At what point are nails a good length?

M

Morecaviesthebetter

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Jan 11, 2024
Messages
21
Reaction score
23
Points
175
Location
UK
My girls are both rescues and when they came to us their nails were really quite long. Ebony's front and back nails were curled, while Juno's were starting to curl at the front.
We've had them for a year and Ebony's front nails are still curled at different angles, they were first trimmed at the vets after we adopted them, but we now do it ourselves as needed, probably every month.

I don't think they're too long, but Ebony's front nails are still curled in different directions, while Juno's grow perfectly straight. Can this be fixed, or will they always grow like this? I want to make sure she's comfy when she's walking.

Photo of Ebony's nails for reference (the worse front paw)
Many thanks

IMG-20250701-WA0002.webp
 
Ah maybe cos I was on my phone earlier. I can see both photos now that I am on my laptop!

Those nails look good to me. They need cutting when they get all pointed at the tips.
 
Thea's 🌈 nails were terrible to cut because she was so old (8 1/2) they were really curly and one even started to corkscrew. I wimped out of cutting them and Aunty Lilli (Boarder) did it for me. Misty's nails are starting to curl and Bramble's nails are still nice and straight but I still wimp out and ask the Aunty Lilli to do it. I cut them if I have to but they are Drama Queens with me but with Aunty Lilli they are fine.
 
Betsy said:
Thea's 🌈 nails were terrible to cut because she was so old (8 1/2) they were really curly and one even started to corkscrew. I wimped out of cutting them and Aunty Lilli (Boarder) did it for me. Misty's nails are starting to curl and Bramble's nails are still nice and straight but I still wimp out and ask the Aunty Lilli to do it. I cut them if I have to but they are Drama Queens with me but with Aunty Lilli they are fine.
Click to expand...
I get that. I'm more confident than I used to be with previous piggies, but with Ebony I get so worried! Black nails are harder because you can't see where the quick is! And I want her nails to be straighter but I don't want to trim anymore than they currently are for fear of hurting her...
 
I'm not an expert at all, but I think some piggies just have naturally curlier nails than others. I've also heard that they curl more with age but I'm not sure if that's just a myth. All my piggies have had curly nails (except Eddie who is still a baby)

Ebony's nails in your photo look perfect to me. I don't think you can stop the curling so you just aim to keep them short enough that they're comfortable. Black nails are much more difficult! I tend to cut them more often and not as short so I don't get too near the quick because I'm terrified of nicking it. I have also called in the vet to help before when I had a piggie with one really curly awkward black nail that I could never get to myself!
 
JaseChase said:
I'm not an expert at all, but I think some piggies just have naturally curlier nails than others. I've also heard that they curl more with age but I'm not sure if that's just a myth. All my piggies have had curly nails (except Eddie who is still a baby)

Ebony's nails in your photo look perfect to me. I don't think you can stop the curling so you just aim to keep them short enough that they're comfortable. Black nails are much more difficult! I tend to cut them more often and not as short so I don't get too near the quick because I'm terrified of nicking it. I have also called in the vet to help before when I had a piggie with one really curly awkward black nail that I could never get to myself!
Click to expand...
That's really reassuring! We do this too, more frequent and less off each time. Even if it's barely millimeters at a time, just to keep them down and prevent them curling more awkwardly!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top