Supplements Quick Vit C question about new pig - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**Dobelady** · #1 10-17-09, 09:12 am

Our new adopted/neglected boy has been with us now 3 days. He's not eating his bell pepper. Should I supplement him some kind of way with vitamin C until he learns to eat the bell pepper? So far the only veggies I can get him to eat are red leaf lettuce, a few carrot shreds and cilantro. He's left the bell pepper, cucumber, strawberry, tomato, and broccoli.

If the answer is yes I should supplement him, what kind should I purchase?

This pig was starved, for the first 36 hours he didn't poo at all, he acted normal, friendly, eating, drinking and a real chatter box. I checked him for impaction and cleaned his bum out. He's now pooing normally. I'm thinking that he just didn't have anything in him to poo. I've had that with fosters (dogs) who came to me emaciated.

**RebelPiggy** · #2 10-17-09, 09:23 am

Try him on some kale and parsly. My Trixie has grown tired of kale so I have been giving her orange quarters, romaine, apple slices (once in awhile). I also give her timothy hay and lots of grass. I also give her raw oatmeal sometimes as a treat. I dont know if you have heard of them or not I also give her vitamin c drops.They are a treat no tliquid.

**Jenni_Feathers** · #3 10-17-09, 10:21 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by RebelPiggy

Try him on some kale and parsly. My Trixie has grown tired of kale so I have been giving her orange quarters, romaine, apple slices (once in awhile). I also give her timothy hay and lots of grass. I also give her raw oatmeal sometimes as a treat. I dont know if you have heard of them or not I also give her vitamin c drops.They are a treat no tliquid.

Giving oatmeal is a bad idea. Guinea Pigs are vegetarians and their digestive systems cannot process grains, they may not be directly harmful (that I know of) but they're very unhealthy.

How much Red Leaf Luttuce and Cilantro is he eating? Have you tried any other leafy greens?

Depending on the amount of Red Leaf and Cilantro he's eating daily, he might be getting enough vit. c, but if I were you, since you've just got him(and from a bad situation) and since he is not eating much variety, I would supplement just to be safe.

You can get pure vitamin c tablets (or some even have them in liquid form) at a drug store, or maybe at a walmart type store. The ones I keep on hand (incase a pig falls ill, or something-tornado, flood, snowed in, who knows- happens and I'm not able to get them fresh greens) are ones I got thru my vet. So sorry I'm not much more help on the specifics, I'm sure someone else will come along that knows though :/

**akstrohm** · #4 10-17-09, 10:27 am

Dobelady, this is a very common issue. Many pigs take weeks or months to eat peppers. You have to feed them in very small amounts, several times a day, everyday. Take them out when they wilt. In the mean time you can use a 100% vitamin C (no other vitamins or sugars) tablet or liquid supplement. Do not put the drops in the water (the vitamin C will degrade very quickly, and it may make the water taste funny so your pigs drink less). Until he eats the peppers, feed only lettuce, cilantro, and peppers. You are currently giving him too much variety for a pig that has probably never seen veggies before, and he is getting overwhelmed. Once he eats the pepper regularly, you can add in other good veggies like cucumber, zucchini, tomatoes, etc. Hold off on carrots and fruit until he eats a good variety. Some other things that might help are:
Feed green pepper instead of yellow or red. Many pigs like green best.
Cut the peppers into small pieces or strips.
Feed peppers opposite of when you feed lettuce and cilantro.

Are you planning on adopting your guy a friend or putting him in with other pigs after quarantine? Often times pigs will encourage each other to try new foods.

RebelPiggy, kale and parsley are not good daily veggies. They are fine once in a while, but it is important to get pigs eating peppers as a main source of vitamin C. You should not give your pig oatmeal, and vitamin C drops should not be given as a treat (only if needed). A quarter of an orange has a *lot* of sugar; you can feed smaller amounts of oranges only 1-2 times a week.

**RebelPiggy** · #5 10-17-09, 11:26 am

[IMG]file:///C:/Users/Marie/AppData/Local/Temp/moz-screenshot.png[/IMG]The information about kale is from the Critters Magazine Guinea Pigs . Kale has 53.4 percent of vitamin C. The vitamin C drops I was referring to is not a supplament. It's a treat that u can give piggies 3x a day.They are Vitakraft. Drops with orange. They are like the yougurt treats people get for their hamsters with the exception these are for guinea pigs.

**rabbitsncavyluv** · #6 10-17-09, 11:29 am

Vitakraft treats are pretty awful. Most pet store treats are and they usually have very little vit c.

**akstrohm** · #7 10-17-09, 11:35 am

Kale is a good source of vitamin C, but it is also high in calcium (which can contribute to stones) and very high in vitamin A. So it should not be fed daily.

You should not be feeding any pet store treats. Fresh veggies and fruit make the best treats.

**PancakesWaffles** · #8 10-17-09, 01:41 pm

I have given those yogurt drops to my guinea pigs before, AS A TREAT, they may not be the best for them but they enjoy them and it's only once and a while.

My guinea pigs do not enjoy eating pellets. In fact, they hardly eat them at all. They are also very picky with their fruits and vegetables. They won't eat oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, pears or raspberries. Just recently I've got them to eat some red pepper.

So their picky, plus they don't like to eat pellets. This leads to me trying to get all the Vit. C I can, including those "petstore treats" and the drops for the water.

**Peggysu** · #9 10-17-09, 01:51 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dobelady

This pig was starved, for the first 36 hours he didn't poo at all, he acted normal, friendly, eating, drinking and a real chatter box. I checked him for impaction and cleaned his bum out. He's now pooing normally. I'm thinking that he just didn't have anything in him to poo.

He may have actually had poop but was eating the majority of it because he had to in his previous home or else he would have starved. This is what Sebastian did, he was definitely underweight, but barely pooped for the first day and a half. When finially was pooping there wasn't a lot in his cage when I would sweep, maybe five or six poops. I figured out why when I caught pooping a pile and then turning around and eating all of it and I mean all of it. Somtimes it would be about twelve poops at one sitting. He still eats quite a bit of his poop as I figure it's out of habit.

As for vitamin C are you feeding him a high quality guinea pig pellet?

**akstrohm** · #10 10-17-09, 01:53 pm

Pigs should never, ever have yogurt drops, not even as a treat. They are lactose intolerant. It doesn't matter if they like them--they are not good for them even in small amounts. You can feed extra veggies as treats.

Please see my advice above for getting your pig to eat better veggies. They are probably only picky because they haven't been introduced to new veggies slowly (one new veggie every few days only after they eat the staples). Fruits should be a very small part of a pig's diet, so it's a not a big concern if they don't eat them.

What kind of pellets are you feeding and how much? Pellets are a small part of a guinea pig's diet (1/8 cup of high quality pellets for an adult pig is enough). If you are feeding something low quality, that could explain why they don't eat them.

If you are worried about vitamin C, supplement with a 100% vitamin C tablet or liquid--NOT a pet store treat (in which it is entirely possible that the vitamin C has already degraded anyway).

**Peggysu** · #11 10-17-09, 01:57 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by PancakesWaffles

I have given those yogurt drops to my guinea pigs before, AS A TREAT, they may not be the best for them but they enjoy them and it's only once and a while.

My guinea pigs do not enjoy eating pellets. In fact, they hardly eat them at all. They are also very picky with their fruits and vegetables. They won't eat oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, pears or raspberries. Just recently I've got them to eat some red pepper.

So their picky, plus they don't like to eat pellets. This leads to me trying to get all the Vit. C I can, including those "petstore treats" and the drops for the water.

This is very bad advice and I would not give it to anyone. Pet store treats given once in a while are not safe it is not a good idea. As for what you mention as far as the fruit you have offered it's to much especially if you offer it everyday. The best Vitamin C source would be from vegetables before fruits as they are high in sugar. Green bell pepper is best daily as red should only be fed about 2-3 times a week.

Guinea pigs tend to be picky temporarily, especially if they have never been exposed to them before. If you consistently offer them a specific veggie they begin to eat it most of the time.

**Dobelady** · #12 10-17-09, 04:34 pm

Thank you all for the replies. I've been feeding him only green bell peppers so far and no nibbles yet. The majority of his veggies is the red/green leaf lettuce and cilantro. The other things were in very small amounts. The bell peppers I grow myself and this is last of the season.

He will be a friend for our other pig, assuming that they'll get along when the introductions happen. If not, he'll be put up for adoption though an all breed/species rescue I volunteer for. He's getting Oxbow Cavy Cuisine and timothy hay.

He's such a chatter box and not very skittish, he comes right to the door of his cage and greets me when I walk in.

**blackarrow** · #13 10-17-09, 04:39 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by PancakesWaffles

I have given those yogurt drops to my guinea pigs before, AS A TREAT, they may not be the best for them but they enjoy them and it's only once and a while.

My guinea pigs do not enjoy eating pellets. In fact, they hardly eat them at all. They are also very picky with their fruits and vegetables. They won't eat oranges, strawberries, tomatoes, pears or raspberries. Just recently I've got them to eat some red pepper.

So their picky, plus they don't like to eat pellets. This leads to me trying to get all the Vit. C I can, including those "petstore treats" and the drops for the water.

See, this is a little like a parent of a small child saying, "Well, he's picky, he'll only eat macaroni and cheese and potato chips, so in order to make sure he gets enough to eat, I let him have all of those that he wants." It's counterproductive.

Honestly, it's not a crisis if they don't eat any of the fruits you mentioned - they're all high in sugar anyhow. If they'll eat bell pepper they'll get enough C and if they're not eating bell pepper they shouldn't have much of anything except cilantro and some lettuces until they do. If you go adding the C to the water, you may end up with two problems - they're not getting enough C (because it degrades quickly in the water) AND they're not getting enough water (because it makes the water taste funny).

**Dobelady** · #14 10-17-09, 06:07 pm

I just gave him only green bell peppers but this time I cut them into very fine strips instead of the small chunks Guido likes. Some progress with the strips, he nibbled on them. I'll leave those in until they wilt and give him his lettuce and cilantro tonight at his usual time.

**akstrohm** · #15 10-17-09, 07:07 pm

You're on the right track. Just be patient--it can take weeks or months.

**PancakesWaffles** · #16 10-17-09, 07:17 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Peggysu

This is very bad advice and I would not give it to anyone. Pet store treats given once in a while are not safe it is not a good idea. As for what you mention as far as the fruit you have offered it's to much especially if you offer it everyday. The best Vitamin C source would be from vegetables before fruits as they are high in sugar. Green bell pepper is best daily as red should only be fed about 2-3 times a week.

Guinea pigs tend to be picky temporarily, especially if they have never been exposed to them before. If you consistently offer them a specific veggie they begin to eat it most of the time.

I don't understand why stores sell these things if they are so horrible?

I would never offer that much fruit everday. I rarely ever offer them the things I listed because I have tried on many occasions and they won't eat them. They eat bananas and apples alternating a few times a week.

**Peggysu** · #17 10-17-09, 07:39 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by PancakesWaffles

I don't understand why stores sell these things if they are so horrible?

I would never offer that much fruit everday. I rarely ever offer them the things I listed because I have tried on many occasions and they won't eat them. They eat bananas and apples alternating a few times a week.

Money. That's why pet stores sell these horrible and dangerous products. Banana is almost best to be left out of a guinea pig diet as it can cause bloat, which can be very dangerous. If you do feed it should be no more then like once a month in really small amounts. Apples if fed to much can cause mouth sores, so becareful with those as well.

What kind of pellet are you feeding?

**PancakesWaffles** · #18 10-17-09, 07:45 pm

I feed apples 1-2 times a week. Is that too much? My piggies never used to eat bananas, and have only given them to them a few times. Thanks for the info. though.

I am feeding Hartz from Wal-Mart. I have two 2 week old babies and a nursing mom so they are alfalfa based. Everybody seems to really like this oxbow stuff, but it's so expensive and they don't even eat their pellets. I guess I could try a bag of the oxbow stuff (I think they sell it at Petland??). When I adopted my guinea pig I just kept her on the stuff the previous owner had her on.

If I do try to switch to Oxbow pellets.. do they need anything else besides the pellets, veggies and hay?

**Peggysu** · #19 10-17-09, 07:49 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by PancakesWaffles

If I do try to switch to Oxbow pellets.. do they need anything else besides the pellets, veggies and hay?

Get the oxbow pellets because they are high quality and I'm sure you're piggies will actually eat it. Once the babies are adults and the moms are not nursing then each pig would need to be fed only 1/8 cup of pellets per day per pig. As long as they aren't free feeding it really keeps down on buying pellets all the time.

All they need are high quality pellets, a variety of veggies/leafy greens and an unlimited amount of grass hay.

**Dobelady** · #20 10-17-09, 07:49 pm

Pancakes-the quality of any food you feed any animal has a direct correlation to the animals health. You feed cruddy food, you get health problems, you feed a quality food and you have less problems, thus fewer vet bills.

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