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Trimming Piggie's Nails

F

Fliss

New Born Pup
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Recently, I've been trying to cut my Guinea Pigs nails. She's a really nervous piggy, and doesn't like being held for long periods of time--or at all.
I've tried getting my sister to help me, but every time we attempt to cut them, she squirms too much. We wrap her in a blanket so she feels at least a little bit better, and we've tried feeding her to calm her down.
I don't want to accidentally hurt her, or cut too much off.
I know how much of the nail you're supposed to cut off and how much you're not.
I just don't know how to calm her down.
I really would not like to half to pay for someone to trim them for me.
I've tried talking to her as well, but that doesn't help either.
By the way, while I was trying to cut them, I noticed one of her nails was a dark color. Is this normal for a piggy? The rest of her nails are white-ish.
My Guinea Pig; Socks will thank you! :)
 
Hi and welcome to our friendly forum!

Yes it's quite normal to have nails a different colour on the same foot. Dennis has 2 darker nails and 2 light nails on the same foot. It all depends on the colour of the skin of the toe. When you say you have wrapped her in a blanket and got your sister to hold your piggie, how tightly did you wrap her? I have to wrap my piggies up too. Christian is a one for his nails. Sometimes he'll let me do it, othertimes he won't. He can be quite awkward like that! I just get an old towel and wrap him up quite tight so that he resembles a Christian sausage roll. I have found that if I wrap his head up too it helps to keep him calmer. I just have one foot poking out of the towel and I do the nails on that foot, unwrap and repeat. My son Tom holds Christian for me. Hope this helps!

I have just found this bit of night time reading for you!
Guide to Cutting Guinea Pig Nails
 
What I do.. it may not help is someone holds her with the foot just resting on their hand or finger so you can get to the nail and we put a piece of paper at the side of her head so 1 she can't see what's happening and 2 was to stop her trying to bite. As you say sometimes you can sometimes you can't. The back feet are easy when you turn them over a little so their bum us on your knee and their back is on your tum so they facing away from you but their back feet are stuck up. Good luck
 
I do both those things with mine, but of my 5 piggies, one of them still has a foot that I cannot get the nails cut, as he kicks constantly (I'm talking about YOU Bobby!)
 
Sometimes it just takes time and patience. To get her used to having her feet messed you can just play with her feet when you handle her so she gets used to them being touched and doesn't think it's a bad thing. Always start small, just take a tiny bit off and work your way up with lots of rewards for her :)
 
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