Can Pet Mice Eat Candy? 5 Things to Consider
If they are hungry, mice will pretty much eat anything, including candy. Mice do love sweet food such as candy, chocolate, peanut butter, cookies or other sweets.
Flavored candy is even more attractive to mice, because of the strong aroma. But, should you feed your pet mice candy? Should pet mice eat sugar?
If you want to keep your pet mice healthy, you should not feed them candy. In this article, I will explain why you should avoid feeding them candy, and what sugar will to do mice.
Why Are Mice Attracted to Sugary Food?
When it comes to food, mice have a really good sense of choosing the food that has more calories.
Mice are attracted to candy, because sugary food offers them a really high energy boost. Mice are very efficient animals, and they want to achieve maximum output with minimum effort.
A test conducted by Rentokil, shows that mice will choose the chocolate that has a higher sugar content.
Is Sugar Toxic to Pet Mice?
Unlike chocolate, sugar is not toxic to mice. In fact, different types of food that you feed your mice such as apples, banana or peanuts contain sugar.
Feeding your mice with candy, though, is not a good idea. Not, because it is toxic, but because of the different health issues that too much sugar can cause.
Here is a great video filmed at Brown University, Rhode Island, which shows the effect of sugar on a rat brain.
Just like in humans, sugar poses a health risk to mice as well. Too much sugar can cause obesity, diabetes and health problems. Sugar can also affect the immune system and can cause tooth problems and takes the place of important essential nutrients such as vitamins A, C, B-12 and calcium.
Will Mice Eat Peppermint Candy?
Peppermint oil is proven to be a really effective mouse repellent. Peppermint has a strong smell, which can irritate the nasal cavities of the mice.
That said, mice will probably not love peppermint candy, however, if there is no other food available, mostly like they will nibble on it.
A few times I’ve tried putting a peppermint candy in the mouse cage, to see the reaction of my mice. They smelled the peppermint candy and ignored it completely afterward.
Do Pet Mice Like Candy Cane?
Candy cane is one of my favorite candies, probably because it gives me really good memories from my childhood.
Mice also love nibbling on candy canes, even though it is sticky candy. Feeding your pet mice candy cane, probably is a not a good idea, because the different health issues I’ve mentioned above.
Can You Feed Your Pet Mice Candy Corn?
Candy corn is another great candy, specific to the US, usually made from corn syrup, sugar, salt, dextrose, sesame oil, honey, gelatin and some other ingredients.
Just like a candy cane or other hard candy, you should avoid feeding your pet mice candy corn.
Conclusion
If you want to keep your mice healthy and happy, you should avoid feeding them any type of candy. Instead, choose a natural treat that contains dried fruits, grains, seeds and other highly nutritious foods. I highly recommend these treats from Amazon.
