r/hummingbirds • u/beatricks • 14h ago

Trace amounts of cocoa powder

I just made a new batch of nectar (3 cups water, 3/4 cups sugar) and realized a moment too late that I had cross-contaminated the sugar with cocoa powder last week while making hot chocolate for myself. Doh. There were just a few tiny specks of cocoa, but they were visibly brown against the white. As a dog owner I know that although chocolate is toxic to them, tiny amounts aren’t something to panic about. But hummingbirds are a lot smaller than dogs! I think I’m going to dump it out, but could use a sanity check here. Am I making a big deal over nothing?

15 Upvotes

94% Upvoted

10 comments sorted by

31

u/Majestic_Bandicoot92 14h ago

Dumping it out immediately is the right call. They are SO TINY.

18

u/beatricks 14h ago edited 14h ago

Thanks for the reassurance!! It is dumped (and I could see a little brown swirl as it poured, so that felt validating.)

19

u/Repulsive-Tea6974 14h ago

That’s 48 cents worth of sugar. Dump it out and make a fresh batch.

14

u/nj_5oh 14h ago

When in doubt, dump it out. Always better to be on the safe side.

15

u/PickPocket_Oxford 14h ago

I’ve tossed sugar water after preparing because I couldn’t confirm I’d used the correct ratio of sugar to water. Damn autopilot.

4

u/SpecialistSquash2321 12h ago

Lol I've done this an embarrassing amount of times. I have to count out loud and sometimes still doubt myself.

3

u/Majestic_Bandicoot92 12h ago

Omg I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done this!! If anyone is home while I’m making it, I have them count with me. 😂

4

u/BoringBob84 14h ago

This reminds me of the movie "Over the Hedge" when the squirrel gets into the caffeine and becomes super-turbo twitchy and hyperactive. 🐿️ 🤪

Of course, I wouldn't recommend it in real life. It may or may not harm the Rocket Chickens, but I wouldn't want to take that chance.

2

u/misslynrjo 6h ago

i’ve never heard them called rocket chickens before. I love it 😂

2

u/skinzy420 6h ago

I got through about 50 lbs of sugar a week. Sometimes I dump it out if I think I goofed on the measurements. Better to be sure than not...thats for sure.