How Much? Vitamin C tabs

[Gforcepiggies]

So I just got these vitamin C tablets today for the pigs while I am away so I know they are getting their full amount.
But, before I give it to them, I want to know if I got the right thing.
The tablets are 500mg, which is all my local Safeway carried, and aren't full of multi-vitamins; just C.

 

[richguinea]

Seems right, but those tablets contain 500mg of vitamin C. Doesn't a guinea pig only need 10-15mg of vitamin C a day?

 

[bpatters]

Pigs need around 30 mg. of vitamin C per day, so those tablets are way too concentrated. Can you return them and find a child's vitamin C tablet? Those are usually 100 mg, so 1/4 of a tablet is about right.

 

[hatley1717]

The Vita-Drops I buy have 25mg of Vitamin C and you just put it in their water bottle. $7 a bottle....lasts a long time

 

[Smashley]

The Vita-Drops I buy have 25mg of Vitamin C and you just put it in their water bottle. $7 a bottle....lasts a long time

Just to let you know, I've heard that Vita-Drops (or any type of liquid vitamin that is meant to be mixed with water), is usually pretty pointless. Because it dissolves and "sits" in the water, the quality of the vitamin C substantially decreases, especially after several hours. I've also heard that it tends to make the water taste "funky", which might discourage your piggy from getting enough water. That might be something you want to look into, and research more.

 

[bpatters]

@Smashley, you're completely right about the vitamin C. It should never be added to a water bottle.

 

[Gforcepiggies]

I have heard all negative things about the Vita-drops. I can't return the vitamin C, but that's fine I will take it. Not too bad for me!

 

[dubbergirl]

I bought the Oxbow ones from Amazon.com, and Fire Ball was not crazy about them if I put them in his food bowl whole, but if I broke them down into smaller pieces, he would eat them without hesitation. Thankfully, he's started eating veggies now that he has a "brother" who eats everything under the sun so far.

 

[bpatters]

Vita-Drops are fine. They're stabilized, and they're in an opaque container. It's not the water that weakens vitamin C, it's light shining into a solution of it.

 

[pigger123]

The only reason vita-drops aren't recommended is because they're useless when you put them in the water. If I'm not mistaken, they can be given to the pigs directly unto their mouth.

 

[bpatters]

Okay, one more time about the Vita Drops. There is NOTHING wrong with the Vita Drops. They can be sprinkled on the pig's food, or syringed to them. It's when you put vitamin C, whether Vita Drops or children's chewable tablets or Oxbow Daily C or any other kind of vitamin C, in water in a container where light can get to it that the vitamin C degrades. The culprit is the light, not the water.

I know Vita Drops says you can add them to the pig's water bottle. But that's not a good idea with ANY kind of vitamin C. I used to give them to my pigs by sprinkling them on their food. And since Oxbow has seen fit to discontinue Daily C and replace it with a tablet high in calcium, I may go back to the Vita Drops when I run out of Daily C.

 

[dubbergirl]

If you have access to amazon.com, they still have the Oxbow C tabs on there. I just got a bottle this week. It's not the new version. Bottle of 90 for around $8

 

[T1ggerPigLuvur]

I use Oxbow Daily C that I got from my vet, but it is (broken link removed)

My pigs hated it at first, because I tried to get them to just eat the tablet. Now I just crush it up and put it on their lettuce. I don't think they even know that they are eating it, but I do

With these tablets, they are 50 mg of Vitamin C, so I break it in half and crush each separately so I know that each pig is getting 25mg.

 

[Rywen]

I bought 10 bottles of Oxbow Daily C from amazon.com, so I won't run out for a year (unless I somehow end up with more piggies). I can't believe they are discontinuing it.

 

[Rainspinner]

I have a question about vitamin C tabs. I'm currently feeding them Oxbow Daily C but I'll be running out soon. I find that most Vitamin C tablets are flavoured to taste like oranges... is that a problem for guinea pigs?

 

[bpatters]

Oxbow Daily C have an orange flavor, don't they?

 

[Rywen]

Bottle says they contain pineapple powder, apple fiber and cranberry powder. They smell mostly like pineapple to me.

 

[bpatters]

I remember now. I wasn't at home to check the bottle when I posted before. But the orange flavor should also be ok.

 

[YinYangPiggies]

Do they need vit C tabs if they have it in their pellets & they also eat veggies everyday? I thought I read somewhere that too much vit C was not good for them.

 

[bpatters]

Excess vitamin C gets excreted, but it's probably not a good idea to really overload their systems.

I always thought that the vitamin C in pellets and veggies would be enough, but my vet insisted I give my two sows a supplement. They were about 4-and-a-half at the time, and one of them was slowly losing weight. I started the Daily C, and that was the only change in routine I made, and she gained about 65 grams.