how much for nail and teeth clipping at the vet?

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donnaedwards

donnaedwards

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hello All,

I am new to this forum and I was just wondering how much it costs to get your Guinea pigs nails and teeth clipped at the vet or if you go to the vet? and also how often do you do this?

I'm getting my little girl 2 guinea pigs soon (well as soon as the car comes out the garage) and she seems to know alot more than me and she is only just turning 5!!

Ive bought books to read up on etc before we buy a guinea pig and I'm forever looking up information but I prefer to get the information I need from people that have guinea pigs that reading from a books sometimes because you have all got the experience here and now to help me xxxxxxxxxxx

thank you all and I would love to make some friends


D xxxxxxx:)
 
Hi Donna,
Welcome to the forum,
Its fairly easy to clip nails yourself, as long as you are very careful. If you are not confident, then it probably is best to take your piggies to the vet.
I have always done my boys nails myself, but i think at my local vet it was only around £4 per pig, but obviously you would have to find out from your vet as prices vary.
As for teeth clipping,luckily i have never needed to have any of my boys teeth done, so cant give you any advice on this, but obviously, it is something best left to the professionals.

There is loads of advice here on different beddings and cages, have a look around. :))
 
Hi! It used to be around £5 per piggy, but prices have gone up a lot this year, so I can't say. If you are very unsure, you can take her to the vet and let him show you the first time. It is a matter of practice and I'm sure that you'll get the hang of it. I do it while I have the piggies out for a cuddle and I do snip only as many nails at a time as I can sneak in without the piggy getting fed up, which is between 1-4 sessions!

Depending on the age of your new piggy, you won't have to worry about nails for some time to come as they won't start growing until the piggy is several months old - somewhen between 6-12 months depending on how well developed your piggy is.

WE have a guide on how to do it here:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=61

Please have a snoop around our forum; we have lots of informative threads in our reference section as well as at the top of each section. The link I have provided is from the top of the health/illness section.

Here are tips on how to settle new guinea pigs:
http://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=36239
 
Hello Donna,
I've kept piggies for about 10 years and have 6 at the moment. I've hardly ever had their nails cut. Mine spend most of the day in runs in the garden. I think it depends on where they run around. Hard ground or concrete seems to keep their nails short.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong but teeth clipping is definately a vet procedure as if the front teeth aren't wearing properly it's because of a problem with the back teeth. With good quality hay fingers crossed, teeth will never be a problem! :))
 
hanna101 said:
Correct me if I'm wrong but teeth clipping is definately a vet procedure as if the front teeth aren't wearing properly it's because of a problem with the back teeth. With good quality hay fingers crossed, teeth will never be a problem! :))
Click to expand...

Teeth clipping/trimming is most definitely best left to the professionals. Unlike nail trimming, teeth trimming is not something which needs to be carried out routinely, unless there is a particular known dental problem. Guinea pigs' teeth grow constantly but a good diet with plenty of hay is normally all that's needed to keep teeth nicely worn down to a good even length and most pigs never have teeth issues.

When I got my first guinea pigs (from a pet shop, before I knew that rescues were a better place to go to) the girl in the shop (a piggy owner herself) advised me that I'd need to regularly clip their teeth myself, as a regular routine thing.....but thankfully the Vet told me this was completely unnecessary and potentially dangerous. Dental problems can sometimes occur in guineas but expert advice is needed, as it's not always a straightforward thing and requires an experienced Vet/Rodentologist to treat.

By the way, Pets At Home offers a nail clipping service for £5 if you're really stuck. If you have a rescue nearby then they will also often trim nails for a small donation. If you don't already have specific piggies in mind then offering to rehome rescue pigs is a great idea and rescues can offer the benefit of their 'expert' experience. Good luck! :)
 
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Just a thought on raising money for rescues, have any rescues thought of doing a nail clipping service to raise a little money.
 
Teeth clipping is only neccessary if you have got a problem with overgrown molars and malocclusion (uneven wearing down) of front teeth. It sould only be done by a rodentoligst or a guinea pig sepacialist, not even a normal vet without experience! Wrong handling can do much more harm than good and can end with the piggy going off food and dying unnecessarily.
 
thank you for advise

thank you all for your advise it is great

I will be having alook about I was on earlier with brooke ( my daughter) looking at pictures of everyone Guinea's and she is gettin all excited now!
 
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