Cutting Guinea Pigs Nails = Hard!

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KLY

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Hi everyone, I have had my rescue pigs for a little over 2 months now and they have really settled in well!

One thing that I find such an issue to do is trimming their nails! Gosh what a workout it can be! Fauna is a bit better at letting me near her back nails and partially her front naila for a short period but Flora is having none of it! She bites, squeals and piddles all over me and she never does that when she is relaxing on my tummy.

I have looked up post after post on different techniques for cutting nails and they all say the same... which I have tried but fail miserably!

I was wondering - is there anyone in Scotland - in the Fife area who is confident enough to cut piggy nails? If so can you help me out!?

Much appreciated!

P.s Flora is the tortoise one and Fauna is the ginger nut ❤

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Flora is so pretty and Fauna's bum is a gorgeous colour bet she's got a pretty face too - never seen a ugly piggy :love:. Sorry I can't help with the nail cutting problem, it's a 2 person job in this house and we often have to do a couple of nails at a time 'cause Spike and Peanut squirm so much. Not had the pleasure of trying to cut the other 2 yet.
 
eileen said:
It maybe worth going to your vets or rescue to get the girls nails cut,they can show you how to do it /or can cut them for your every month.lovely pictures.:love:
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The woman at the rescue showed me but she's just had a baby and I don't want to bother her :) I had to take Flora to the vets last week because we think she had an obstruction in her airways, making her make funny noises! And I did drop the hint to him but he never took it... I think he wasn't best pleased because it was a Saturday evening :(
 
I tried to upload a pic of Fauna but it never worked! Here we go..

Doing what she does best

But thanks for the heads up!

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Try not to feel that you are taking your vets time up,thats there job to see to ill pets. i would do it for you if i lived nearer !It is scary cutting nails,a very little bit cut off little and often maybe the way to go.some cornflower at the ready if you need to stop a nail from bleeding.lots of treats.
 
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eileen said:
Try not feel to you are taking your vets time up,thats there job to see to ill pets. i would do it for you if i lived nearer !It is scary cutting nails,a very little bit cut off little and often maybe the way to go.some cornflower at the ready if you need to stop a nail from bleeding.lots of treats.
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Thanks! I need to find someone to teach me a couple times so I can get the confidence to do it! Flora squirmed soo much I accidentally cut her quick and she squealed and I cried! I hate unintentionally hurting my furbaby! Ever since then she goes in to full panic mode!
 
What gorgeous piggies! I never touch my girls nails and just get the nurse to do it at the vets as they squirm and absolutely hate when I give them a brush so I can just imagine the reaction I would get if I tried to cut their nails. They would probably squirm so much I would cut of a foot lol.
 
Are you using clippers like these?

i would ring the vets at first and book an appointment for them to show you. We do ours as a two person job, I hold rach trims and we use lettuce as a distraction. It is tricky though and one of the worst parts of piggy slaving.

Your piggies are gorgeous by the way
 
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I have my boys nails clipped at the vet because there's only one of me. Comet's okay with having them clipped but Blitzen went for the vet last time, oops. He's a two person job and there's no way I'd get his nails clipped on my own - but the vet really doesn't mind doing it, and I've never known a vet that won't clip nails. I can't imagine why they'd have an issue with it either.
 
Such pretty piggies! It might help to try and acclimatise them the the process of having their nails done without actually doing it. It's a trick I picked up from college called habituation and worked wonders for my difficult girl.
I started by just holding her in the position for clipping claws and feeding her treats. Once she was happy with that, I started to gently play with her feet, rewarding her constantly. Once she seemed happy and calm to sit still and have her feet played with, I got the clippers and started to open and close the clippers so she could get used to the sound. After that, I did the same thing but closer to her feet and nails. I started far away and got closure as she become happier with it. I used the clippers to play with her feet and nails and continued this process until she was happy sitting still and letting the clippers round her feet.
I took me about 2 weeks of 5 minute training sessions everyday but finally I could do Bonnies nails relatively easily. She still wasn't golden but at least I could do it. I also broken down the clipping session over two days. For example, I would do back feet one day and front feet the next.
 
sport_billy said:
Are you using clippers like these?

i would ring the vets at first and book an appointment for them to show you. We do ours as a two person job, I hold rach trims and we use lettuce as a distraction. It is tricky though and one of the worst parts of piggy slaving.

Your piggies are gorgeous by the way
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That's the clippers I use yes! I may just have to take them back to the vets for some help!

Thanks everyone!
 
Just wanted to add that it isn't easy, and a lot does depend on the piggy in question.
Lucy I can do on my own with just a small treat to distract her.
Eddi and Oreo require two people, but it is usually pretty quick.
Ruby requires a minimum of 3 people - one to hold her, one to keep the carrot close to her mouth and all times, and one to cut - it is a grueling event, that we all dread!
 
Jingle looks like Fauna's twin! She loathes having her nails cut and chatters her teeth at me and squeals. Considering going to the vet for the next round.
 
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I took my babies to the vets for the first time to see how it's done. She got me to hold them and just snipped as best she could :) it was really easy and I am going to do it next time. Maybe it's piggie temperament lol but Noodle is usually really skitty and she wasn't really too fussed x
 
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How much do people pay for the vets to do nails?

Nail trimming is more traumatic every time here, they are so dramatic about getting their hands done. Jenny has a thumb nail that curls right back on itself, it's a nightmare.
 
Tigermoth said:
How much do people pay for the vets to do nails?

Nail trimming is more traumatic every time here, they are so dramatic about getting their hands done. Jenny has a thumb nail that curls right back on itself, it's a nightmare.
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We pay £16 for the two. One of ours girls is developing a nail that curls right back too!
 
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This comic is so true haha :lol!:
(All credit goes to the owner)

My vets are the same as well. They normally do nails for about the same price of a general check up, which is between £14 to £16.
 
Well I tried to cut Faunas nails because she's a bit calmer on my lap but gosh darnit I cut her quick! She just made a wee squeak but was fine after. It was bleeding but I held some pressure on to it and cleaned it with normal saline.

I feel terrible and made sure I gave her plenty piggy hugs and kisses after with a bribe of parsley... I just feel awful!

She has pure black nails on all four paws and it's very hard to see. Any tips on cutting black nails? I might just file them from now on. She doesn't seem to bother too much...

Even though she's a very scared pig, she's the calmest on my lap!
 
KLY said:
Well I tried to cut Faunas nails because she's a bit calmer on my lap but gosh darnit I cut her quick! She just made a wee squeak but was fine after. It was bleeding but I held some pressure on to it and cleaned it with normal saline.

I feel terrible and made sure I gave her plenty piggy hugs and kisses after with a bribe of parsley... I just feel awful!

She has pure black nails on all four paws and it's very hard to see. Any tips on cutting black nails? I might just file them from now on. She doesn't seem to bother too much...

Even though she's a very scared pig, she's the calmest on my lap!
Click to expand...

Shining a light on a black footed piggy's nails can help you see where the quick is, but that's a lot more awkward to do with just one person.
 
Lorcan said:
Shining a light on a black footed piggy's nails can help you see where the quick is, but that's a lot more awkward to do with just one person.
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What does it look like on a black nail...? I don't know whay I'd be looking for :o
 
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