In June and July, gardeners begin to look with tomatoes growing on the site or in the greenhouse. After this procedure, there are quite a lot of green stems. People whose private households contain rabbits are wondering whether it is possible to feed tomato tops and, a little later, the fruits of tomatoes themselves. Without certain knowledge, inexperienced breeders do not dare to offer such feed to animals. Consider whether it is possible to give such treats to pets.
Can the rabbit eat tomatoes
Tomatoes (tomatoes) - a herbaceous perennial plant, which in our climate zone is grown exclusively as an annual. Tomatoes belong to the family of Solanaceae and are (like cucumbers) the most popular vegetable grown on almost every household plot. The plant, depending on the characteristics of the variety, has a high or low main stem and many lateral stems. 
To obtain a good harvest of tomatoes, these lateral stems are largely removed. This operation is called staving, and after it remains a large number of green succulent stems. Tomato leaves are quite large, fragmented into large segments. The plant blooms with inflorescences consisting of small yellow flowers, and at the end of flowering tomatoes are tied at the place of each withered flower.
Did you know? Rabbit's teeth do not cease to grow from birth to death, so the animals are forced to gnaw hard food, as well as grind their teeth on a hard surface (stone, wood). If the animals didn’t do this, they wouldn’t be able to close their mouths - the teeth that couldn’t fit in the mouth cavity would prevent.
Tomatoes have a mass of substances useful for a living organism:
- organic acids - 8.5%;
- fructose and glucose - about 4.5%;
- fiber - 1.7%;
- protein - up to 1%;
- minerals;
- pectin;
- starch;
- ascorbic and folic acids;
- trace elements.
Read about the benefits of tomatoes for the human body.Tomatoes also contain a lot of carotenoids and vitamins of group B. Choline is present in the pulp of tomatoes, a substance that lowers cholesterol and also improves immunity.
It would seem, no doubt, rabbits will benefit from such a useful product. But not everything is so simple, because tomatoes contain solanine in immature fruits and stems - a substance which, if misused, can poison any living organism.Find out what vegetables and fruits can be given to rabbits.
The bulk of solanine is precisely in the stems and leaves of the plant, therefore it is impossible to treat pets with toxic food. 
However The fruits of tomato can be offered to rabbits. They should be ripe, and the initial dose should be very small, up to 100 g. If the animal willingly ate the proposed food, it is further monitored for a day. In the case when the treat was not followed by any unpleasant consequences (indigestion, vomiting, general lethargy and depression), it can be concluded that tomatoes can continue to be given to the rabbit.
Important! Decorative rabbits are different from meat breeds miniature, that is, low weight. Tomatoes, which a large, five-kilogram rabbit will eat without any special consequences for the body, can cause indigestion and severe diarrhea in a tiny animal, therefore, decorative types should not be given tomatoes as food.
How to give tomatoes
Such food, according to the general opinion of the rabbit breeders, will not bring long-eared special benefits. All the nutrients and minerals that are present in tomatoes can be obtained only if you regularly eat a fairly large amount of these fruits. It is well known that rabbits have a weak stomach, and they can react to a large amount of such feed with severe diarrhea. In case the rabbit breeder still ventured to offer such treats to his pets, it is necessary to determine the portion size. 
Adult Rabbit
Single portions of long-eared tomato delicacy should not exceed 300 g (about half of a large lettuce tomato) per adult and not more than once a day, as a breakfast.
Important! Tomatoes, eaten, must be absolutely ripe, without a green spot on the stem, because this is where the bulk of solanine accumulates.
Little rabbit
Babies still have a weak stomach, and they cannot give any vegetables in which solanine is present (tomatoes, eggplants, green potatoes). Such an experiment can result in severe indigestion, and it is quite difficult to cure diarrhea in rabbits. 
It will be useful for beginner rabbit breeders to find out whether it is possible to feed rabbits with peas, wormwood, grapes, bran, and also what kind of feed should be chosen for animals.
What else can be given to rabbits
Animals willingly eat:
- Dry food - grain of wheat and barley, corn. Grains contain many beneficial vitamins and minerals, as well as fiber and protein.
- Succulent feed - beet feed, carrots (feed and table), cabbage of all kinds (in small quantities), zucchini, pumpkin. Vitamins, water, fruit acids are fed from the succulent fodder to the animals.
- Special combined feed - regularly, but in small quantities. They provide muscle growth and weight gain.
- Animals are also offered lump chalk as a simulator for grinding teeth and a source of calcium for the body.
Did you know? In medieval Ireland, the word "rabbit" was not pronounced out loud, and the speaker tried to do without allegories, like "long-eared" or "jumping." Such a superstition is due to the fact that rabbit holes under the house damaged the stone foundation and could cause the walls to fall, which often led to the death of the owners of the house. The Irish believed that without saying the name of this animal out loud, you can avoid its catastrophic visits.As is clear from the foregoing, rabbits should not be given tomato greens (stems and leaves), but in small doses, well-ripened fruits can be fed. Long-eared kids offer such a treat categorically impossible. To give or not tomatoes to their adult fluffy pets remains at the discretion of the rabbit breeder.
