• Discussions taking place within this forum are intended for the purpose of assisting you in discussing options with your vet. Any other use of advice given here is done so at your risk, is solely your responsibility and not that of this forum or its owner. Before posting it is your responsibility you abide by this Statement

Black Claws - How Do I Trim Them?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Kerrie74

Kerrie74

Adult Guinea Pig
Joined
Mar 6, 2015
Messages
4,866
Reaction score
3,996
Points
1,185
Location
Nottingham, England
Can anyone give me some pointers please?

We have 9 guinea's in total and it gets a bit expensive taking them to have their claws clipped. My son's fine doing the one's where you can see the wick, but we don't want to hurt the others.

Also how would someone deal with a guinea that bites when you try and cut his claws? I've got a feeling Jericho is going to do exactly that when we try and trim his, he's a biter sadly.

Thanks in advance :)
 
The front paws of one of my pigs are black and I struggle I must say! I try to shine a torch underneath which is meant to show the quick but don't find that that always helps. I tend to trim tiny bits off at a time. I gently squeeze the clippers and if she doesn't squeak in protest I assume it's fine for me to cut through. I just take it very slowly.

I don't have a biter but I do have a fidget and food distractions help a lot!

Good luck!
 
my answer is... with difficulty! :)) mollie's nails are black and lay to the side so it's difficult. i find generally that the right place is where it starts to curve.. plus a little more. i shake like i'm responsible for cutting the right bomb wire or something though! :blink::))

with the biter... long sleeves.. and food! :))
 
Try wrapping them up like a sausage roll in a towel, with their head poking out and their bottom legs hanging out. I also find giving them a new or not often given food whilst clipping helps-they get distracted even if they don't like it.
Black claws, I just clip the ends and do it often as to not hurt them.
 
Good idea, thanks. I read trimming often makes the quick shrink so maybe they'd end up with nice straight claws.
 
When I used to cut my black piggies nails, I just clipped a very very little amount off and just did them more often than my other pig!
 
Yeah I just found where I read just to do little and often. At least I know what to do now lol.

Thanks everyone :)
 
It's hard to tell where the wick is, but you kind-of get a feel for it the more you do it. However I still find caution is the key - never too much in case I misjudge it, and food bribery helps.
I have human nail clippers and proper animal claw scissors. I find it easier to be accurate with the human nail clippers but they do not make such a smooth cut. The two black-clawed piggies that I have had, have/had nails that curl. Nothing to do with colour, just the way they came to me as adult pigs, and this makes it more difficult to get the clippers/scissors in place.

I have to just do a few claws at a time else it stresses my pigs out otherwise.

I did read a tip that when piggies are very little and are first handled it's a good idea to lie them on their backs briefly (whether they like it or not) to get them used to being in that position when it comes to nail clipping. I have never done this, but perhaps it's something to think about.
 
Yeah I know colour doesn't matter in regards to curling but it's just so much easier to trim the lighter colour ones, we have a boar called Snow who has no real problems when his claws are trimmed because he's had them done since we got him (he was a baby when we got him), Storm on the other hand who also came to us as a baby is a bit mardy about it lol.

Yeah we're going to do what you guys have suggested and clip a bit at a time but do them more often.
 
Cut small bits often. One of my pigs had dark nails and it was far harder, but we managed to just trim the edges more often and only had a couple of mishaps. If you do cut the quick, you can press the nail in flour to stop the bleeding faster (or get one of those styptic pencils that is made for stopping blood!) One of my pigs bites when we cut her nails... we make it a two-man job, I hold her with my hands wrapped up in a blanket and my husband cuts while she bites the blanket. I've only been bitten badly by her once, before I started doing the blanket trick! Gardening gloves would probably work well too!
 
Once we start trimming the ends, how often should we do them? I meant to ask yesterday lol. I think we'll be doing them in the next couple of days. 8 Piggies to trim, one's been done, but he's easy lol.
 
i check the nails every week and trim the very ends off any that need it. this way you don't have to cut all of them at once. and it's a bonus when some weeks none need doing! :))
 
Well not only do I a have a guinea pig with black claws she don't like the idea of not getting them professionally done either !
If they tend to be to short to cut but sharp i give them a file down but otherwise I cut a mm at a time but press lightly before hand if she can feel me pressing down shell squeal (you soon learn when it's a squeal of annoyance or a squeal for worried) good luck x
PS. you can also shine a light through the claw if your nervous to get an idea of where about's to cut (look for a vein/nerve) x
 
Yeah we are nervous about cutting them, that's why we've been taking them to vets to get them done but it all adds up.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top