Feel Like Such A Bad Pig Mum When They Bleed :(

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kerry

kerry

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My guinea pigs were rescued from a lady who did not really know what she was doing and they lived on sawdust which meant their claws never wore down.

By the time i rescued them they were 18 months and their claws were curled under and they grow like that ever since.

Every time i clip their claws a few bleed. I do not let them get too long because its harder to do it once they have started to curl under. I dont have a problem with my other two.

I once rushed one of the bleeders to the vet and by the time i got there it had stopped and the vet said that some bleed and some dont.

I wrap their foot in tissue and it stops after a few minutes but it always makes me feel awful :(
 
Aww I can understand this. When I rescued my late Marble she was eighteen months and her nails had never been cut. I cut them and she bled. It got to be an hour then we rushed her to the vets and they stopped it with a special pen. It was very scary. I'm sorry this happens to your little ones. It is a shock.
 
Don't worry about it. You aren't a bad piggy mummy for this. It happens all the time. Everyone hates nail clipping time, don't let it get you down.
 
I always feel awful when a nail bleeds. It hasn't happened that often but I go all faint. I have now got some powder called Trimmex ready - just in case. It says apply it to the nail using a cotton wool bud. I haven't used it yet as it has not been needed YET.
 
Thank you everyone! Its a horrible thing to happen knowing that they are bleeding because of you but its better than their claws curling in and digging into their feet!

I think I'm going to pick up some Trimmex just in case. @lisaali is sudocrem safe if they lick it off?
 
kerry said:
Thank you everyone! Its a horrible thing to happen knowing that they are bleeding because of you but its better than their claws curling in and digging into their feet!

I think I'm going to pick up some Trimmex just in case. @lisaali is sudocrem safe if they lick it off?
Click to expand...
I use sudocrem on the back of their feet and not had a problem
 
I haven't had any bleeders as yet, I struggle with Maple's front paws as they curl and I never want to take to much off just in case I cut to close. Lucky is a pain as her nails are dark and Patch is a nightmare she has little fits if I go anywhere near her claws.

I haven't even attempted Hop's nails I might need half the forum to come help me as she's a mega wiggler.

I use sudocreme for Lucky and Maple's tootsies
 
Awww i can understand that. Its horrible and when the nails over grow- the quick over grows also Dark nails are particularly more difficult. Make sure you have some Trimmex powder or something on the nail and lots of veggies and they will forgive you x
 
I caught nemmys quick for the first time last time I did his nails he yelped and hes been unhappy with me ever since. I'm so on edge about it I'm struggling to cut any of their nails now because I don't wanna hurt them, my two adopted piggies have a couple of curled nails but they don't dig into their feet luckily they just curl outwards I shorten them as much as I can but the quick has grown too. Arhtur managed to break one of his himself and its lovely and short now and he doesn't seem at all bothered by it which is good! I'm due to trim them all again now so may get them done somewhere. I wont cut the quick's deliberately as it hurt nemmy and that's not nice poor little thing. How much does it cost to have someone else do it and can anyone recommend anywhere?
 
I do the same with all of my guinea pigs. They do have a habit of fidgeting right at the wrong moment. I am sure they appreciate the nail clipping even if you make them bleed. Unless they have white nails it is very hard to see where you should clip to. They soon forgive you when it's veg time.
 
Don't worry, it happens! I'll give you some tips on avoiding bleeding though, just to be on the safe side.

First of all, if your piggies' nails are lightly coloured, you can see where to clip. The pink bit is the bloodline, avoid clipping there, instead clip the white part. Leave a little bit of white on the end though. If you're not sure try clipping a little further towards the tip.

However, some piggies are dark so you can't see where the bloodline is! People generally suggest shining a bright torch under their nails, but this can be hard, you might not even have a bright enough torch. Try following these tips if this is the case:

1. If their cagemate is lightly coloured and they both have about the same length nails, see where the lightly coloured piggy's nails' bloodlines are and try to use that as a guideline for clipping your dark piggy's nails, always clip your dark pig's first.

2. Try clipping mostly where the nail is a bit sharper/thinner.

3. Don't clip in one quick motion, always be very slow so your piggy can "tell you" if you're too close to the bloodline. He/she will squeak in alarm if you begin clipping too close, stop clipping if your piggy does this and try further towards the tip.

4. If you're completely clueless on where exactly to clip, just clip the very tip. You can slowly clip a tiny bit of the nail a few more times if you like, but remember to stop if your piggy squeaks.

That is how I prevent bleeding. Being slow is the key, I frequently begin clipping the bloodline by accident but I give them time to warn me if I'm too close so there is never any bleeding, just a warning squeak. :)

Sorry if my sentences are weirdly strung together, I'm quite tired. :))
 
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