Can guinea pigs take oil supplements for skin or joint health?

Joint problems are not common at all in guinea pig and glucosamine has not been proven to be effective even in dogs and humans so the answer would be a definitive No, you don't need to give your guinea pig any Glucosamine.

Thanks for your question about Theo and Leo. I was not sure if your question was asking about keeping the bones strong or helping with the joints, so I’ll try to speak to both. For the bones, the most important nutrient to keep them strong will be calcium. Thankfully, you won’t need to supplement anything in the diet to ensure that calcium levels are adequate, as long as you are feeding a high quality grass hay (and they are eating it, of course). If it is the joints that you are concerned about, due to the potential for arthritis after a bone heals in a suboptimal fashion, then you’ll have a few options. A supplement that you can use is the Oxbow joint supplement- it is a tablet that guinea pigs can eat on a daily basis. Other medications, such as anti-inflammatories and other pain relievers, would require a veterinary visit to see if they are needed. Please don’t give the guinea pigs any human medications at home, as many of these are harmful to our furry friends. I hope this gives you a place to start, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Congratulations on your new guinea pigs! The most common cause of itching and dried skin in a new guinea pig would be mites (more common) or lice of the skin. Unfortunately you usually will not be able to see these with the naked eye and a vet will need to check your guinea pigs over and do a skin scrape to check for the parasites. In the US we most commonly use a product called Revolution to treat these parasites, but it is prescription only and also requires the guinea pigs to be accurately weighed to determine the safe dose. For these reasons, unfortunately, I would not recommend rubbing coconut oil on their skin. It could cause further irritation and delaying treatment could result in more expense if skin lesions appear and become infected.

Vitamin e and fish oils work synergistically to promote healthy skin and coat. I would only also suggest that you ensure you use supplements which are designed for pets. thwse are available at most pet stores.

Cod liver oil contains a large proportion of vitamins and minerals which can be difficult to adjust in small dosages. A blended omega fatty acid supplement formulated specifically for cats is preferred such as viacutan, omega aid or vitacat. Other options are specialist skin diets such as hills or royal canin which are additionally supplemented with natural antiinflammatory and coat conditioning ingredients

I would recommend an oral fatty acid supplement to help keep the skin healthy. Welactin is one we commonly use, though your vet can also recommend a product or your local pet store may also carry fatty acid supplements.

I recommend the following supplement, depending on your guinea pig's size you should give her between 1/2-1 tab: https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/oxbow-vitamin-c-supplement-42-oz-5022783--1