Vitamin C Supplements

Similar to our bodies, guinea pigs are unable to manufacture their own vitamin c, so getting it from their diet is very important. Guinea pigs that don’t get enough vitamin c are at risk for getting scurvy.

The best way to make sure your guinea pigs get enough vitamin c is to include daily vitamin c supplments in their diet. You can also accomplish this if your piggies are given a good  selection of vegetables high in vitamin c. However, you also want to make sure you don’t over feed your piggies vegetables, which can lead to other issues like bloating and soft poop.

If you prefer to go the supplement route, you can get vitamin c tablets specifically made for small mammals. One brand we have used in our household is Oxbow. You can also use liquid vitamin c that is made for humans, which is what our piggies prefer.

Now, you might also see vitamin c drops in your local pet food store. This is not recommended because the vitamin c wil dilute in your piggies’ water and they will not end up getting the daily amount they need. Vitamin c is also sensitive to light, and exposure in your piggies’ clear water bottle can render it useless.

Guinea pigs generally need about 50 mg of vitamin c per day, with younger piggies needing less, and older or pregnant piggies needing more. Now, I have personally seen some guinea pig websites touting as high as 90 mg or as low as 25 mg of vitamin c per day per pig. Our vet recommended 50 mg for our boys, so you would want to check with you vet to make sure your piggies are getting the amount that they need.

Daily vitamin c feedings can be a bonding opportunity for you and your piggies. Our boys look forward to their daily supplements every night. They run up to the edge of the cage and wheek and bite the bars when they hear me preparing their vitamin c using the syringe.