedge on a saucer beside plain cherry tomatoes, hay, and a gram scale.

Cherry tomato

A ripe tomato check that keeps leaves, stems, and green parts out.

 Rhubarb stalks and leaves kept away from an empty saucer, hay, water, and a gram scale.

Rhubarb

Exposure steps for rhubarb stalks, leaves, garden trimmings, and desserts.

 Cut aloe leaf and clear gel kept away from a clean saucer, hay, and gram scale.

Aloe vera

Plant and gel exposure steps before a small mammal licks or chews aloe.

References