to C or not to C That is the question??

[ihtak]

My guinea pigs (2) have arrived and they are wonderful!! They have been getting Vitamin C in their water. I've read so many different things about the best way to give them C. Could you tell me how you do it and why?

Thanks!!

 

[Percy's Mom]

Definitely do not give them vitamins in their water. It honestly doesn't do it any good. The vitamins break down quickly when exposed to water and light, and it changes the taste of the water.

Generally, if you are feeding a good quality pellet that's fortified with vitamin C and give a good variety of veggies, you won't need a vitamin C supplement. If you find that you need to give extra C, you can give a piece of a human sugar free supplement, sugar free C drops, or Oxbow makes a vitamin C tablet that you can break in half to give your pig.

 

[cavyinhawaii]

bell peppers or orange slices are excellent sources of C

 

[aqh88]

You can get vit c treats from Oxbow Pet Products | Welcome. I've only met 1 pig out of 11 that didn't just about take your fingers off to get one. Otherwise if your giving the recommended amount of veggies your pigs are getting enough vit c.

 

[ihtak]

Thanks for the help. So far I've gotten them to eat carrots and apples. But they haven't touched the pepper or oranges. So I think I'll look for that Oxbow suppliment.
The food I bought for them looks like it was packaged a couple months ago. Does it start to break down in C vit. after it's opened or after it's packaged?

 

[this_lil_piggy]

Another few suggestions:
My piggies wouldnt touch the peppers either, but they loooooove their leaf lettuce...so now i keep a bag of mixture in my refridge consisiting of lettuce, carrots, bellpeppers, and parsley all chopped up. The first few times i gave them this "salad" theyd eat everything and leave the peppers.... then they began half heartedly taking a nibble or two off the peppers....and now they are as eager to get the peppers as the rest--theres never anything left int he bowl when i get up the next morning.

If all else fails, you can replace the water in their water bottles with pure cranberry juice to get them their vit c.