Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Introduce Vitamin C into your Guinea Pig Diet
• Method 2 of 3: Introducing Dietary Supplements with Ascorbic Acid
• Method 3 of 3: Addressing Vitamin C Deficiency in Guinea Pigs

In the process of evolution, guinea pigs (like humans) have lost the ability to synthesize vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in their bodies. If there is too little ascorbic acid in the guinea pig's diet, the animal becomes deficient in vitamin C and becomes ill. The daily recommended dose of vitamin C for a guinea pig is 25 milligrams per kilogram of body weight, which increases to 75 milligrams per kilogram of body weight during pregnancy. There are several ways to ensure that your pet's diet is getting the right amount of vitamin C.

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Introduce Vitamin C into your Guinea Pig Diet

1. 1 Do not think that grass or hay will meet the needs of your guinea pig. Hay (including hay based on timothy and alfalfa) and fresh grass are considered to be the main food for guinea pigs. However, these foods contain only a small amount of vitamin C. In addition to the main diet, the guinea pig should be fed foods that contain ascorbic acid.
   • Make sure your guinea pig can eat as much hay as she wants, regardless of the nutritional supplements you plan to add to your diet.
   • If your guinea pig is pregnant, you can add alfalfa hay, which is rich in protein and calcium, to her diet.
2. 2 Choose a pelleted food for guinea pigs that contains vitamin C. Quality food for guinea pigs is enriched with ascorbic acid, which is added during the production process.
   • It is recommended to store granules for no more than a month. Vitamin C is destroyed over time. If stored according to the manufacturer's recommendations, ascorbic acid is retained in it for three months, but this period can be significantly reduced if the feed is kept in conditions of high humidity and temperature.
   • Feed the animal according to the instructions on the product packaging. On average, an adult guinea pig eats about 10 grams of pellets daily, in addition to hay and fresh vegetables.
3. 3 Add leafy greens to your guinea pig's diet. Dark leafy vegetables such as kale, cabbage, parsley, spinach, chicory, and green parts of dandelions and mari are good sources of ascorbic acid.If you want to add dandelion greens and white gauze to your feed, carefully choose the place where you will pluck the plants - you should not feed the mumps with greens from the lawns, which are regularly treated with pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides.
   • Leafy greens should make up the majority of your guinea pig's vegetable diet. The animal should receive about 40 grams of green leaves per day.
4. 4 The rest of the vegetables and fruits can be fed to the guinea pig as a treat. Bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, strawberries, green peas, tomatoes, and kiwi are good sources of vitamin C for your pet.
   • Serve your guinea pig with vegetables and fruits several times a week. Since fruits contain a lot of sugar, you shouldn't give them too often.
5. 5 Avoid feeding your guinea pig food that could poison your animal. Some plant foods that are edible to humans can be dangerous or even poisonous to guinea pigs. Keep your gilts free of grains, cereal, nuts, legumes, corn, potatoes, onions, beets, rhubarb and pickled foods. Keep track of how much spinach you give your pet: spinach itself is good for pigs, but too much calcium in your pet's diet can trigger the development of urolithiasis. If you notice that your guinea pig does not feel well when it eats this or that product, eliminate it from the diet completely.

Method 2 of 3: Introducing Dietary Supplements with Ascorbic Acid

1. 1 Give your guinea pig special ascorbic acid tablets. These supplements come in the form of foods that guinea pigs love, so your pet will readily eat the healthy treat. Do not use products that are past their expiration date, as these supplements no longer contain the required amount of active vitamin C.
2. 2 Offer your guinea pig a vitamin supplement (liquid or tablet) intended for children. Do not give your pig too much vitamin C. Guinea pigs are much less than children, so the daily dose of ascorbic acid for a pet should not exceed 20-25 milligrams. Although vitamin C does not accumulate in the body of a guinea pig, it is harmful for an animal to eat too much sugar and other additives that are included in children's vitamins.
   • The vitamin supplement can be added to leafy greens or other treats to help your pig eat the supplement more readily.
   • Liquid vitamins can be given to the pig with the tip of a pipette or syringe without a needle, but if your pet refuses to lick the liquid, you will have to think of another way.
   • Never give your guinea pig an adult multivitamin. Such preparations contain not only ascorbic acid, but also other vitamins and minerals. These substances will not be beneficial to the pig, and in large quantities can be a health hazard to the pet.
3. 3 You shouldn't add vitamin C to your drinking water. Ascorbic acid will affect the taste of your drinking water, causing your guinea pig to not drink enough fluids, leading to both dehydration and vitamin C deficiency. In addition, vitamin C is degraded in water and when exposed to light. If you take a bottle of drinking water and add ascorbic acid to it, after eight hours the amount of bioavailable vitamin C in the water will be only 20% of the original.

Method 3 of 3: Addressing Vitamin C Deficiency in Guinea Pigs

1. 1 Determine if your pig is suffering from a vitamin C deficiency. Vitamin deficiency begins to manifest itself in the form of symptoms after two weeks. Common symptoms of vitamin C deficiency include:
   • poor appetite and weight loss;
   • bleeding gums and sore teeth;
   • violation of joint mobility;
   • discharge from the nose;
   • a change in the texture of the coat (it becomes coarser);
   • reduced resistance to infections and prolonged wound healing.
2. 2 Check with your veterinarian. If you think your guinea pig is not getting enough ascorbic acid, or your pet is showing symptoms of vitamin deficiency, take the animal to your veterinarian. A specialist will examine the animal and prescribe the necessary treatment.
   • Be sure to check with your veterinarian if you think your guinea pig is pregnant. Childbirth in guinea pigs is rather difficult, so in any case you cannot do without the help of a specialist.
3. 3 Use a dropper or untip syringe to administer vitamin C to a sick guinea pig. When your pet is not feeling well, including due to a vitamin C deficiency, he may refuse food supplements, vegetables and fruits rich in vitamin C. the mouth of the animal with a pipette or a syringe without a tip.
   • If your guinea pig recovers from vitamin C deficiency, you will need to give it higher doses of vitamin C for 1–2 weeks. Your veterinarian will prescribe the exact dosage for your pet.