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When should I cut my piggie’s nail?

CocoAndOreo

CocoAndOreo

Teenage Guinea Pig
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I am worried about where to cut my piggie’s nail because I could cut into their quick. I have two guinea pigs and one of them has black nails so I’ts hard to know where the quick is. Please help! 😬😬🐹
 
Hello.
I cut very little to avoid injuring my piggies. This means I have to do it often, because I am only cutting very little. I make nail cutting time bonding time for us where we are spending quality time together so I don't mind doing it often.

Finn will allow me to cut all his nails in one try but Lara moves around a lot so I do one paw at a time or get help from someone to hold her during her nail cut.
 
If you are unsure, your vets can help you, and give you guidance for the first few times and show you how to. Then eventually striking up the courage too, but as Seven7 says above, little and often for me helps to keep my piggy nails in good order. I'm often surprised at how some nails are and as your pig gets older the more important it is as they can become pronounced and difficult to cut I find.
 
CocoAndOreo said:
I am worried about where to cut my piggie’s nail because I could cut into their quick. I have two guinea pigs and one of them has black nails so I’ts hard to know where the quick is. Please help! 😬😬🐹
Click to expand...
I have a black piggy too. So hard to know. I just cut a tiny bit off.
 
CocoAndOreo said:
I am worried about where to cut my piggie’s nail because I could cut into their quick. I have two guinea pigs and one of them has black nails so I’ts hard to know where the quick is. Please help! 😬😬🐹
Click to expand...
There are a few guides online about cutting black nails. All of my piggies and rabbits have black nails, but I've never had too much trouble. I have tried to use pet nail clippers on my pigs, but everytime I end up cutting their kwik. Now I just use human nail clippers since I have a lot more control. You just have to be careful with them though, because if they're too dull, they'll crush the nail. So if you use human clippers, make sure they're sharp. I bought some more expensive ones so they'd be sharper.
 
I wimp out and take mine to the vet where the nurse cuts them for me.
She hasn’t met my newest girl with the black paws yet:nod:
 
I used to take mine to the vet to see how they cut them, and then I started doing it myself :) I cut their nails every 1-2 months, depending on how bad they look. My piggies each have a dark paw so I cut as little as possible so I don't hurt them. I've heard if you shine a light on the dark nails you'll be able to see the quick
 
Seven7 said:
Hello.
I cut very little to avoid injuring my piggies. This means I have to do it often, because I am only cutting very little. I make nail cutting time bonding time for us where we are spending quality time together so I don't mind doing it often.

Finn will allow me to cut all his nails in one try but Lara moves around a lot so I do one paw at a time or get help from someone to hold her during her nail cut.
Click to expand...
OK. I'll try to cut the tips. Both my Guinea Pigs Coco and Oreo HATE getting their nail clipped. It is so hard!
 
emlen23 said:
I used to take mine to the vet to see how they cut them, and then I started doing it myself :) I cut their nails every 1-2 months, depending on how bad they look. My piggies each have a dark paw so I cut as little as possible so I don't hurt them. I've heard if you shine a light on the dark nails you'll be able to see the quick
Click to expand...
I have a question. Does it cost any money for the vet to cut them? I live in America so I use dollars.
 
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