Mice with their cute, shiny eyes have a heart-warming effect on some people, and that’s why some people are now into petting mice and other rodents. Everybody loves eating chocolates. Be it white chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate, we humans adore them. And kids are quite passionate about their chocolates. When talking about kids, how can we forget our pets? Mice are quite fond of chocolates, and you’ll find them chunking upon them in the middle of the night. When you have a mouse as your pet, you’ll be having a lot of trouble storing your chocolate stash. The real question here is, is it even safe for your mouse to eat chocolate? Let’s find out.
Can a mouse eat chocolate?
Yes, mice can eat loads of chocolate since they are attracted to carbohydrates, especially high sugar content. They can pack in as many calories as available since it is in their instinct to not know whether they’ll be having the next meal or not.
Is chocolate good for them?
We have come to the point that yes, mice can eat chocolate but is it good for them? The answer is no. Mice are naturally omnivores, and it is quite feasible for them to be eating plant-based things. But chocolates are overly processed food, which includes lots of sugar and cocoa content. Just because your mouse can eat chocolate doesn’t mean you should think of chocolate as a proper feed for them.
Which type of chocolate attracts a mouse
People have a general perception that mice love peanut butter and cheese more than anything. The fact is they prefer chocolate over both of the items mentioned above. Rentikol performed a science experiment to check what type of chocolate the mice preferred, and the results were pretty shocking. They placed four different kinds of chocolates based on their sugar content in an empty room. The heatmap generated the results overnight, showing that the mice ate thrice as much milk chocolate that had the highest sugar content. Second, came the white chocolate with the second-highest amount of sugar in it. Dark chocolate was the least visited and eaten chocolate due to the higher cocoa content in it.
This experiment proves how mice are more into sugar and less into the amount of cocoa. This is the reason why it is not suitable for their health to consume larger portions of chocolate.
How much is chocolate intake dangerous?
Chocolate is not hazardous to mice’s health since they can metabolize theobromine, which is a toxic element of chocolate, at a very similar rate to human beings. Mice are naturally sharp enough to avoid theobromine, which is in higher quantity in darker chocolates as compared to the milky ones. This statement also supports the fact that mice are more inclined towards milk chocolates.
Infrequent consumption of chocolate that too a very small quantity won’t do any harm to your mouse. But if your mouse is eating it daily. The high sugar and fat content might lead to increased heart rate, hyperactive behavior, obesity, and high blood pressure issues in the mouse, which can ultimately disrupt the mouse’s natural behavior.
Can you feed your mouse chocolate?
No, just because mice can eat chocolate does not give us a free hand to feed them chocolate as a snack or a meal. Chocolate in any form of dessert or cakes should also be avoided for mice and other rodents. Low sugar chocolate cereal can be fed sometimes, just as a snack.
What do mice eat?
Now, if you cannot feed chocolate to your mouse but you wanted to give him some snacks because why not. Here’s what you can do.
As mice are omnivores, you need to balance both portions of meat and vegetables in their diet. The best option you opt for is the mouse gerbil mix instead of doing things yourself. But for a variety, you can feed him all kinds of raw or partially cooked grains, pulses, or seeds. You can also pour your favorite (cocoa less) cereals that you eat in the morning in your mouse’s bowl. He will love to eat it, and it is a very healthy meal for him as well.
Small amounts of boiled eggs can also be fed to the mice. You can provide him a variety of vegetables, whatever is available, but they usually prefer broccoli, grapes, strawberries, and cucumber. They also have quite an appetite for raw or cooked pasta.
Wheat or millet biscuits are also one of their favorites.
What to do if my mouse overeats chocolate?
If your mouse overeats chocolates, the chances are that he won’t show any immediate effects that might bother them or you. But overeating chocolate once will develop a habit of eating chocolate daily, which will cause a faster heart rate and increased metabolism in them. They will be uncontrollable. So, it is recommended that the first time they eat chocolate, stop them. Don’t make them get habitual of it. But if things are now out of your hands, and the side effects are now clearly being shown, take him to a vet. After doing a regular checkup, the vet would probably hand you over a proper diet chart and some supplements to control the mouse’s appetite. In case you are not observant enough of the behavior your mouse has been showing off in the past week, and you get delayed in taking him to the doctor, chances are that he might die due to overly increased blood pressure and uncontrollably fast metabolism.
Conclusion
Mice can eat chocolate. It is a fact that they love eating chocolates, especially white chocolate, but due to the presence of high sugar levels in it, it is recommended that mice do not develop the habit of eating chocolate. Chocolate in any form is hazardous to their health. Try feeding your pet mice some other healthier meals, so they stay with you for a long time!