What are the signs of vitamin C deficiency in guinea pigs?
Signs of Vitamin C deficiency include swollen joints, reluctance to move and evidence of joint discomfort, pain and lameness. If signs of a deficiency are noted they can be treated with a vitamin C supplementation, however some of these symptoms may persist for the rest of the guinea pig's life.
Symptoms. A pig suffering from vitamin C deficiency may appear weak and lethargic, have difficulty moving, lose weight and stop eating, display a rough coat, or have diarrhea. Some pigs might have internal bleeding. You may also notice a small exterior wound bleeding excessively or not healing correctly.
- Poor hair coat.
- Swellings or sores around the mouth/lips.
- Delayed wound healing.
- Poor appetite.
- Lethargy.
- Diarrhea.
- Difficulty moving or enlarged joints.
Ensure there is enough vitamin C in your pet's diet by feeding vegetables that are high in it such as fresh kale, parsley, red or green capsicum, spinach and broccoli. A small amount of fresh good quality guinea pig pellets (eg Oxbow, Vetafarm or Burgess) each day can provide adequate vitamin C.
For guinea pigs deficient in vitamin C, 30 mg per kilogram of body weight of vitamin C is needed until the signs of scurvy are gone. Usually, recovery takes about 1 week.
For these reasons, adding vitamin C to guinea pig's drinking water is not recommended. The best way to supplement vitamin C is either through vitamin C tablets or liquids given directly to the guinea pig or through the fresh foods they eat. Abbott and Proctor and Gamble make flavored vitamin C liquids for children.
1 You can buy vitamin C tablets specifically for guinea pigs (e.g. Oxbow's GTN-50C) or human chewable 100 mg tablets (note: make sure you are getting just vitamin C rather than a multivitamin formula). A quarter of a 100 mg tablet daily is a recommended dose for most adult guinea pigs.
All guinea pigs should receive a vitamin C tablet or liquid vitamin C directly by mouth every day, rather than in their drinking water, since the vitamin also breaks down rapidly in water and loses its potency.
Since vitamin C is important for so many different parts of the body, there are a whole range of symptoms that your piggie could develop if they don't have enough of it. You may see that they have a poor coat, ulcers on their skin or gums, diarrhoea, tooth problems, or swollen feet or joints.
Foods like carrots, kiwifruit, berries, and pineapple are also great as a source of Vitamin C and a tasty treat for your guinea pigs but only feed them a few times a week, not every day, as these foods have quite a high sugar content.
Can too much vitamin C hurt a guinea pig?
Excessive Vitamin C intake has been linked to the development of kidney and bladder stones, worsening arthritis symptoms and poor growth amongst young piggies.
They could be up at two in the morning running around with each other, or asleep at eight in the morning and up again an hour later. It's safe to say that guinea pigs enjoy the dark at least, but we'd even go as far as to say they prefer the dark!
Your guinea pig may be dehydrated if you see any of these problems: thick sticky saliva, crusty eyes, poor appetite, small amounts of dark colored urine, or hard dry fecal pellets. In order to correct dehydration, extra water must be given to your guinea pig.
With good owner education and co-operation, many guinea pigs will do well after a diagnosis of scurvy. With guinea pigs that present for other conditions, it is still a good idea to investigate and evaluate the amount of vitamin C in the diet, and supplement the diet if needed.
Plants are a natural source of vitamin C and green growing grass has plenty; however, hay is virtually devoid because of the oxidative instability of vitamin C.
There are several types of bedding available for Guinea Pigs to nest in, including paper-based, fleece, wood, and hay. The best bedding for your Guinea Pig is either a paper or fleece based bedding.
Vegetables. Your guinea pigs should have fresh, washed leafy greens or weeds each day, such as kale or broccoli, which are excellent sources of Vitamin C. Guinea pigs don't naturally eat fruit or root vegetables, but you can give them in small amounts as treats, such as small pieces of carrot or an apple quarter.
Cucumbers have a bunch of Vitamin C, which is great because guinea pigs require lots of it in their diet! They need 10-50 mg per day, and cucumbers have 5.3 mg in a 100 g serving. Vitamin C is necessary for building up immunity, which is essential for guinea pigs because they can get infections so easily.
Unfortunately, even with all the vitamins that carrots would provide your guinea pig, there are also some negatives to feeding them too much of it. Carrots have a high sugar content, which isn't good for your guinea pig because they increase the risk of obesity and diabetes.
The most common and initial signs of scurvy in guinea pigs is a poor hair coat, poor ability to heal or fight infection, poor appetite, weight loss, and lethargy. Other common symptoms can include dental disease, bone weakness, body pain, and bloody diarrhea.
What happens if you give guinea pigs too much vitamin C?
Excessive Vitamin C intake has been linked to the development of kidney and bladder stones, worsening arthritis symptoms and poor growth amongst young piggies.
Treatment of Scurvy involves your veterinarian prescribing a vitamin C supplement. As you'd expect, this is increase the vitamin C levels in your guinea pig. The diet fed to your guinea pig will also need to be adjusted to prevent them developing the disease again.
There are many different brands of liquid vitamin C sold in health food stores. Most have about 250 mg per teaspoon so a dose of 1/8 teaspoon a day is right for a guinea pig if needed.
