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Vit. C recommendation

mochalily2020

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
May 5, 2020
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Location
Montreal, Canada
Hi everyone,

I have recently moved from the UK with our two piglets and have found out that I cannot find the Vit. C powder that I was using in the UK here they seem to use the droplets that you put in the water instead. However, I have read that it's not great to use those droplets so I was wondering if anyone has any tips? I read somewhere that you can give them a child vitamin C ?

Thanks for your help
 
Guinea pigs who are fed a good hay based diet with daily vegetables (including a veg with a high level of vit c) and their one tablespoon of pellets, do not need additional vitamin c. They will get enough from their diet, as hay also contains some vitamin c.
Excess vitamin c is excreted in the urine so if they get enough from their diet then anything you are giving them on top is simply coming straight out. However, long term overdoing of vitamin c can also cause health issues - their bodies become used to higher than necessary levels so dropping can cause symptoms of scurvy even if the actual vitamin level is still above normal.

Please don’t add anything to their water, do just ensure they get a good balanced diet (mostly hay based) and they will get everything they need.

Could you please update your location on your profile. You’ve said you’ve moved from the uk but didn’t say where you’ve gone to.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading
 
Hi!

What most people are not aware and what has been constantly overlooked because it is not part of a human diet is that fresh grass is actually high in vitamin C and the reason why piggies never had the need to make any vitamin C themselves in the first place.
Dry grass (hay) still contains plenty if it is the mainstay of the diet (ca. 80% of the daily food intake whereas a small bowl of preferably green veg (ca. 50g) and 1 tablespoon or 1/8 cup of pellets per piggy eper day (they are the same amount) to prevent any piggy in good care from ever suffering from scurvy (i.e. vitamin C deficiency).

We only see perhaps one case of scurvy per year on here and the majority were the result of overdosing on vitamin C and not from underfeeding it - and we see several thousand enquiries in this section alone in a year. Key to long term health and a longer life is the correct diet and unlimited grass hay; the closer you can keep your diet to what guinea pigs have evolved on (fresh and dry grass supplemented with the odd bit of forage but very little if any fruit or root veg), the better.
Filter your water and stay off overfeeding on too much high vitamin C foods as that can cause bladder stones in piggies with a disposition for them.
Keep in mind that the support product industry is there is make money by luring well meaning owners into buying all sorts of 'helpful' supplements that aren't necessary.

Both the piggies in my avatar picture on the left have lived to around 8 years old without being on any supplements; just a normal diet - just to prove a case in point.

Please take the time to read our comprehensive diet guide, which looks at diet as a whole and at each food group in practica detail: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
 
Guinea pigs who are fed a good hay based diet with daily vegetables (including a veg with a high level of vit c) and their one tablespoon of pellets, do not need additional vitamin c. They will get enough from their diet, as hay also contains some vitamin c.
Excess vitamin c is excreted in the urine so if they get enough from their diet then anything you are giving them on top is simply coming straight out. However, long term overdoing of vitamin c can also cause health issues - their bodies become used to higher than necessary levels so dropping can cause symptoms of scurvy even if the actual vitamin level is still above normal.

Please don’t add anything to their water, do just ensure they get a good balanced diet (mostly hay based) and they will get everything they need.

Could you please update your location on your profile. You’ve said you’ve moved from the uk but didn’t say where you’ve gone to.

Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets
Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading


Thank you this was really useful

Just updated my profile too i had totally forgotten thanks for reminding me
 
Hi!

What most people are not aware and what has been constantly overlooked because it is not part of a human diet is that fresh grass is actually high in vitamin C and the reason why piggies never had the need to make any vitamin C themselves in the first place.
Dry grass (hay) still contains plenty if it is the mainstay of the diet (ca. 80% of the daily food intake whereas a small bowl of preferably green veg (ca. 50g) and 1 tablespoon or 1/8 cup of pellets per piggy eper day (they are the same amount) to prevent any piggy in good care from ever suffering from scurvy (i.e. vitamin C deficiency).

We only see perhaps one case of scurvy per year on here and the majority were the result of overdosing on vitamin C and not from underfeeding it - and we see several thousand enquiries in this section alone in a year. Key to long term health and a longer life is the correct diet and unlimited grass hay; the closer you can keep your diet to what guinea pigs have evolved on (fresh and dry grass supplemented with the odd bit of forage but very little if any fruit or root veg), the better.
Filter your water and stay off overfeeding on too much high vitamin C foods as that can cause bladder stones in piggies with a disposition for them.
Keep in mind that the support product industry is there is make money by luring well meaning owners into buying all sorts of 'helpful' supplements that aren't necessary.

Both the piggies in my avatar picture on the left have lived to around 8 years old without being on any supplements; just a normal diet - just to prove a case in point.

Please take the time to read our comprehensive diet guide, which looks at diet as a whole and at each food group in practica detail: Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Thank you this was really useful I was quite worried about this and very reluctant to give them vit. C in their water so I'm glad i didnt do it !

I will focus more on their diet rather than supplements as suggested !
 
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