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Old 08-04-2020, 04:18 PM   #1
Papalazabuns
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Default Hamster ate chocolate!!!

Hi, im really freaking out, I knocked an emptyish pot of nutella (chocolate spread) on the floor and some how managed to miss it when cleaning. Got my hamster boy out tonight, he went down by the sofa and then after finished moving something on my desk I heard him munching something. He was eating the spread off the lid, im seriously not sure what to do! I'm not sure how long he was eating it but it can't have been more than a few minutes I don'y think, but when I panic I can't remember clearly. I don't know if emergancy vets are open where I am, hes an older hammy (2year +)...

What do I do? I don't have any veggies in to help flush his system and anywhere that sells them is closed! He's always got water but im seriously panicking!!!
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Old 08-04-2020, 04:47 PM   #2
sushi_78
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Default Re: Hamster ate chocolate!!!

Chocolate isn't poisonous to hamsters in small quantities like that so I think he'll be fine. Keep an eye out for any changes.
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Old 08-04-2020, 05:42 PM   #3
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Hamster ate chocolate!!!

As sushi says just keep an eye on him. He’ll probably be ok. Nutella isn’t all chocolate
either.
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Old 08-04-2020, 05:53 PM   #4
Papalazabuns
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Default Re: Hamster ate chocolate!!!

Cheers guys, still quite juttery about it but will keep a close eye on him, the little fluffs my baby and i'll make sure this never happens again!

(I didn't know that it was only half chocolate until phoning my mum, so hopefully that will reduce the risk)
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Old 08-04-2020, 06:15 PM   #5
sushi_78
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Default Re: Hamster ate chocolate!!!

It isn't really known whether chocolate is poisonous to rodents at all. I wouldn't suggest ever feeding it deliberately at all but it's very unlikely to cause problems when accidentally ingested.

Have a look at the chocolate section on this page: Ontario Hamster Club
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Old 08-05-2020, 07:29 AM   #6
AmityvilleHams
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Default Re: Hamster ate chocolate!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by sushi_78 View Post
It isn't really known whether chocolate is poisonous to rodents at all. I wouldn't suggest ever feeding it deliberately at all but it's very unlikely to cause problems when accidentally ingested.

Have a look at the chocolate section on this page: Ontario Hamster Club
I wouldn't rely entirely on that source as a 100% accurate source of diet information. Multiple claims they make regarding other foods are pretty dangerous and overall in the community very much looked down on. A source suggesting onion, garlic, leek, dairy products, chocolate, and citrus fruit as being safe for hamsters is absolutely NOT one I would ever fully trust to say the least!
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Old 08-05-2020, 07:50 AM   #7
Pebbles82
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Default Re: Hamster ate chocolate!!!

I think it's well accepted that chocolate is toxic to most pets. It's more about the dosage. It contains theobromine which would also poison humans if we ate enough of it but it would be a vast amount to eat in one go for a human (eg a truckload) to be toxic. Whereas for pets a much smaller amount can be toxic. It's particularly well known to be toxic for dogs but the same goes for all small pets really.

The thing is a dog is much more likely to eat all of a large bar of chocolate. Hamsters tend to eat tiny amounts. Even a tiny amount could still be toxic to a hamster (dark chocolate more so than milk as has more theobromine) but a very tiny amount probably wouldn't poison a hamster as it's the dose that causes the toxicity.

Even so they need to avoid eating chocolate! I think the amount in nutella and the amount your hamster had is probably fine. Signs would be stomach upset or diarrhoea initially probably. Or general illness as well of course.

The theobromine is a bit like caffeine so any effects would probably be hyperactivity and happen quite quickly so if the hamster is fine for 24 hours it's probably ok. I suspect it will be fake milk chocolate in Nutella! Or some chocolate flavoured type thing - not sure.

Last edited by Pebbles82; 08-05-2020 at 07:56 AM.
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Old 08-05-2020, 08:15 AM   #8
sushi_78
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Default Re: Hamster ate chocolate!!!

Quote:
Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams View Post
I wouldn't rely entirely on that source as a 100% accurate source of diet information. Multiple claims they make regarding other foods are pretty dangerous and overall in the community very much looked down on. A source suggesting onion, garlic, leek, dairy products, chocolate, and citrus fruit as being safe for hamsters is absolutely NOT one I would ever fully trust to say the least!
I think when they say chocolate is "perfectly safe", that's a statement without evidence. Theobromine is poisonous to rodents (in much larger quantities than would poison a dog) so it's not correct to say that a food containing it is "perfectly safe". But it all depends on the quantity and the majority of fruits and vegetables also contain poisonous or carcinogenic compounds but are fed without problems.

I think there are a lot of factoids in pet communities and it's always interesting to look at the evidence. The grapes/raisins thing is one factoid that I think is becoming less common but still often quoted.
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