Just this week after the article was written but not yet published, I encountered 4 guinea pigs suffering from vitamin C deficiency. I hope this article can help pet owners prevent this disease.

In the process of raising pet owners, one often The troublesome question is, how much vegetables and fruits should I eat? This issue is debated endlessly among many small animal groups. Some people say that you should try not to eat it, as eating too much will cause diarrhea; some people say that you must eat it, otherwise you may be lacking in vitamins. Everyone agrees that the public is right, and the mother-in-law is right, and in the end There is no conclusion. This issue is indeed a very important key in the process of raising guinea pigs, and even directly affects their lives.

Guinea pigs, like humans, monkeys, and apes, cannot produce vitamin C on their own, which means that if they cannot get enough vitamins from their diet, the vitamin C in their bodies will disappear quickly. Vitamin C is a necessary component for the production of collagen. Collagen is a protein necessary for healthy skin, joints, and blood vessels. If collagen is reduced, the most prominent and common manifestations are walking problems, joint swelling, and subcutaneous, muscle, and Bleeding in the membranes surrounding the skull, brain and intestines.

Vitamin C deficiency will cause weakness, fatigue, lack of activity, walking lameness in guinea pigs, and their hair will become rough. This week’s special is Madder’s lecithin series, Madder’s lecithin for cats INPLUS Special offer for 90 yuan for 500 grams; 550 grams of INVET medical lecithin for dogs is 95 yuan. It is specially prepared to improve skin resistance, moisturize and make hair shiny and soft. Interested pet friends can click on the picture below to go to the mall to buy it. Loss of appetite, toothache and difficulty chewing , difficulty in swallowing, weight loss, diarrhea, decreased resistance, trembling, convulsions, or sudden death. Everyday in the hospital, we will look for bleeding or joint problems to determine whether guinea pigs are deficient in vitamin C.

Precisely because guinea pigs will lack vitamin C, the result of the above debate is that guinea pigs must supplement fresh vegetables or fruits every day. The key point is what kind of food to supplement, and whether vegetables and fruits will cause diarrhea in guinea pigs. disease?

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In daily life, the vitamin C added to food is not stable and will be affected by exposure to moist air, light, Due to decomposition and loss by heat and other factors, more than half of the vitamin C added to guinea pig food may be lost within 3 months, so even if a sufficient amount of guinea pig food is given, they may still suffer from vitamin C deficiency. If they also suffer from other diseases or problems, causing them to not eat enough, or the body cannot absorb vitamin C normally, the probability of vitamin C deficiency will be greatly increased.

What vegetables or fruits can guinea pigs eat daily to supplement vitamins healthily? It must be emphasized here that fruits and vegetables must be provided in appropriate amounts, not exceeding 5% of the total food. Carrots, apples, and cucumbers are the best daily fruits and vegetables for guinea pigs. Oranges, strawberries, and cherry tomatoes are all fruits that can be given to guinea pigs in small amounts occasionally. They can be a good supplement for vitamin C, but they are not suitable for their daily meals. Come and eat.

Bell peppers are good food. I would like to emphasize that bell peppers are not hot peppers. You can taste them before giving them to your guinea pigs. Some domestic friends may have seen some articles directly translated from foreign countries saying that it is good to eat green peppers for guinea pigs. However, in the United States, most green peppers are licked and rarely spicy. They are not the spicy green peppers and chili peppers in China. Some friends After feeding to guinea pigs, problems such as abdominal pain and diarrhea will occur;

Vegetables are also one of the foods for guinea pigs to supplement vitamin C, such as broccoli, coriander, radish leaves, and kale, which can be given to guinea pigs as part of their food every day when they are healthy. Careful friends must have noticed that I did not list common cabbage, cabbage and other plants. These vegetables can be given to guinea pigs daily, but cruciferous vegetables can cause flatulence. Healthy guinea pigs have no problem, but once constipation occurs, we still need to eat it. Guinea pig flatulence may occur if it is not detected in time. This is one of the most common and most terrifying diseases in guinea pigs, so we must try to avoid it.

The main treatment for vitamin C deficiency is to take pet vitamin C tablets orally or inject vitamin C every day. During pregnancy, female guinea pigs need to supplement more than usual. Pet owners need to be reminded here that when supplementing guinea pigs with vitamin C, it is not recommended to use multivitamins or cat and dog vitamins, because some other vitamins may be dangerous to guinea pigs.