i give picasso a chunk of dark chocolate, probably a bit smaller than a normal chocolate chip for cookies, about once every week or two. dark chocolate is a really good bronchiodilator, which makes breathing easier for them. when i first got picasso she had a week's worth of sneezing which went away with chocolate and steam from my morning showers. her sneezing was mostly caused by stress from being brought home, etc (it was a 30 min carride in a cage far too small for her, etc), so the chocolate was a nice relief. in rats with chronic myco problems, chocolate can definitely help them feel better, but meds will do all the dirty wok.