🍊 Vitamin C for Guinea Pigs: Why It Matters

Guinea pigs cannot make their own vitamin C. How much they need, the best sources, and how to avoid scurvy.

Guinea pigs share a rare quirk with humans: they cannot make their own vitamin C, so they have to get it from their diet every single day. Get this wrong and scurvy creeps in quietly.

How much they need

A healthy adult needs roughly 10 to 30 mg of vitamin C a day, and a pregnant or poorly pig needs more. You do not need to measure it to the milligram, you just need it in the diet daily, because their bodies cannot store much.

The best sources

Bell pepper is the star: high in vitamin C and low in sugar, safe every day.
Leafy greens, a little broccoli, and small amounts of fruit like strawberry or kiwi all help.
Many owners add a plain vitamin C supplement as insurance.

Skip the water drops. Vitamin C tablets that dissolve in the water bottle degrade fast in light and can put pigs off drinking. Fresh food and a direct supplement are far better.

Signs of deficiency (scurvy)

A rough coat, swollen or painful joints, reluctance to move, poor appetite and slow healing. If you see these, get more vitamin C in straight away and see an exotic vet. Not sure which foods deliver it? Our food checker flags the vitamin-C-rich ones.

Last updated August 2026 · Written from years of keeping long-haired guinea pigs in the Houston area. This is general care information, not veterinary advice. For anything medical, please see an exotic vet.

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