electric nail file? safe? :)

[piggyl0ver]

hello ^__^
i have been taking my guineapigs to the vet to get heir nails cut on a monthly basis, i do not mind continuing to do this but it would be nice to get it done at home because travelling stresses the piggies. i found this video on youtube of someone filing down their guineas nails with an electric nail file , (

) and found one on amazon, but am very apprehensive about purchasing it because i havent heard of anyone else using this for their guineas. is it safe for them? :0

thank you so much, jm so appreciative of this wonderful forum. have a great day )

link of the nail file :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Casfuy-Dog...lja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ&th=1 )

 

[piggyl0ver]

has got 54,000 reviews so it looks good, but most of the reviews are written by people with cats / dogs. ^_^

 

[acapae]

I've been using a rotary tool (the proper generic name for the tool) for piggy nails since 2018. I tip the excess every other cleanout. Although I do still have pet nail scissors on hand to trim spurs. The one in your link appears to be an off brand of the model I have - I've never needed the faster speed for pig nails.

Once you get the hang of things it's much easier and safer than clipping. Black nails are way easier in particular, as you can very clearly see the texture change in the nail cross section, and so can stop before you go deep enough to hit the quick.

One thing I will say though is it's actually much safer for everyone if you use the rotary tool without the cover as shown in the above video. The tiny windows in the covers make it really difficult to see what you're doing, as well as forcing you to go at a dangerous angle.

The other important safety points to highlight are
1) only touch the grinder to the nail for a second or less at a time. Longer than that and the nail will painfully heat up. You want to dab and remove lots of times at varying angles.
2) grind outdoors if possible. If not then wear a DIY facemask of the sort that stops you inhaling dust. The dust of ground nails is easily inhalled and can result in serious human health issues.

 

[acapae]

Out of edit time as the forum told me I was no longer logged in but to add another safety issue re. the above video: You need to hold the piggy foot/ toe rather than holding them so that their leg dangles against it. This makes it more comfortable for them as your fingers will dampen the vibrations, as well as ensuring the grinding is as effective as possible so that it's done quickly and efficiently. Just a leg dangling means you're not controlling the amount of pressure and if the pig kicks things could go very wrong.

I took some videos for @tabelmabel last year, but I can take some others if people would like.

 

[piggyl0ver]

Out of edit time as the forum told me I was no longer logged in but to add another safety issue re. the above video: You need to hold the piggy foot/ toe rather than holding them so that their leg dangles against it. This makes it more comfortable for them as your fingers will dampen the vibrations, as well as ensuring the grinding is as effective as possible so that it's done quickly and efficiently. Just a leg dangling means you're not controlling the amount of pressure and if the pig kicks things could go very wrong.

I took some videos for @tabelmabel last year, but I can take some others if people would like.

thank you SO much for this very helpful response, it really means alot! if it wouldnt be too much of an inconvenience, could i please see the videos? xx

 

[piggyl0ver]

I've been using a rotary tool (the proper generic name for the tool) for piggy nails since 2018. I tip the excess every other cleanout. Although I do still have pet nail scissors on hand to trim spurs. The one in your link appears to be an off brand of the model I have - I've never needed the faster speed for pig nails.

Once you get the hang of things it's much easier and safer than clipping. Black nails are way easier in particular, as you can very clearly see the texture change in the nail cross section, and so can stop before you go deep enough to hit the quick.

One thing I will say though is it's actually much safer for everyone if you use the rotary tool without the cover as shown in the above video. The tiny windows in the covers make it really difficult to see what you're doing, as well as forcing you to go at a dangerous angle.

The other important safety points to highlight are
1) only touch the grinder to the nail for a second or less at a time. Longer than that and the nail will painfully heat up. You want to dab and remove lots of times at varying angles.
2) grind outdoors if possible. If not then wear a DIY facemask of the sort that stops you inhaling dust. The dust of ground nails is easily inhalled and can result in serious human health issues.

i am so appreciative of your very helpful and detailed response, however i do not think i am going to purchase the rotary tool because i am too scared that i will injure the pigs unintentionally, it seems too risky for me. i think i am just going to continue taking the pigs to the vet. thank you again. (^____^)