diff --git a/src/DatabaseManager.php b/src/DatabaseManager.php
index 6d580c1a..4e81e5ec 100644
--- a/src/DatabaseManager.php
+++ b/src/DatabaseManager.php
@@ -182,7 +182,7 @@ class DatabaseManager
      * @param Tenant $tenant
      * @return TenantDatabaseManager
      */
-    protected function getTenantDatabaseManager(Tenant $tenant): TenantDatabaseManager
+    public function getTenantDatabaseManager(Tenant $tenant): TenantDatabaseManager
     {
         $driver = $this->getDriver($this->getBaseConnection($tenant->getConnectionName()));
 
diff --git a/src/Exceptions/TenantDatabaseDoesNotExistException.php b/src/Exceptions/TenantDatabaseDoesNotExistException.php
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8bd15fd3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Exceptions/TenantDatabaseDoesNotExistException.php
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+<?php
+
+namespace Stancl\Tenancy\Exceptions;
+
+use Exception;
+
+class TenantDatabaseDoesNotExistException extends Exception
+{
+    public function __construct($database)
+    {
+        parent::__construct("Database $database does not exist.");
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/TenancyBootstrappers/DatabaseTenancyBootstrapper.php b/src/TenancyBootstrappers/DatabaseTenancyBootstrapper.php
index e93e7301..8920f44a 100644
--- a/src/TenancyBootstrappers/DatabaseTenancyBootstrapper.php
+++ b/src/TenancyBootstrappers/DatabaseTenancyBootstrapper.php
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@ namespace Stancl\Tenancy\TenancyBootstrappers;
 
 use Stancl\Tenancy\Contracts\TenancyBootstrapper;
 use Stancl\Tenancy\DatabaseManager;
+use Stancl\Tenancy\Exceptions\TenantDatabaseDoesNotExistException;
 use Stancl\Tenancy\Tenant;
 
 class DatabaseTenancyBootstrapper implements TenancyBootstrapper
@@ -20,6 +21,11 @@ class DatabaseTenancyBootstrapper implements TenancyBootstrapper
 
     public function start(Tenant $tenant)
     {
+        $database = $tenant->getDatabaseName();
+        if (! $this->database->getTenantDatabaseManager($tenant)->databaseExists($database)) {
+            throw new TenantDatabaseDoesNotExistException($database);
+        }
+
         $this->database->connect($tenant);
     }