Snakes are familiar companions of any garden, especially tomato gardens. However, sometimes tomatoes are eaten or missing from the garden. Are snakes eating the tomatoes, and can you feed tomatoes to snakes?
Snakes cannot eat tomatoes or any other vegetable. Snakes are carnivores and prefer whole prey over processed foods. Further, snakes will not eat the vegetables you feed them. Typical tomato eaters include rodents, birds, and other pests that garden snakes consume.
If you’re a pet owner, feeding tomatoes to snakes is not safe. If you have a tomato garden, snakes help remove pests that consume the tomatoes. This article will cover why snakes can’t eat tomatoes and why having snakes in your garden helps protect your plants.
Snakes Are Carnivores
Snakes are carnivores and only eat other animals. While their food can be processed, frozen, thawed, or live, they cannot digest plants or anything besides meat.
Because of snakes’ evolutionary history and their specific niche in habitats, they do not possess the ability to break down plant fibers and other components of fruits and vegetables.
Plant digestion occurs via bacteria in the gut because most animals are incapable of breaking down tough fibers. Snakes lack these bacteria.
They only possess enzymes to break down animal protein. If snakes were to eat plants, the food would remain undigested and possibly stuck in their digestive tract. Additionally, snakes do not have suitable teeth for chewing up plants.
Do Snakes Eat Anything Besides Other Animals?
Snakes only eat animal protein. This includes eggs and babies of other animals. However, all snakes are 100% carnivorous and do not eat plants or other non-animal foods.
If a type of animal is processed, a snake may eat it, although they prefer whole animals that they can slowly digest. While they exclusively eat meat, they typically only eat what they can fit within the width of their bodies.
What Is Eating the Tomatoes in My Garden?
If you’re concerned about something eating the tomatoes in your garden, it’s not snakes. That begs the question of what is eating the tomatoes and what to do about it.
The most common tomato eaters include the following:
- Slugs
- Bugs
- Rodents
- Birds.
Additionally, larger mammals such as skunks, raccoons, and deer may also frequent your tomato plants.
A wire fence is sufficient for the larger animals to keep them away from your tomatoes. However, managing more minor pests and rodents that can quickly get in and out of your garden is much more challenging.
Snakes are the best way to keep smaller pests at bay. Snakes patrol gardens to eat the pests that eat your plants. They are not directly responsible for missing tomatoes and help protect your garden.
Are Snakes Good To Have in a Garden?
In almost all cases, snakes benefit your garden because they eat other animals that are eating your plants. Common garden variety snakes such as garter snakes and rat snakes are harmless, docile, and make quick work of the pests in your garden.
If you’re not a fan of snakes and want to keep them out of your garden, the best strategy is to eliminate their food source. Try using a food-safe pesticide or pest removal spray to get rid of stubborn pests, and the snakes will move on to better food sources.
Final Thoughts
Almost every tomato garden has snakes nearby, and they can be startling when you come upon one. You may wonder if snakes can eat tomatoes and if that’s why they prefer hanging around these plants.
Snakes don’t eat tomatoes and can’t digest plants because they’re carnivores. Rodents, birds, and bugs are your garden’s most common tomato eaters.
Having snakes around provides free and efficient pest control for your garden. If you want to remove the snakes, get rid of their food source.