Oranges & Guinea Pigs?

[Seven]

With flu season hitting more and more people I've taken to upping my own vitamin C intake. We own both the mandarin oranges and the normal types.

Can guinea pigs have oranges? I've seen mixed opinions. They have a lot of vitamin C yet they're also very sweet and I myself had had a fair share of choking on orange skin (mandarins). If they can what is a suitable amount? Which type to give?

 

[Butterfly88]

Yes, they can have some but a supplement may be a better source of vitamin C. Too many oranges is bad because it's too much sugar. As far as the exact amount you should give, I'm not sure.

 

[Drezella]

I give my boys 1 segment of a satsuma each. I check for pips first and remove them if the are any. I also pull off any of that white stuff that goes between the orange segments. I only give them this about once every 3 months and I've never had any issues with it. I give it as a natural vitamin C booster rather than using powder in their water bottles.

 

[gizzy]

Best souce of vit c is red pepper , at 127mgper k they are 3 times higher than oranges, and safe to give in moderation anytime

 

[funnehmare]

Only one of my 12 will even consider eating oranges or clementines. As said red bell peppers are better in terms of vit c but oranges will add some variation to their diet

 

[Cheeky Piggies]

My two girls flatly refuse to eat oranges, l tried them with a slice yesterday, and it was still untouched in the cage this morning, so l removed it. I will try them again on peppers, they dont like the green ones, not over keen on the yellows either, so l will need to get them a couple of reds, rather than just buying the supermarket packs of mixed colours.

 

[Freela]

Some of my pigs have liked oranges as an occasional treat, others don't seem to know what to do with them. Both Linney and Sundae loved them and would compete for them... now that I have Sundae and Hadley, Sundae is getting double rations as Hadley doesn't seem too impressed wit them. My pigs have all hated pepper for some reason!

 

[Yipchip]

I mainly give my pigs bell pepper, but they absolutely love a bit of orange as a treat. I was eating an orange the other day and they happened to be on my lap. They both looked up at me and frantically tried to climb to get a nibble! I guess it just depends on the guinea pig.

 

[cavy clicker]

From my extensive research for my book, this is what I came up with: They can have orange fruit once or twice a week one segment per pig. They can have a bit of orange peel two to four times a week.