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First manicure

GuineaGirl2011

GuineaGirl2011

New Born Pup
Joined
Jun 2, 2023
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Hi! I just cut my pigs nails for the first time, and I was a little worried that I may have done something wrong? I tried to be as gentle as possible but both the girls were squirming, squeaking, and yanking there feet away from me. I'm afraid I may have stressed them out a little to much. Is there anything I should be looking out for? Or any advise for next time?
 
My Finn also acts like he is distressed so I break it down. I cut front paw nails first, then a break and a basil treat, then I go back to cut the back nails. After everything is done, he gets a baby carrot as a treat, so he feels as though he earned it.
I treat him afterwards to make sure he doesn't have a negative feeling about nail cutting.
 
My newest boy will bite hard if I even touch his front feet for a nail trim. Everyone else will stay still but struggle a bit or nibble my hands. It's pretty normal if they don't like it - squirming, trying to get away, acting as if you're a horrible person. Try distracting them with a treat next time.
 
Interestingly enough, both of my boys Bear and Ben are fine about nail cutting, which is why I only mentioned Finn. Bear and Ben are totally chill about cutting nails.
Also, I want to congratulate you on your very first nail cut!
 
Well done for cutting their nails. :)
Remember that you don't have to cut all their nails in one sitting- you can spread it out over a few days (or even do one nail a day for a fortnight!), which might make things less stressful.
As mentioned above, I always used bribes for nail cutting. It really helps if you can get someone to feed your guinea pig whilst you cut their nails so that you have a free hand. You'll find they get more accustomed to it with time too.
I used to (gently/loosely) wrap some of my more wriggly piggies in one of their stinky towels so they could hide in that whilst I 'revealed' a paw to trim from underneath it. This way they felt a bit safer I think.
 
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