Nail Clipping

I know there is a thread on this in useful articles but the pictures don't work anymore!

I am thinking of trimming Temperance nails myself. I am not sure the vet nurse is trimming them short enough, particularly the back ones. This is not her fault as they are dark so you can't see the quick. This is why I am thinking of doing it myself as then I can trim them more often to keep them in check as she gets very stressed going to the vets.

I can't pick her up (I couldn't even get her in a bunny burrito when she was just home from being spayed ), but she lets me touch her feet so hopefully I'll be able to trim them just by picking up each foot individually. I think she has tickly back feet though so some persuasion in the form of noms may be required.

Her front nails are clear and you can clearly see the quick, as above her back nails are dark. Also her feet are really quite hairy but the nails poke out quite a lot and are curling a bit so they are too long. I've also noticed that she sits on her hocks, is this normal or due to long nails?!

my questions:
Can anyone recommend some good nail clippers?
I watched the Happy Hoppers youtube video and know to go for the scissor type rather than the guillotine type but there are lots available!

Any pointers on trimming her dark back nails?
I read that if you trim them just a little each time the quick will retreat over time. Is this true?

Thanks,
Gayle

Hi Hun,

In all honesty nail trimming scares the life out of me they are all little beasts when I try.

We use a really good pair of human nail clippers though and that works quite well.

Good luck!

We have some like these although I don't think we paid that much for them.

Humum says the best tip she was told for clipping dark claws was the squeeze-squeeze-cut method. Pick where you think you ought to cut and squeeze gently. If bun does not flinch, squeeze a little harder. If bun still does not flinch, cut. Be ready for a huge drama if the bun does decide you are going to maim it though - they'll pull their foot away like greased lightning and give you the filthiest look ever

Humum hates clipping claws and dreads the day she nicks a quick, but she does ours when we need it. Hudad has to hold us while she clips. Even very wriggly buns like Layla seem to get the message that this is going to happen no matter what once Humum starts on a paw, and stop wriggling.

We've also heard about the quick receding once the claws are regularly trimmed, so doing a little tiny bit once a week is probably worthwhile until you have them at a manageable length. On the bright side, even us indoor buns only need ours doing every ten or twelve weeks or so.

Sparky wrote:We've also heard about the quick receding once the claws are regularly trimmed, so doing a little tiny bit once a week is probably worthwhile until you have them at a manageable length. On the bright side, even us indoor buns only need ours doing every ten or twelve weeks or so.

Rory needs his nails clipped badly. BUT...he is SO fast and SO wiggly clipping his nails at this point seems impossible! Luckily his nails are clear. But the problem remains how to capture the little guy and get him burritoed! We can get a hold of him but he wiggles loose before we can apply the burrito!

I can't for the life of me remember where I got my clippers from

All the buns hate having their claws clipped but Herbie, Hollie, Rosie and sometimes BJ don't wriggle when held upside down and I clip their claws in that position. It's a bit quicker I think as it is easier to get to the claws whilst holding a paw. I dread doing BJ's - his claws are jet black and the ones on his back feet are soooooooo thick I opt for the 'little but often approach'!

My Chris cut into Gabriel's quick once and BJ somehow managed to snap a claw off The amount of blood that produced

Our nail clippers we use are these http://www.petsathome.com/shop/small-nail-clipper-by-pets-at-home-95251 from Pets at Home.

If the nails are dark and you can't see the quick hold a torch behind the nail ( if you can) and this will show up the quick.

Always have a Stypic pencil handy just in case of bleeding.

The torch is great for seeing the quick. We do Myrtles nails on the bed, there is no way she would let me near her nails whilst in her territory

Picked up a pair of clippers in PaH today. Just need to wait for Temperance to settle down and I will give them a go
I will pick up a Stypic pencil asap, in the mean time I'll just do the front ones and a tiny bit of the back ones. I am not sure I'll be able to get a torch behind her back nails to see the quick :/

I might give Willow's and Mojo's a go at home for the first time. Need to pick up some more clippers though, I broke the pair I had for my guinea pigs...

I think if I dump Willow on the table with a pile of noms she should be quite cooperative. Will try the same with little Mo but he is small enough to hold still should we need to. Willow has all white nails and Mojo white front feet. Nervous about doing his back feet though

I managed to get some done last night
The "squeeze squeeze snip" method seems to be the best for her back feet

I noticed that her 'thumb' nail on one front foot curves up the way instead of down. She pulled her foot away as soon as I touched it. Anyone experienced odd growing nails? It's never been a problem when getting trimmed at the vets before but then she is scared and just sits still at the vet.

My one guinea pig has very deformed nails - they grow in all sorts of directions. I had to stop trimming them myself as they are all black and I was so worried I was going to nick her. Like you said though, they do tend to sit still and quiet when out of their environment.

Not sure what advice I can offer really

The guy who trims Silver's nails just does them "as normal" - he is just a bit braver than I am!