{"topic_id":"exotic_nutrition_guinea_pig","category":"exotic-pet-nutrition","context":"---\ntopic_id: exotic_nutrition_guinea_pig\ncategory: exotic-pet-nutrition\ntitle: \"Guinea pig nutrition — dietary vitamin C requirement\"\nlang: en\nsource: \"First-hand professional veterinary reference, saved to source_file; paraphrased derived fact summary per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3. Deepened 2026-08-01.\"\nsource_file: pdf-raw/exotic-health/mvm_guinea_pig_vitamin_c.txt\ndate_parsed: 2026-08-01\ntokens_estimated: 415\nverification:\n  method: paraphrase\n  claims: 12\n  passed: 12\n  date: 2026-08-01\nrecovered: false\npath: exotic-pet-nutrition/exotic_nutrition_guinea_pig/01_exotic_nutrition_guinea_pig.md\nsource_document: \"Merck Veterinary Manual\"\ncitation:\n  authority: \"Merck Veterinary Manual\"\n  title: \"Guinea pig nutrition — dietary vitamin C requirement\"\n  url: \"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals\"\n  retrieved: \"2026-08-01\"\n  ref: \"\"\n  doc_type: \"professional veterinary reference\"\n  needs_review: false\nlicense: paraphrase\ncopyright_note: \"Source Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) is a copyrighted veterinary reference and not openly licensed; per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3 all claims are paraphrased derived fact summaries (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not verbatim quotations.\"\nauthority_tier: T3\nauthority_tier_basis: \"T3:vet-ref\"\nauthority_tier_date: 2026-08-04\n---\n\n# Guinea pig nutrition — dietary vitamin C requirement\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com), a copyrighted veterinary reference. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, the points below are paraphrased derived fact summaries: numerical values and proper nouns are preserved from the source, but sentences are rewritten and not quoted verbatim.\n\n## Claims\n\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Use a solid-floor enclosure to avoid pododermatitis and foot or limb injury.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Bedding may be recycled paper products, fleece, or other fiber- and string-free material.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Provide more hiding spots than animals (e.g., three guinea pigs need at least four hides).\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Give safe, nontoxic enrichment items, store-bought or homemade.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Guinea pigs are obligate herbivore hindgut fermenters built for a high-fiber, low-nutrient, poorly digestible diet.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Adults need high-quality grass-based hay, plus grass-based species pellets and produce.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Growing guinea pigs need leafy greens and low-sugar fruit such as bell peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Make all diet changes gradually.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* They need a steady vitamin C source: about 10–25 mg/kg/day for adults and 30 mg/kg or more for growing, pregnant, lactating, or ill individuals.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Many commercial pellets use a stabilized form of vitamin C that resists breakdown by heat and light.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* Fresh produce supplies additional vitamin C.\n- *[Paraphrased derived summary — non-Open-Access source.]* A 2025 study linked offering 7–10 or more types of produce to a lower chance of urinary stones.\n---\n## License & attribution\n\nSource: Merck Veterinary Manual (merckvetmanual.com) is a copyrighted veterinary reference and is not openly licensed. Per COPYRIGHT_POLICY §3, every claim above is a paraphrased derived fact summary (numbers and proper nouns preserved, sentences rewritten), not a verbatim quotation.\n\n- https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals","sources":["exotic-pet-nutrition — Guinea pig nutrition — dietary vitamin C requirement (retrieved 2026-08-01)"],"source":{"authority":"exotic-pet-nutrition","title":"Guinea pig nutrition — dietary vitamin C requirement","url":"https://www.merckvetmanual.com/exotic-and-laboratory-animals","retrieved":"2026-08-01","ref":"","doc_type":"official PDF","source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual","verification_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-health/mvm_guinea_pig_vitamin_c.txt"},"source_document":"Merck Veterinary Manual","source_file":"pdf-raw/exotic-health/mvm_guinea_pig_vitamin_c.txt","trust":{"authority_tier":"T3","fidelity":"paraphrase","license":"paraphrase","display_grade":"B"},"tokens_estimated":603,"generated_at":null,"tip":"Use /api/v1/topics to discover more topics. /api/v1/nutrient for precise single-point queries. /api/v1/cross_compare for 2-3 standard comparisons."}