Can Ducks Eat Tomatoes?

Did you know that tomatoes are one of the world’s healthiest foods? It is no wonder that they have become so popular in the last century. If you have some spare tomatoes handy, you would probably wondering whether ducks can eat tomatoes? If so, how many tomatoes can ducks eat at a time?

Well, that is what we are going to discuss on this page.

Can Ducks Eat Tomatoes?

Ultimately, yes, ducks can eat tomatoes. However tomatoes should not be part of their daily diet.

Just like us, ducks will have benefits of consuming tomatoes and any different types of fruit and vegetable. But, because tomatoes are incredibly high in sugar they should be given as an occasional snack to ducks.

Don’t feed your ducks tomatoes regularly.

So, to be honest with you the answer to the question ‘Can ducks eat tomatoes’ is yes and no. Let’s see why.

Are Tomatoes Bad For Ducks to Eat?

From one hand the interesting part is that you will rarely encounter a duck breed that doesn’t love to eat a good bit of tomato.

However, on the other hand, this is where you need to take a few precautions. This is because ducks should never eat leaves or steps from a tomato plant and they can’t have green or unripe tomatoes.

In case your duck has consumed parts of the green of a tomato plant, make sure to watch your duck carefully the next hours for signs of poisoning.

That is the reason why you should not be feeding ducks whole tomatoes. You should be removing the stalk and the seeds from the tomato before you feed it to the ducks.

If you do want to feed your ducks tomatoes, then you will want to keep an eye on their poop. Obviously, tomatoes are quite watery, and some ducks can become ‘overhydrated’ as a result. Tomatoes will make your duck’s poop waterier than normal.

It is worth noting that if ducks eat tomatoes, their poop can change the way it looks either in color or odor. This does not mean that you need to be worried, once you stop feeding your ducks tomatoes (or other color-rich foods), their poop should go back to normal.

On the other hand, if ducks eat bananas that could make their poop harder and dryer. 

Preparing Tomatoes for Ducks to Eat

You can feed a couple of tomatoes to your ducks once or twice per week. About a quarter to half a tomato per duck is fine. You can feed it to them in chunks.

As we said earlier, some parts of the tomato are not good for ducks to eat, this means that you will need to remove the skin and pit from the tomato. Thankfully, this isn’t something that is going to be that difficult to do.

Basically, tomatoes should be one of the only fruits you give them. If you are giving them something else in addition to the tomatoes, then you will want to change up the quantities a little bit.

You should also be slicing the tomato into smaller pieces.

All in all, ducks can have tomatoes, but like everything else, it should be given as a treat and in moderation. Just like us, we should eat everything in moderation. A little bit o tomato is just fine.

Final Thoughts

So, there you have it. Ducks can eat tomatoes. However, they should only be eating tomatoes and not a single part of the rest of the plant.

A single tomato is full of fiber, beta-carotene, vitamins like A and C and even though the stems and leaves of tomatoes are not good for ducks or other pets in general, it is worth noting that the ripe tomato flesh is considered non-toxic.

We want to point out that it is very important to clean out the duck feeders frequently, taking care not to leave old, rotten tomatoes in the corners.

Related articles:
– Can Ducks Eat Grapes?
– Can Ducks Eat Apples?