guinea baby sick?

Question
I bought my son a guinea pig from a petstore a couple of months ago, and to our suprise she was pregnant and not just alittle overfed! The baby is about a month old and has been doing well but now my son has told me that something is wrong with her. She tends to lay in one spot, not moving the hind legs much and falls over on her side.Its like she cant use the back legs. Is it possibly a vitamin deficiecy? If they need calcium or vit D, how much, and in which form? Are there certain veggies that are good for them and vitamin enriched? Thankyou so much in advance for your help!!!
Colleen"

Answer
Hi Colleen,

Are both the mother and the baby getting plenty of vitamin C?  Guinea pigs do need calcium and vitamin D also, but their pellets should be providing enough.  It is uncommon for guinea pigs to be suffering from a deficiency of vitamin D.  If you are feeding "rodent food" or guinea pig pellets from the grocery store you need to switch to guinea pig pellets from a pet store.  The pellets should contain a minimum of 18% protein.

Your description actually sounds a little more like scurvy, which is caused by not enough vitamin C.  Guinea pigs, like humans, need vitamin C added to their diets.  You can give fresh fruits and veggies, such as parsley, oranges, apples, carrots, red leaf lettuce, and other fresh greens.  I use a supplement in the water because I can monitor it better.  I use powdered vitamin C from a health food store.  The dosage is 1/4 teaspoon to a gallon of water for healthy piggies, which I double for pregnant, lactating, newborn, or ill guinea pigs.  Vitamin C is not a stable vitamin (despite claims on packaging to the contrary) and by the time guinea pig pellets are 90 days old (from the date of manufacture, not the date sold or opened) it contains almost no vitamin C.  This is a treatable condition but you should take her to the vet (an exotics vet who works with guinea pigs is the only safe vet to take a guinea pig too).  They can give a vitamin C shot that will see you through, if the condition is scurvy.

For proper diagnosis you should take her to a veterinarian.  I'm sorry to say, but I believe that you will lose her if she does not get a proper diagnosis and treatment.

I hope this was of some help.  If you have any other questions let me know.

Annie