Nail trimming - girls scream the house down!

[Abi-snail]

Does anyone else have as much trauma as I do trying to trim my piggies nails? I could do with a stiff drink after enduring the blood curdling screams. :{

Mel's not so bad. She wriggles a bit. I wrapped her in her blankie. But I get it done without anyone sounding like they're being tortured. And she's meant to be the difficult one because her nails are black. But when it's Mow's turn... goodness me! I've actually come out sweating all over after that. She literally screams. :...
As soon as I stop and give her a treat she's quietly munching away like nothing is out of the ordinary. I've finally done all 8 little feet, but I now feel like I need a lie down. Are there any tricks for calming mental guinea pigs? I guess I'm not doing anything dreadfully wrong since Mel gets on ok with my piggy pedicure. I even took Mow to the vet once (£15) to have it done and she screamed even more. I know I have to do it. The nails start to curl round, which cannot be healthy. But I hate to hear the tortured screams.

 

[Laura-CCC4]

It can be hard, I have a few screamers here too but it's a case of just closing your ears to it. I'm sure piggies think of me as meanie mummy Laura but at the end of the day, better to get it over and done with inside a few minutes than have it drag on, as that just prolongs any stress for them - and you! They carry on as normal as soon as you stop so they can't be too traumatised by it all.

If I have to let them rest during the nail trimming e.g. I don't like to stress Gwen out too much, I tend to do one foot at a time, give half a minute or so of just fussing up/munching on some food, then do another foot. Still over and done with inside a few minutes that way.

I look on it as getting it out of the way. Get the actual trimming done, then spend a while fussing them up - that way, both you and they know that when you've stopped clipping the nails, it's all over for another month or so.

 

[Wiebke]

I have had a screamer, too; thankfully, it got better after a while!

Several of my piggies are not very keen, so I do them bit by bit, as many claws as I can get away with.

 

[chilwell]

Ear plugs help

I have two screamers here too...they settle down with a bit of parsley as a treat afterwards!

 

[CiaraPatricia]

I had to trim Meeko's nails when I got him because they were really overgrown, even after the ISPCA inspector trimmed them once. He's very laid back so he was pretty good. He wriggled a bit but didn't squeak much

Thankfully I've never had to trim my other guinea pigs' nails! It's kinda weird, even my guinea pigs who were in a hutch and a run on grass all their lives (7 years) never needed them trimmed. I guess the wooden hutch would wear them down, but they always had a thick layer of hay under them? Now my guinea pigs have a run on concrete too to wear them down.

 

[lovelygirl]

You can either go with the do it quickly and safely and get it over with method or you can pretend cut the nails a few times a week until it is nothing out of the ordinary - have thae nail clippers around practice holding the feet and separating the nails and pretend to do it.... I also find it easier if i have someone to help me.

Sometimes piggies are worse for their mummies so i have so piggy nail cutting swaps - they are a easy as pie for anybody who is not me rolleyes

 

[Mother Hubbard]

What a great idea....piggie nail swopping.

Mine prefer me than the vets.

 

[katiepops]

I find it easier to cut Spike's just after he's had a bath, it doesn't seem to bother him half as much, no idea why or if it's just not that bad after the trauma of a bath!

 

[Little Piggles]

Pippa used to be fine, but has lately taken to screaming the house down too. I'm not too sure why, as I have never cut them too close or caught her and caused her to bleed. She too was fine as soon as I'd finished rolleyes I think more than anything that she gets bored very easily and doesn't like to be held close..

Thankfully Willow and Pixel don't bother too much. Both have a bit of a wriggle, but don't cry out

 

[AdamM]

Our pigs used to struggle quite a bit when trying to cut their nails too.

However, I found a really good way to calm then down which was to sit them on their backside/lower back on my lap, facing away and for another person to feed them a constant supply of dandelion leaves (obviously this may vary between pigs if you have ones that prefer other food). This completely calms them and they will sit more or less still whilst cutting their nails as I think their minds are elsewhere.

 

[MommaPiggy]

I don't really have any tips. Arnold is a bit of a screamer...Or a biter...Depends on how cranky he is.
Sometimes he sounds like he's being violently attacked! It's just heartbreaking but as said already...I think you just have to close your ears to it. Ignore it and do what you can.

I sometimes do 2 feet in the morning, then leave him and come back a few hours later and do the other 2 feet. It's not such a hard job that way.

Although I do find that Parsley distracts him quite well. That sometimes keeps him quiet for as long as the stuff lasts.
So you could try that?

 

[skrikopanik]

Bo screams blue murder... I hate doing their nails. I've done it, but if I can I as the rescue lady to do it for me . If I have to do them myself I ask someone to hold them for me.

 

[missy]

Bo screams blue murder... I hate doing their nails. I've done it, but if I can I as the rescue lady to do it for me

That's a very good point. Some guinea pig rescues over here offer a nail cutting service for free or a small donation. Not sure whereabouts in Surrey you are but there are quite a few rescues there. They should be very experienced at cutting nails and I'm sure they've heard worse screams!

Failing that, if you still don't want to do it yourself, then Pets At Home offer a nail clipping service for £5. Not used it myself and I know some don't like to support that particular chain of stores but it could perhaps come in handy.

Good luck!

 

[sarahp]

My boys are all fine, my girls hate it.

One of them, Shirley, screeches when she has her nails cut yet gave birth to two huge babies in complete silence.... surely that must have been far more uncomfortable?!