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I give up on nails.

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ILoveGilbertTheGuineaPig

ILoveGilbertTheGuineaPig

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ugh. i tried cutting gilbert's nails but he wont hold still and its his first time. i cut ONE NAIL today when he was eating. it was very easy he didnt have any pain or anything. my problem with gilbert is that he doesnt let me hold him.

do you think the method i do to get him out is the problem? here it is: i put a box in wherever he is and he goes in and then i dump him out on my lap thats covered in a towel.

do you think this frightens him? cause i cant get him to stay still. this makes cutting nails VERY complicated. i know i could get him to be cut at the vets but i prefer not to use my parents money (still livin with parents and am in school) on something that i could possibly learn to do. i am SO frustrated right now. and i feel very guilty with my methods. now gilbert seems a bit frightened of me. i tried boxing him in a small area and then cutting it but he keeps running around and not staying still. then i tried the food method but he didnt feel safe eating it in front of my and once i touched him he ran away.

i have had gilbert for about 5 months. he is my only pig because my parents do not want another one and i also have no more room for more pigs.
please help.

-amelia-
 
i struggled for ages to do any of my pigs nails.
pigs i've had in the past have been fine about me holding them but these four just hate it, and i've been trying since they were babies!
eventually i took them into the bathroom and put them on a shelf that we have just under the bathroom mirror. there's plenty of light, it's about chest height for me so i'm not bending over them a lot, and it's perfect guinea pig size. i just slide one foot at a time out and do the nails that way, and they're fine with it. plus there's nowhere for them to run away to =]
have you tried anything like that?
 
well, i have him on a couch and i worry that he'll jump down and hurt himself. what USUALLY happens is this: hes in the box and i dump him onto my lap. then put the box away. then he runs around the couch and eventually heads to the edge of the couch. once this happens i quickly get the box afraid that he'll jump. for your guinea pigs on a shelf, have they ever tried jumping off of it? cause i have a feeling gilbert would. thanks though, it gives me ideas rather then NOTHING.

P.S. another question: does your guinea pig bite? cause gilbert, he doesnt bite in an aggressive way, but he nibbles my hand and fingers all the time even when my hand doesn't smell like food. so i think that once i touch his nails, he'll come nibbling. i've tried gloves but he still nibbles and sometimes it goes through.
 
the shelf is too small- either end is blocked off, then on the opposite sides are the mirror itself and me! yeah they do sometimes bite but not a lot, sometimes i think they do it just to check it's me that's fiddling around with their feet- two of mine bite in an affectionate way instead of licking so i know it's not hurting them or causing any discomfort.
 
I feel how you pick him up may have something to do with his behaviour, maybe he senses that you are concerned. Be calm, slow and gentle with him. Does he have a top opening house or a side opening one? Charlotte lives indoors and has a top opening house, it is very scary for a guinea pig to have big hands come down and grab you so I open the house and hand feed her so she likes hands. Now she is ok and I tickle her on the head and then scoop her up for a nice cuddle. The girls who live outside have a front opening house and I open both doors and shoo them gently into one room then one at a time sweep my arm across so they are in a corner and scoop them up. I put one hand infront of them and one behind and lift the front paws then the bum. I talk to them and tell them they are good. If you catch him in a box and put him away in a box and let him run on the couch does he actually get much time sitting on you? While he is on your knee stroke his paws to get him used to the feel of it so when you cut his nails it won't be so different. Sorry it's so long, hope it helps.
 
We have always struggled with our two but we took them to the vets yesterday for a nail clipping and to check Jacob as he has lost some hair on his left rear quarter.

To cut their nails the vet got my wife to hold the piggy vertically so that it was sitting on its bum, the vet then held each foot in turn and clipped the nails, it worked really well, no squirming, piggies perfectly happy!
 
That is what we do Grin!

I hold Peter cuts. It takes 2 to sucessfully trim nails in our camp! :)
 
oh my goodness, i must either be an expert, really lucky or both! my piggies have no problems with having their nails cut really,though they get a little anxious and don't want to sit still!
 
first time last night for me and my boys put there fav blanket on lap put them on it and manage to cut them basil made no fuss let me do it freddie on the other hand bit me drew blood so give him a carrot took his mind of for a bit them started being a pain but his are worse because they are all black so dont know where quicks are and if i cut to high he will hate me for it lol
 
piggyme234 said:
I feel how you pick him up may have something to do with his behaviour, maybe he senses that you are concerned. Be calm, slow and gentle with him. Does he have a top opening house or a side opening one? Charlotte lives indoors and has a top opening house, it is very scary for a guinea pig to have big hands come down and grab you so I open the house and hand feed her so she likes hands. Now she is ok and I tickle her on the head and then scoop her up for a nice cuddle. The girls who live outside have a front opening house and I open both doors and shoo them gently into one room then one at a time sweep my arm across so they are in a corner and scoop them up. I put one hand infront of them and one behind and lift the front paws then the bum. I talk to them and tell them they are good. If you catch him in a box and put him away in a box and let him run on the couch does he actually get much time sitting on you? While he is on your knee stroke his paws to get him used to the feel of it so when you cut his nails it won't be so different. Sorry it's so long, hope it helps.
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thats my point! he doesnt get much time ON my lap. most of the time he runs for it and i end up putting him in the box again. i get so frustrated that nobody wants to help me. today i managed to cut all of his front feet nails except 2. the big problem are the back nails. they're really long but i just can't get him to sit still. ill try again later. thanks everyone =]

-amelia-
 
Yeah i have not really had any problems either. I did at first but think they have got use to it now. I just put them on my lap and cut away. I did them yesterday including four rabbits. I find that its best to get it done as quick as possible.
 
I'm a sook when it comes to nails i have 3 piggies that have very black nails so that makes it much harder and on top of it Zanzabar and Baker squirm so much i can barey hold them,i take all of mine to the vets for there nails,infact i took them yesterday,i find it much easier if i hold them and a vet with a steady hand clips does it xxxxx
 
i found this sight was really useful when learning how to cut my piggies nails. http://www.guinealynx.info/nails.html
I normally get marvin or chocco on my lap and lean them back so that their legs are sticking out and their belly is facing up. I then get clipping as quick as possible feading them little bits of nibbles to keep them ocupide. Works wll for me.
Alternativly if they are being fussy i get my OH to hold whilst I clip, this might be better if your having real troubles getting them to keep still.
 
ILoveGilbertTheGuineaPig said:
thats my point! he doesnt get much time ON my lap. most of the time he runs for it and i end up putting him in the box again. i get so frustrated that nobody wants to help me. today i managed to cut all of his front feet nails except 2. the big problem are the back nails. they're really long but i just can't get him to sit still. ill try again later. thanks everyone =]

-amelia-
Click to expand...

Could you try wrapping him up gently and hand feeding him while cuddling him. It sound like he's a little tinker but maybe calm and gentle persistance may just get him to calm down. Maybe when he tries to run away just pick him up and stroke him and feed him a little something, soon he will decide sitting and being cuddled and fed is better than escaping. I have found back nails are easiest because you can wrap him up in a towel so he is not scared and he can nuzzle in it but just with his back feet sticking out one at a time. It is easier if you can get someone to help you, tell them it's only five minutes and you really need them or if your family is too busy wait till a friend comes over. Just remember not to let it all get you wound up because he will sense that.
 
My girl Katie is fine with having her nails cut,and,as she is mainly white,i can see her quicks easily.Her sister Kim,however, absolutely hates having her nails cut,and has bitten both me and the vet .I think the problem is she has black nails,which make the quicks hard to see,and the vet made her bleed from two nails last time he tried it.I try sitting her comfortably on my lap ,and talk gently to her when i cut her nails,but she gets very stressed,and will bite any part of me she can get hold of.
I have never thought of holding them up vertically,and perhaps i will try that next time.
 
grindrod said:
We have always struggled with our two but we took them to the vets yesterday for a nail clipping and to check Jacob as he has lost some hair on his left rear quarter.

To cut their nails the vet got my wife to hold the piggy vertically so that it was sitting on its bum, the vet then held each foot in turn and clipped the nails, it worked really well, no squirming, piggies perfectly happy!
Click to expand...

i have the same technique! except i need a 3rd to feed carrots/cucumber to distract pig, otherwise someone ends up getting hurt! - usualy my mother whos holding her!
 
To save the piggy any stress, it is advisable to have 2 people to trim as while one perosn can hold and calm the piggy the other can trip in a matter of seconds which saves stress for the poor piggy and reduces the chance of cutting too short which causes stress for the piggy and you lol I wouldn't wrap in a towel as like any other animal the piggy will tend to try to escape and towels only get in the way.

So my advise is you hold and someone else trims for quickeness and once trimmed I would recommend filing the burrs off as these can catch if the piggy is on fleece or vet bed! :)p Also if youhave a piggy that bites, get a nice pair of tight fitting garden gloves, like B&M or wilkinsons sell as this will dull the bite and will let you finish the job, however there is a good postion that stops the piggy getting near your fingers! but I'll let you figure that one out lol
 
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I used to wrap my boys in a blanket with their bottom half out. I'd then half one of my parents hold the piggie and I'd do their nails.

Now though I can do both their nails without having to wrap them up or hold them down. I guess they just got used to it :))
 
i was wondering if a light under the black nails will make it easier to see the quick . * can buy those small round lights that people stick in cupboards wonder if they would work mallethead:(
 
most of mine struggle like mad also, though now, as they sleep in our bedroom, i take them into the bathroom and for some reason, i think cos it's a different place, they keep rather still, so i tend to do mine in there
 
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