oxbow vitamin c pellets

[hayethusiasts]

Hi everyone. Happy friday!

One of my guinea pigs has just finished his course of antibiotics yesterday due to bronchitis. During that time I have given my 2 guinea pigs half tablet each (12.5mg each of vitamin c) of oxbow vitamin c tablet just to boost their immune system a little bit whist one was on antibiotics.

However this is where I am now having a dilemma and will need an advice please.

I have noticed they are soooooo much more lively, popcorning soooo much more since I have been giving them the oxbow vitamin c tablet. I am planning not to give it anymore but just wondered whether I should continue.

For context they have stopped eating bell peppers completely and so from what I have computed from their daily vegetables they are only getting 10mg of vitamin c for both of them from their vegetables. then I am only giving 1Tbsp of their pellet (10g in total = 10mg vitamin c, this is based from the nutritional guide from the packet). In total they are only having an approx 10mg each of vitamin c. I did notice they were less energetic than usual but I didn't really think nothing of it until one of them caught URI and noticed how much happier they seemed when taking the vitamin c tablets.

I have also ordered a vitamin c-rich dried forage that is low in calcium that I give to boost their vitamin c intake but not entirely sure if it's actually helping. This was being given before the URI.

I will try introducing them again to bell peppers but if they still refuse to eat it - is it so bad giving them half tablet of the vitamin C? Or could I maybe give it every other day? once a week?

Any advice is appreciated. I fully understand the reasons why normally we should not give it, however, I am not in the position to want to give broccoli or any other vegetables that may cause bloating.

 

[Piggies&buns]

Please do not supplement them. It can do more harm than good.
I can also assure you that the majority of long term owners will never bother to calculate the amount of vit c they eat per day!
This is because scurvy just doesn’t happen in ordinary cases. The only cases of scurvy we see in the forum tend to be in piggies who have been neglected or mis-fed (things like being fed rabbit pellets which aren’t fortified) and in those who have actually been given vit c supplements long term.

They will get all they need from the veg portion of their diet and normal pellets. There is also some in fresh grass if they get that too

Please do not be scared of giving broccoli and such like, unless your piggies have known issues with it. It’s good to give them variety in their diet but there is no need to completely avoid such items. Just give a small amount and see how they get on!

 

[hayethusiasts]

Thank you. I will try to re-introduce them to bell peppers today then go from there. I just needed that extra firm advice that, NO, do not give any more vitamin c tablets. lol. Thanks again, @Piggies&buns

 

[exia]

Thank you. I will try to re-introduce them to bell peppers today then go from there. I just needed that extra firm advice that, NO, do not give any more vitamin c tablets. lol. Thanks again, @Piggies&buns

In our house the bell peppers, cucumber or whatever is not tasting the right way sometimes. I noticed my boy does not eat the bell peppers from a certain store. If I buy from another store he happily eats. Maybe you just bought the wrong one?

 

[Roselina]

I sometimes find that with food - my two just wouldn’t eat coriander and it’s always been a favourite - I bought some from a different shop for a soup recipe and tried it and they ate it so quickly ! Also I find the green pepper more popular with them

 

[Wiebke]

In the nearly 20 years of forum existence we have only had very few scurvy cases. The majority of those were from over-supplemented piggies where the body had become accustomed to the higher levels and was reacting to a sudden dip with instant scurvy symptoms.

Artificial vitamin C has its place as a 2-3 weeks booster during or after an illness but otherwise it is better to feed a range of veg higher in vitamin C. By lowering the amount of pellets you feed you can supplement your diet safely with varying the herbs or veg you feed.

I have a once a week slot where I feed a slice of greens or kale (both great as they are also providing magnesium, which is not in any supplements) or - if I am cooking with them or from the garden - fresh parsley, dill, marjoram, lemon balm etc, or even a leaf or two of leftover spinach.
Mine get coriander herb/cilantro about 2-3 times a week instead of daily; it is the herb lowest in calcium. However, the different herbs provide a wider range of trace elements.
In diet it's all about balancing out. We have a very restricted diet mainly for the sake of owners who need very precise measurements and guidance but that doesn't mean there is an abyss between correct and instantly deadly - it is very much a sliding scale.

The tricky bit is to get your local range just right, and that depends more on how hard or mineral rich your water is, what and how many pellets you feed, do you filter or use low calcium bottled water. But it also depends on personal intake, which you cannot force. It also depends on how much pellets you feed. Even no added calcium pellets still contain a lot more calcium than the same weight of kale; just to put it into perspective why some forum members are replacing pellets with other foods from the supplementary category. However, you cannot just blindly cut out all calcium; it's about finding your own ideal balance.

There are essentially two food groups in a guinea pig diet: Mainly grass fibre (hay) (should make over three quarters of the daily food intake and secondly what replaces the supplementary function of wild forage, which is basically in or pet piggy diet everything else, whether that is fresh veg, fresh or dry forage, pellets and any treats of any sort. This means that you actually have much more leeway if you see all supplementary foods as a unit and not as individual food groups. Wild piggies have been found to be very selective which plants they look for and eat each day in order to balance their ideal phosphorus - calcium - potassium ratio - and it is that overall ratio that needs to be in the safe zone wherever you live in the world in different conditions and climates.

My personal wider range ensures that my pickier piggies get to eat their vitamin C - they all like their greens. A wider food range is also a bit more of an enrichment. I have cages where any pepper goes, others who won't eat green or red peppers and a couple who eat peppers only when there is really, absolutely, definitely nothing else left in the cage within the whole day... Depending on freshness etc. they can sometimes go off a veg temporarily; that will also explain why they may prefer the same food bought in a specific place. Serving two vitamin C foods a day ensures that each piggy eats at least one of them.
Piggies have very roughly double the amount of taste buds to humans. Like all rodents, they don't have a gagging reflex; what's gone down needs to come out at the other end, including any poisonous foods.


By the way, the best source of vitamin C (and the reason why guinea pigs have switched off the gene complex that allows them to produce vitamin C in their bodies) is fresh, growing grass. You need to introduce fresh dog pee-free grass very carefully though and the vitamin C level is varying quite a lot over the course of a year - dry summer grass or winter grass will be much lower in vitamin C. Hay will be a lot lower again.
Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time

 

[hayethusiasts]

In our house the bell peppers, cucumber or whatever is not tasting the right way sometimes. I noticed my boy does not eat the bell peppers from a certain store. If I buy from another store he happily eats. Maybe you just bought the wrong one?

Thank you exia.

I split their veggies for am and pm and i've always given their bell peppers in the morning. I even tried that - buying from another store but they were still refusing their bell peppers

What I found now after re-introducing it to them is they will eat bell peppers if I give it to them in the evening they are such strange animals they make me laugh but yeah all's good and I will only be giving it 4x a week to avoid them getting fed up of it again!

 

[hayethusiasts]

I sometimes find that with food - my two just wouldn’t eat coriander and it’s always been a favourite - I bought some from a different shop for a soup recipe and tried it and they ate it so quickly ! Also I find the green pepper more popular with them

Thank you. Since re-introducing it to them i found they will eat bell peppers in the evening. So strange. Lol. I used to always give it in the morning.

 

[hayethusiasts]

In the nearly 20 years of forum existence we have only had very few scurvy cases. The majority of those were from over-supplemented piggies where the body had become accustomed to the higher levels and was reacting to a sudden dip with instant scurvy symptoms.

Artificial vitamin C has its place as a 2-3 weeks booster during or after an illness but otherwise it is better to feed a range of veg higher in vitamin C. By lowering the amount of pellets you feed you can supplement your diet safely with varying the herbs or veg you feed.

I have a once a week slot where I feed a slice of greens or kale (both great as they are also providing magnesium, which is not in any supplements) or - if I am cooking with them or from the garden - fresh parsley, dill, marjoram, lemon balm etc, or even a leaf or two of leftover spinach.
Mine get coriander herb/cilantro about 2-3 times a week instead of daily; it is the herb lowest in calcium. However, the different herbs provide a wider range of trace elements.
In diet it's all about balancing out. We have a very restricted diet mainly for the sake of owners who need very precise measurements and guidance but that doesn't mean there is an abyss between correct and instantly deadly - it is very much a sliding scale.

The tricky bit is to get your local range just right, and that depends more on how hard or mineral rich your water is, what and how many pellets you feed, do you filter or use low calcium bottled water. But it also depends on personal intake, which you cannot force. It also depends on how much pellets you feed. Even no added calcium pellets still contain a lot more calcium than the same weight of kale; just to put it into perspective why some forum members are replacing pellets with other foods from the supplementary category. However, you cannot just blindly cut out all calcium; it's about finding your own ideal balance.

There are essentially two food groups in a guinea pig diet: Mainly grass fibre (hay) (should make over three quarters of the daily food intake and secondly what replaces the supplementary function of wild forage, which is basically in or pet piggy diet everything else, whether that is fresh veg, fresh or dry forage, pellets and any treats of any sort. This means that you actually have much more leeway if you see all supplementary foods as a unit and not as individual food groups. Wild piggies have been found to be very selective which plants they look for and eat each day in order to balance their ideal phosphorus - calcium - potassium ratio - and it is that overall ratio that needs to be in the safe zone wherever you live in the world in different conditions and climates.

My personal wider range ensures that my pickier piggies get to eat their vitamin C - they all like their greens. A wider food range is also a bit more of an enrichment. I have cages where any pepper goes, others who won't eat green or red peppers and a couple who eat peppers only when there is really, absolutely, definitely nothing else left in the cage within the whole day... Depending on freshness etc. they can sometimes go off a veg temporarily; that will also explain why they may prefer the same food bought in a specific place. Serving two vitamin C foods a day ensures that each piggy eats at least one of them.
Piggies have very roughly double the amount of taste buds to humans. Like all rodents, they don't have a gagging reflex; what's gone down needs to come out at the other end, including any poisonous foods.


By the way, the best source of vitamin C (and the reason why guinea pigs have switched off the gene complex that allows them to produce vitamin C in their bodies) is fresh, growing grass. You need to introduce fresh dog pee-free grass very carefully though and the vitamin C level is varying quite a lot over the course of a year - dry summer grass or winter grass will be much lower in vitamin C. Hay will be a lot lower again.
Feeding Grass And Preparing Your Piggies For Lawn Time

Thank you. I did stop the vit c supplement as soon as Kreacher finished his antibiotics. Since re-introducing bell peppers I found out they only eat it when I give it to them in the evening! (I used to give it in the morning) they are so strange but i wouldn't have them any other way

 

[Wiebke]

Thank you. I did stop the vit c supplement as soon as Kreacher finished his antibiotics. Since re-introducing bell peppers I found out they only eat it when I give it to them in the evening! (I used to give it in the morning) they are so strange but i wouldn't have them any other way

That's piggies for you - and what makes them so endearing.