Nail Clipping And Squirmy Guineas!

[kayelljay]

I have 2 guineas, both completely different from eachother.
Lola is really quiet and doesnt really mind you clipping her nails, although getting her to sit in a decent position to actually cut them is hard sometimes
My other guinea, Daisy is a little terror! She is always hyper, jumping around so trying to clip her nails is proving to be a bit of a nightmare! I cant get her to sit still long enough to even do one!
Ive tried letting her snuggle into a towel or my arm while i do it, my boyfriend has tried holding her while i cut them, Ive tried distracting her with food/treats but nothing seems to work.
Does anyone else have any other ideas?

 

[catslovelycats]

I have a new pig who's the same and have yet to find a way around it other than just getting her used to me pulling and poking her feet!

Have you tried just covering the squirmer's head? Sometimes they settle a bit if their head is covered. Or, as you've another pair of hands, have you tried holding her so that her bottom is resting on one hand and the other has her around her top legs while the other person grabs their feet? I find sometimes if they are held in the air they fidget less.

 

[AbiS]

I have the same problem with barney. We have discovered that he is best if MrS holds him in his arms when he is standing up as barney doesn't like to be up a height and we do it first thing in the morning before the boys have their breakfast so barney is starving and distract him with his favourite baby corn (it even wins over carrot). When cutting the nail, I only ever rest his foot on my finger, I never hold his foot - he hates that and starts wriggling!

 

[kayelljay]

I think I'm going to try and have another go at the nails before admitting defeat and going to the vets or something!
What nail clippers are good ones? Mine are pets at home ones but I only bought them because I couldn't find any others at the time and I've struggled with them for a while, and to be honest they are rubbish!

 

[catslovelycats]

I use small human nail clippers. 99p in places like superdrug/wilkinsons. I find them much sharper than the pet ones, but not so strong as the large size human ones.

 

[Wiebke]

I prefer to use small human nail clippers for the front nails and big ones when the nails on the back feed are too thick.

You might like to take a piggy out of the room and out of its comfort zone; that can help with some piggies. With others, it is a matter of doing as many nails as you can in one go and get through them bit by bit. Most piggies will eventually settle down and behave somewhat better - although I have to yet convince my big 4 years old bully boy to stop screaming the house down even after three years here...

Making a fuss and giving a treat afterwards can also help in the long term.

 

[Piggly]

I have a fidgety boy. Sometimes it takes two people to hold him down! But I've found the best way at the moment is to take him up to the bathroom and sit with him in a towel - I keep him upright with all four feet on the towel, and pick up his feet that way. He gets really mad at being turned over at all, it always makes things worse! He notices less if you just pick up one foot fairly quickly.

I also use those little nail clippers for humans - the type you might get free in a cracker! They do the job perfectly and are safe and easy to handle.

 

[Maddykins]

We just cut our boys' nails today for the first time as I noticed they were getting pretty long. I let my partner do it as he's got steady hands unlike me as I'm really clumsy and didn't want to risk hurting them. Plus he used to cut his rabbits' nails in the past too. I held onto them whilst he clipped their nails but it was an ordeal and a half! Martin squirmed a bit but I could hold him firmly still and we were getting through the nails but then he started to bite, he bit me so hard at one point I dropped the poor thing! (Only onto the carpet just below obviously not from a height). So I didn't make his ordeal any easier but he drew blood twice and I've had to put a plaster on one of them! Nelson doesn't bite as badly usually but is more squirmy so it was more difficult for my partner because he wouldn't stay still at all, was squirming about all over the place constantly. Please someone tell me they get more used to it with time because I just felt awful for them! Poor things.

 

[Briony_S]

I find if you face the pig away from you they are calmer as cant see what you are doing the same I then cut them from behind. I think some leafy lettuce helps to settle a pig new to the experience