I've got to cut my guinea pigs' nails . . . any tips?

Question

I'm worried about hurting them!

Answer 1

take him to the vet, and let him show you how to do it first, and then he`ll help you. That website tells you how......------>

Answer 2

It's much easier if your guinea pig has light nails where you can see the vein running through but a good rule of thumb is if the nails are dark only cut the pointy tips but don't cut tons of the nail. the veins will eventually retreat making it a little easier to cut more nail as time goes on. If you're still nervous take it to a vet. Cutting pets nails feels just like ours. If you cut too short there will be a little pain and some blood if you cut way too short. You can stop the bleeding by getting a epsie stick at your local pet store which will stop bleending. Another remedy that I foudn that works if you don't have the stick is if the animal starts to bleed get a bar of soap and drag the nail through it. It creates a temporary bandaid giving the nail time to clot and stop bleeding. My biggest fear when I cut my pets nails is that they'll move and I'll cut more than I wanted to. One way that I avoid that from happening is I wrap them securly in a towel (think like a baby bundle) and this way they always feel supported and don't feel the need to adjust. I just open the towel enough to take a paw, cut the nails, and put the paw back in. My rabbits have grown really used to this and are very calm now when I cut nails. Good luck!

Answer 3

This is how i do any new or nervous pigs. Always use a human fingernail clipper, it will give you more control in tight situations. Sissors are dangerous and dog and cat nail clippers cant always get around a curly nail
First step:
get a big towel. Wrap him up in it tight (dont squeeze him) cover his head and face, only let his one paw out at a time. The towel will not let him see what your doing and it will muffle the sound of the clipper.
Second:
Go to store before you start, get some Stypic powder or Blood stopper powder its cheap and easy to get at any pet store or groomers. Have the lid off and some q-tips available around the area your going to do it
Third:
Get the one paw exposed, talk to piggy in low soothing sounds, clean the nails well, then if he has white nails, only cut to before the pink toe, dont cut the toe at all or it will bleed (Thats what the stypic powder is for) Try to do it fast, and quietly. If he struggles, wait a second, re-adjust him and try again.
If the claw is black you ONLY take the very tip off, never farther in cause you can not see the toe. With black clawed pigs best to do the clipping once a week to keep the nail from starting to curl under. White clawed you only have to do it once a month cause you can get them really short.
do this for all 4 feet. Eventually some pigs, if you not constantly making mistakes and nicking the toes, get very used to it and dont need the towel method any more. Some never get used to it and need to be pampered. I suggest getting at them every few weeks if they are white nailed pigs, and black clawed every week. You will be a pro in no time! I have raised guinea pigs proffesionally for 17+ years and run a rescue. I have been around all kinds of nails, even ones of neglected pigs that have been allowed to grow so long they curled around to grow into the pads of there feet, making them permenantly lame.

Answer 4

if you are worried get a vet do do it untill you can
but avoid cutting the quick. if the nail is clear its the pink bit if the nail is dark on the underside of the nail there is a thicker bit thats the quick (blood supply to nail)
get someone to hold it still while u cut as all the g-pigs ive trimmed allways shake there legs.
and i found sissors to be cr*p for this i use small dog nail cutters (looks like a crabs claw) ther great and a lot faster

Answer 5

if they have white paws then you can see where the blood supply ends in the nail so just dont cut into this. if they have dark paws it is harder to tell just make sure you leave a goodquarter inch (unless this bleeds) then its trial and error. they will hate it but be firm and get it over with!! if you cut them regulaly it is easier as when they get too long they curl up. use proper guinea pig nail cutters avail from the vets or pet shops. if still in doubt the vet will show you. try bribing them (the pigs) with cucumber..... good luck and dont get bitten!!!!

Answer 6

if you go to a pet store, there are special nail cutters specifically for small animals (or cats) make sure you have a styptic or hemostatic pencil to stop the bleeding in case you cut the guinea pig which you can get from a vet or possibly a specialty pet store. If all this seems to be too much. your vet will do it and some pets store will too! hope this helps.

Answer 7

well,i don't really take care of guinea pigs,but i do take care of dogs,cats,rabbits and chinchillas... ^^

just hold themclose to your chest and let them feel your heartbeat,it makes them calm down a bit.after that,start talking really soothingly to make them sence you mean no harm and they won't struggle that much.

if they keep on struggling,just put the guinea pig between your legs(legs facing you)and just slightly squeeze it,just enough to stop it from moving.

when you cut it's nails,make sure you don't cut the quick,which is the red part of the nail,because that's the thing's blood vessel...if you do cut it,it will be in terrible pain,if it's not really serious,just use some tissues and hold the poor thing's hand until the blood stops pouring out,if it is serious,take it to the vet!!!!

hope this could help-^_^-(''')~~pawprint

Answer 8

If you have to do them yourself then wrap them up tight in a towell. It makes them feel safer and stops them srom struggling, Also make sure you dont cut into the vein. It hurts them. I clip my guinea pig's nails all the time and i dont have a problem. Just do it quick so they cant kick out.
Have fun!

Answer 9

If you look at them in the light ... you will see a little red line going down (inside) the nail . This is the blood supply . There should be a little bit left at the end . ( white ) Cut that.
be sure to have a little treat ! I use the edges off the cucumber ! He loves them !
The more you cut his nails . the blood supply will go up ,
so you can cut more off his/her nail .Either use baby cloppers/nail scissors , clippers are best for Me !

Answer 10

i used to take mine to the vet as she would struggle in my arms and i was scared to hurt her
but the general rule is (if she is tame enough to have a good grip on, warning, she will try to run off!!) you must never cut beyound a certain point, they have a vein running through the centre of their nail (you will be able to see if if she has white nails) znd you must never EVER cut that cos it would really hurt. if the guinea pigs nails are dark and you cannot see this vein, you must take him to the vet.
good luck!!!
by the way, if you go to the vet beware of the lingo they say 'claws clipped' not 'toenails cut' i leant this to my embarassement in front of a whole waiting room!!

Answer 11

hiya, i have two female guniea pigs. i was the same as you at one time. i cut my guinea`s pig nails by myself. I brought some special clippers from a pet shop, the way is to not too much otherwise they bleed.