Guineas need their Vit C

[Violet23]

Just wondering if anyone knows of alternative ways for piggies to get their vit C. I know they can from veggies, but what has the most, and how much? They wont drink their water if it has the vit C drops in it, and they don't like the tablets. Any ideas?

 

[nermal71]

I'm trying to remember back to when we had guineas years ago. I think ours liked spinach and oranges and grapes. But for the life of me I can't remember what else. I would say find a good guinea pig forum and check it out there. I know there are people here who can help and can give you a guinea forum to join.

 

[irishbunny]

You don't need to give them drops or tablets. The best way to give it to them is in pellets with added vit c and in vit c rich vegetables. They should be having veggies everyday anyway. The vit c in the drops doesn't last long anyway it degrades over time and you don't know how much they are actually getting.

 

[RandomWiktor]

Agreed; all the vitamin drops tend to do is discourage drinking, which can cause a host of other problems. Most pellets intended for guinea pigs are vit C enriched, and definitely provide ample C rich veggies daily. Most leafy greens are actually quite high in C (and are also better for guinea pigs than large ammounts of fruit); kale collareds, swiss chard, mustard greens, etc. are good sources. I suggest varying them, however, has too much of any one leafy green is not balanced nutrition.

 

[Nela]

Agreed. If you are feeding guinea pig pellet, the pellet should already be fortified with vitamin C. It's one of the main reasons why we discourage guinea pig owners and rabbit owners to feed both the same food. I have two of my own and I just vary their fresh foods a lot. They like oranges and mandarines so that helps. I have soft vitamin C chewable tablets on hand in case I really need it (like for example if the country runs out of guinea pig food ) but I believe there is a lot of sugar in them and they just aren't necessary. It's just for my own peace of mind really. I also think it can be good to give a bit more if one gets sick so I just have it around but don't actually give them anything right now.

 

[Violet23]

Thanks for the tips everyone! I haven't used the drops in a long time either because I found they just didnt like the taste, so they get a little salad of romaine lettuce and some baby carrots or some other fruit or veggi I have on hand twice a day, plus their pellets and hay. Theys is spoiled piggies

 

[irishbunny]

Red bell peppers are good too

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

For pellets, I have heard that i they are in a clear bag the vit C will not last long. I would not rely on pellets for all the vitamin C.

You could try getting some tablets, crushing them, mixing them with water and giving them via syringe. Even if you are giving a good variety of veggies, some supplementation could be good.

 

[JadeIcing]

irishbunny wrote:

Red bell peppers are good too

That was my boys fave! They LOVED it.

 

[irishbunny]

Mine love them, I buy them packs with yellow, green and red but they always go for the red the most. Probably because it has the most sugar

 

[Violet23]

Well, gave them some of those vit C tablets, they eat them on their own, we just put them in with their salad...crazy piggies, lol. As for their pellets they do get kept in the bag they came in but we keep the bag in a closet out of sunlight, so that the vit C degrades slower.

 

[avarocks]

If they are eating a good pellet, extra tablets of vitamin C shouldn't be needed. Something I do if I question one of my pigs' vitamin C intake is used childrens' chewable vitamin C, I crush it in my pill crusher and just sprinkle a little bit of it on their veggies, and it goes down fine. If you do that, don't give them the whole tablet, it's far too much for a piggy, just leave the powder in the pill crusher and use a bit at a time. But, if they are getting a good pellet, extra vitamin C shouldn't be needed. Strawberries and orange slices both offer high vitamin C content however these should be given as a treat only. Both are high in sugar and in water content, but are safe as a treat and do contain nutrients they are beneficial to the pig.

Sarah

 

[missmerlin2010]

When I had Guinea Pigs, we would just feed them their pellets (specifically for GP's) and some carrots, which have lots of vitamin c in them. For treats I would give them cilantro, and they LOVED that! (not really relavent to the vit. c subject, but thought i would add it )

 

[kirst3buns]

I don't know if it would available where you are, but Oxbow makes vitamin c tablets specifically for guinea pigs. My sister's loved them and I used to buy them for her until the pet store near her started carrying them.