Vit C

[ricear]

What is the best way to ensure my piggies are getting enough vitamin c? Some stuff I have read recommend human tablets, but some stuff recommends straight fruits/veggies. Winston is a horribly picky eater and has refused to eat veggies (unless it is in his nature salad [grass, leaves, etc.]) until recently. Al, the new baby, LOVES green pepper, which, from what I've read is a good way to deliver it. Since then, Winston has experimented with green peppers, but nothing to suggest he is getting enough from them. Currently, they have the water drops for their water, which I refill daily (at least), because Winston drinks a lot and doesn't seem to be bothered by the taste. I have actually found that he drinks more water with the drops in it than if it does not have it. Also, they get fresh pellets every day with VC. Neither piggy is showing signs of deficiency, but I want to offer as much variety as I can, especially for my picky eater. Any tips or suggestions to ensure they stay happy and healthy?

 

[Siikibam]

Coriander is also a good source of vitamin c. I wouldn’t give them the tablets in the water, they should be getting a sufficient amount from their veg. What do you feed them veg wise? They should be getting one cup a day each.

There are good feeding guides on these links.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading

 

[Bill & Ted]

Grass and dandelion leaves have good amounts of vitamin C. Will Winston eat herbs? Dill, parsley and coriander are full of VC, but don’t overdo the parsley as it’s high in calcium too. I wouldn’t worry too much if he is eating grass (or anything green) as it has VC in it.

 

[ricear]

Coriander is also a good source of vitamin c. I wouldn’t give them the tablets in the water, they should be getting a sufficient amount from their veg. What do you feed them veg wise? They should be getting one cup a day each.

There are good feeding guides on these links.
Long Term Balanced General And Special Needs Guinea Pig Diets

Edible And Forbidden Veg And Fruit List With Vitamin C Grading

Winston eats lots of leaves, grass, dandelion, clover, dried marigold, and the occasional dried carrots. His favorite nature salad has: parsley, rose hips, hay, soybeans, apple, cabbage, celery, timothy grass, bay leaves (which he LOVES), and dried flowers. He likes things that are crunchy, but not too cold, so fresh carrots he refuses. No matter how small I cut it. It is so frustrating, because he will eat it if it is dehydrated, but not fresh

 

[Qualcast&Flymo]

Assuming rose hips are ok for guinea pigs to eat, they are high in vitamin C - in 'the olden days' young children used to be given rose hip syrup as a food supplement to up the vit C intake.

 

[Leafy Lou]

Assuming rose hips are ok for guinea pigs to eat, they are high in vitamin C - in 'the olden days' young children used to be given rose hip syrup as a food supplement to up the vit C intake.

Rosehips are on the occasional treat list along with the old faves such as strawberries etc. So worth a go.
Yes our mum used to give us a spoon of Rosehip syrup occasionally, along with our cod liver oil capsules, lucky not straight up oil like some of our friends..bleugh!
Have you tried some red pepper ricear..not much difference but our Roz for some reason turns her nose away with green for some piggy reason unknown to us anyway

 

[Bill & Ted]

Assuming rose hips are ok for guinea pigs to eat, they are high in vitamin C - in 'the olden days' young children used to be given rose hip syrup as a food supplement to up the vit C intake.

Yes, I was one of those children back in the 60’s

 

[Lorcan]

Rosehips are on the occasional treat list along with the old faves such as strawberries etc. So worth a go.
Yes our mum used to give us a spoon of Rosehip syrup occasionally, along with our cod liver oil capsules, lucky not straight up oil like some of our friends..bleugh!
Have you tried some red pepper ricear..not much difference but our Roz for some reason turns her nose away with green for some piggy reason unknown to us anyway

Green peppers tend to be the least sweet, red the most.

 

[ricear]

Rosehips are on the occasional treat list along with the old faves such as strawberries etc. So worth a go.
Yes our mum used to give us a spoon of Rosehip syrup occasionally, along with our cod liver oil capsules, lucky not straight up oil like some of our friends..bleugh!
Have you tried some red pepper ricear..not much difference but our Roz for some reason turns her nose away with green for some piggy reason unknown to us anyway

He has just now gotten to the point where he will more than just nibble on peppers. So far he has eaten yellow and green peppers. Gonna try red next time! I think he’s become more apt to eating them, because his 3 month adoptive brother loves them

 

[Wiebke]

Winston eats lots of leaves, grass, dandelion, clover, dried marigold, and the occasional dried carrots. His favorite nature salad has: parsley, rose hips, hay, soybeans, apple, cabbage, celery, timothy grass, bay leaves (which he LOVES), and dried flowers. He likes things that are crunchy, but not too cold, so fresh carrots he refuses. No matter how small I cut it. It is so frustrating, because he will eat it if it is dehydrated, but not fresh

Please note that hay and grass (the mainstay of any guinea pig diet) are actually also rich in vitamin C, which is the reason why guinea pigs do not make their own vitamin C, unlike rabbits. The more hay and - when in season - fresh dog pee-free grass your piggies eat, the better for long term health and a longer life as that is the diet they have evolved on and what their bodies are laid out to work best on (and what is keeping their crucial back teeth in perfect trim, too!)
Don't be tempted to overdo your veg and pellets; they are more like daily treats.

You are feeding enough vitamin C in your diet. Please be aware that if you give too much, the body will adjust to the high levels and will ironically develop symptoms of scurvy as soon as the high levels drop for any reason, like during an illness or is you suddenly stop for a day or two. Especially if you overtreat any young guinea pigs this can lead to problems later in life.

It is much better to NOT add any vitamin supplements to a good diet and rather do a 2-3 weeks booster course when it is really needed and actually does some good during or after an illness. In this case, you please syringe any vitamin C directly for the full effect.
Additives to the water are useless because you connot control the intake and they mainly help to promote the quick growth of algae in the bottle, which can in the longer term be more harmful than the extra vitamin C will do good. Make sure that you use rice and a little water for vigorous shaking to scrape the bottle walls daily and that you disinfect your bottle with baby bottle disinfectant once monthly.
All About Drinking And Bottles

Fresh carrots are the equivalent of a burger for a human - fattening piggy junk food and at the best just an occasional treat in small quantities. If he is eating fresh herbs like cilantro/coriander, kale etc. then you need not worry too much about him not yet being fond of a slice of pepper. There is enough vitamin C in there. You can feed a bit more high calcium veg and herbs if you live in a soft water area. Most of the UK is limestone country with hard water, so we have to be generally very careful to not end up with bladder stones.

The key to any good diet is unlimited hay and the rest very much in moderation but rather in a wide range. Be careful when feedling greens high in calcium - if you get the phosphorus : calcium range wrong, it can lead to bladder stones.