How Best To Not Get Bitten When Cuthing Nails.

Status
Not open for further replies.
Angela Walsh

Angela Walsh

Junior Guinea Pig
Joined
Sep 23, 2016
Messages
21
Reaction score
13
Points
155
Location
Whittington, Shropshire
Hi everyone. I am after a bit of advice if possible please. I got my 2 boys nearly 2 weeks ago so they are still pretty nervous around me. They could do with their nails cutting though. I am happy to do this myself but just wondering if anyone has any advice about how to make it less traumatic for all of us. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks
 
A calm second person!
I get v stressed cutting my girl's nails and they are so wriggly (and a bit bitey). My OH wears his gardening gloves and I pop the pig on his lap. He holds her so she's facing out away from him and her front paws are resting on his hands which are around her middle, gently - supporting rather than restricting. Her back legs are resting on his lap. I then snick the back feet claws (which goes pretty well). For front feet I get a baby sweet corn (or other fav food item) and place this between my fingers and her teeth! I try not to hold her front feet and use the clippers to push back on the gloves a bit to enable the claw to slip into the cutting space. (I use the clippers designed for small animals rather than human ones)

I'm not sure I'm explained that very well.
I've tried lots of ways and been bitten a number of times, had at least one melt down per session and this was defiantly the easiest! My other Guinea pigs were never this tricky!
 
If you can, have one person sitting down holding the piggy upright against their chest (with a finger under the chin [holding a paw in between the first and middle finger] to prevent nipping the nail-cutter, piggy back to their tummy and piggy bum on their lap), and another holding paws and cutting the actual nail. After every few nails, or every foot, stuff their face with a favourite veggie. They might be quite wriggly the first few times, but they soon learn it's alright. I've heard of other people wrapping piggies in a towel to calm them down as well.

EDIT: You got there first, @Guineapigfeet!
 
We use the bathroom as it has the best light and my partner holds the guinea against his chest, keeping the bitey end out of the way...we have one that bites her own claws instead when she can't reach me! The one guinea we had that did really bite if you put your hand in her house was amazingly placid at nail clipping time and I could just put her on the window sill and pick up each paw.
 
Thanks for your advice everyone. Think I might try wrapping them in something and placing them on my hubby's knee. Will probably give it a go at the weekend and let you know how I get on. Hopefully there will be no pics of wounds to share lol.
 
Guineapigfeet said:
A calm second person!
I get v stressed cutting my girl's nails and they are so wriggly (and a bit bitey). My OH wears his gardening gloves and I pop the pig on his lap. He holds her so she's facing out away from him and her front paws are resting on his hands which are around her middle, gently - supporting rather than restricting. Her back legs are resting on his lap. I then snick the back feet claws (which goes pretty well). For front feet I get a baby sweet corn (or other fav food item) and place this between my fingers and her teeth! I try not to hold her front feet and use the clippers to push back on the gloves a bit to enable the claw to slip into the cutting space. (I use the clippers designed for small animals rather than human ones)

I'm not sure I'm explained that very well.
I've tried lots of ways and been bitten a number of times, had at least one melt down per session and this was defiantly the easiest! My other Guinea pigs were never this tricky!
Click to expand...
Oh dear your OH wears gardening gloves, that's not playing the game
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top