Is soda and chocolate bad for rats?
I have heard this too, from many people. Rats cannot burp or vomit, so people draw assumptions from this. However, it is not the soda itself that is risky in means of the anatomical quirk, it is the carbonation and drinking too fast (though drinking ANYTHING too fast may cause swallowed air). If a rat licks soda from fingers or a shallow puddle, it presents no trouble, and of course, they love the taste. (I don’t know about you, but I don’t need to burp from soda or anything that isn’t “chugged.”) My sister used to give my rats a little Pepsi now and then, and despite being more hyper than usual, they were fine. (Though I chastised her, because I don’t feel rats should be given so much sugar!) Beer, on the other hand, is something I would never give a rat. Mainly because the alcohol would likely have bad effects on such tiny animals. Chocolate is not bad for rats in small amounts. It is not poisonous to them like it is to dogs and cats. CAUTION: Rats systems are quite similar to people
