Can Hyraxes Eat Chocolate? Caffeine?

Hyrax Eating a Snickers Bar — Hyrax eating his chocolate, credit to @Hyraxhub

Chocolate is toxic to every single nonhuman animal without exception. It’s a wicked, poisonous delicacy that sentences its unsuspecting victims to a slow, torturous demise. Only we, the glorious Homo Sapiens, are ordained by God Himself with the unequivocal ability to savor the dulcet tones and rich flavor of a chocolate bar, right?

Not exactly.

What makes chocolate poisonous to some animals but not to others? And are Hyraxes one of the lucky few blessed with the ability to not-instantly-die upon savoring it? To answer that, we need to learn about sneaky little compounds: Theobromine, and Caffeine.

What is Theobromine? Can Animals Metabolize it?

Chocolate contains a chemical called Theobromine (C7H8N4O2). It’s found in high concentrations in whole cocoa beans and their nibs, especially after fermentation. Theobromine can also be found in chocolate bars, fancy lattes, and in our bloodstreams during a night of indulgence.

However, theobromine is a heart stimulant and diuretic and needs to be metabolized by a liver over time. Humans, alongside other omnivorous and herbivorous animals, can metabolize this chemical relatively well. This is not true for all animals. For several carnivorous species, theobromine can be a lethal toxin.

To measure that toxicity, we use the term LD50—the median lethal dose. Measured in milligrams per kilograms of body weight, the LD50 is the amount of a substance required to give 50% of a population a chance of survival. For us humans, the LD50 is roughly 1,000 mg/kg. In other words, a 62kg (136 lb) human would have a 50% chance of surviving after consuming 2.2 oz of pure theobromine. In contrast, a 10 pound house cat would only be able to consume 0.07 oz of pure theobromine before reaching the same risk level.

In other words; don’t feed your cat chocolate and don’t drink your 2.2 ounce vial of pure concentrated theobromine.

Below is a comparison of theobromine LD50 for different animals:

How Do Animals Metabolize Theobromine?

Animal	LD50 Theobromine (mg/kg)
Cat	200
Dog	300
Mouse	837
Human	~1,000
Rabbit	1,000
Rat	1,265

Source: Wikipedia

Interestingly, herbivores and omnivores seem to metabolize theobromine much better than their carnivorous counterparts. Cows can not only eat chocolate but can enjoy it as a part of their rations. Rats and rabbits, while much smaller, can still digest chocolate at about the same proportional rate as we can.

So, where do hyraxes fit in on the eating-theobromine scale? Since hyraxes are technically omnivorous animals, they can most likely metabolize the chemical as well as other omnivores. There is no evidence to suggest that they are an outlier in their ability to digest theobromine. In fact, hyraxes regularly consume plants that are toxic to us!

How Do Animals Metabolize Caffeine?

Caffeine is another stimulant found in chocolate. In terms of psychoactive drugs, it’s the world’s favorite high. It can be found in energy drinks, soft drinks, coffees, teas, chocolate bars, oral tablets, alcoholic beverages, and some fleeting cases such as lip balms and inhalers.

It is also more consistently toxic to animals than theobromine. Below is a comparison of caffeine LD50 for different animals:

Can Animals Drink Caffeine?

Animal	LD50 Theobromine (mg/kg)	LD50 Caffeine (mg/kg)
Cat	200	80-150
Dog	300	140
Mouse	837	185
Human	~1,000	150-200
Rabbit	1,000	224
Rat	1,265	200-400

Source: Wikipedia

Caffeine’s LD50 typically ranges from between 80 and 250 mg/kg across a wide range of animals, with rats being somewhat more tolerant (367 mg/kg in some studies). Given an average LD50, an 8-pound hyrax could likely consume around 650 mg of caffeine before reaching a 50% survival rate—an extreme amount for even us.

Anecdotally, hyraxes are known to enjoy the taste of tea, and can thrive even after drinking cups of coffee (with 95 mg of caffeine in a cup of coffee, hyraxes should be okay with that small amount. However, they should not be given multiple cups back-to-back.) As for chocolate, with roughly 12 mg of caffeine per ounce, hyraxes won’t suffer any ill effects from the caffeine unless they consume dozens of full-sized chocolate bars.

In terms of theobromine and caffeine, hyraxes should be perfectly able to consume small amounts of chocolate, tea, or coffee without immediate negative effects. This is possibly due to their having evolved in the same regions where humanity began—our diets would have emerged similarly. In fact, our primitive ancestors likely lived off of almost the same foods that hyraxes live off of today.

Other Concerns for a Hyrax Diet.

While we have no evidence indicating adverse reactions to either theobromine or caffeine in hyraxes, it is important to note that chocolate should not be a regular part of their diet.

According to a report by Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums Nutrition Advisory and Research Group, hyraxes should be given a primarily fibrous herbivorous diet. Although they may enjoy an occasional egg or insect, they thrive off of alfalfa hay and leafy greens. Even fruits and vegetables should be treated as treats. While you may see fruits and vegetables as the healthier option for yourself, a hyrax needs much higher amounts of fibre. If they consume too many fruits and vegetables, they are at risk of developing health issues such as diabetes. In captivity, hyraxes tend to have an average lifespan of around 3.2 years, compared to 10 years in the wild. A steady diet of chocolate and processed foods would exacerbate these issues.

So, when you hear the phrase, “Animals Can’t Eat Chocolate,” it really means “Our generally preferred carnivorous animal companions often lack sufficient enzymes to properly digest the theobromine or caffeine in chocolate, due to evolutionary pressures and their dietary needs,” but somehow, that version never caught on.

Hyraxes, like ourselves, can sometimes eat junk food. They can properly metabolize the key chemicals that carnivorous animals like cats and dogs cannot. However, given their small size, even those “little indulgences,” can be more significant to their bodies. They won’t die from a bite of chocolate, but it’s best to keep their diet more regularly around leafy greens with the occasional fig. That way they can keep awawaing on for years to come.

Works Cited

Boyd, Eldon M. “The Acute Oral Toxicity of Caffeine.” Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, vol. 1, no. 3, 1959, pp. 250-257. ScienceDirect, https://doi.org/10.1016/0041-008X(59)90109-7. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
IARC Working Group on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans. “Coffee, Tea, Mate, Methylxanthines and Methylglyoxal.” IARC Monographs on the Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risks to Humans, no. 51, International Agency for Research on Cancer, 1991, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507032/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
“Theobromine Poisoning.” Wikipedia, 15 Feb. 2025, 22:14 UTC, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Theobromine_poisoning&oldid=1275927673. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
“Should You Treat Your Cows to Some Chocolate This Easter?” TheVetGroup.com, https://thevetgroup.com.au/should-you-treat-your-cows-to-some-chocolate-this-easter/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
McWilliams, Deborah. “Rock Hyrax: Diet Recommendations and Nutritional Pathology.” Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums Nutrition Advisory and Research Group, https://www.caza-narg.ca/ref/diet_rock_hyrax.pdf. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.
“Rock Hyrax.” Idaho Falls Government, https://www.idahofallsidaho.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5067/Rock-Hyrax. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

Can Hyraxes Eat Chocolate? Caffeine?

Can Hyraxes Eat Chocolate? Caffeine?

Can Hyraxes Eat Chocolate? Caffeine?

What is Theobromine? Can Animals Metabolize it?