Why is Vitamin C Such an Important Part of a Cavies Diet?
(main points taken from David Hardesty in an article he wrote for ACBA) All animal life is dependent upon an external source of organic (carbon based) matter for normal growth and tissue maintenance. Very often the availability of this supply will fluctuate from feast to famine depending upon various environmental conditions such as rainfall or agriculatural seasons. Evolution has equipped organisms to minimize the affects of this fluctuating food supply in a number of ways. Adapting behavior to wait out time of inadequate supply of nutrients by hibernation or brumation is one way. During times of plenty, excess carbohydrates and proteins are metabolized within the liver and stored as fat for future usage. Vitamins, normally found in minute quantities within the diet, do not work on this time frame for storage. Depending upon the physical structure of the particular vitamin molecule, vitamins are retained in varying degrees within the body. Vitamins A, D, E, and K belong to the fat sol
