Oxbow, based out of Nebraska, has made it’s way from word of mouth and veterinarian offices, to retail direct-to-public in recent years.
I have used them since 2007 and they have a very wide range of snacks, dietary staples and nutritional supplements for bunnies, rats, chinchillas, and guinea pigs. They carry vitamin C tablets, hay, snacks and food at Petsmart.

One item you can’t generally find in retail is called Critical Care. They made it in two formulas: herbivores and omnivores

Seeing as how I know little about reptiles I will state they may make a variety for them as well, but I’m doing all this from my phone off the top of my head.

They have 2 different flavors: apple banana and anise original
This means nothing to my guinea pig herd.
I have tried mixing it with different flavors of baby food. No one liked the stuff. One time I mixed in pineapple juice instead of water and they all wanted in.

This was perfect since the main ingredient in the chewable vitamin c was dried pineapple. I crush up 1 in the morning feeding with my mortar and pestle and toss it in. Later feedings in the day get only a half tablet in each batch.

I have been trying handfeedings for years before it has gotten easy.

The directions on the bag say 2 parts water to 1 part mix. They recommend doing this with 1 tablespoon of Critical Care and use it throughout the day. This does not work for me. I use 1 teaspoon. I make fresh batches every time. No reheating involved or storage.

I learned to use a wider gauge tip on the syringe and a minimum 5mL size. Smaller batches yield 7-10mL, so a reload is required with my supplies, but it gets finished in one feeding. There is no force feeding and they usually eat right from the tip if you just plunge the goo out slowly and evenly.

my scenario: Coco can’t eat much on her own. She needs teeth filed plus she gets cysts in my abdomen, suspected on her ovaries. She has also produced bladder stones. the most effective treatments for any of these involve general anesthesia. If a critter has lost weight for any reason, it’s recommended to get them bulked up and healthy or else their chances for surviving going under can be cut in half. My baby is the second guinea pig I ever got and is 4 and a half years old as well as my oldest living piggie.

Recently I bought the large bag at the vet. It’s at least $30. It’s nutritionally sound and she’s basically living off of it right now.

That’s it.

Current weight 854g