Nail trimming advice

bambiandzinnia

bambiandzinnia

New Born Pup
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I originally believed you only needed to trim a piggies nails a few times a year but after searching the forum I've seen a lot of people saying every 6 weeks? I have two guinea pigs who are extremely timid i cant even pick them up, i dont believe it'll be possible for me to cut their nails no matter how hard i try, my nearest and only vet in town aren't able to take them due to unavailability and so I'm struggling to find another vet who can, even if i do find a vet able to i dont have a car currently so I'm extremely worried about what i can do.
Any advice is appreciated
 
Hi, I also struggle with my piggies nails, especially since now I'm on my own. Do you have anyone who could help you? I find 2 pairs of hands makes it much easier.
 
Popcorns & Wheeks said:
Hi, I also struggle with my piggies nails, especially since now I'm on my own. Do you have anyone who could help you? I find 2 pairs of hands makes it much easier.
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I could have someone help me just dont want to completely lose their trust as they're already extremely scared, but ill try thank you!
 
I find if one person holds them and the other clips it is much easier (you can feed them a treat to avert their attention too) but if you do have to do it alone, don't aim to do every nail at once. Maybe try doing one paw one day, then another one the next day and so on. I really struggle so I know how stressful it is. Even if you just do a nail everytime you handle them, they will eventually all get trimmed.

Have you got some sort of bed that you can lift them in and out of cage in? So you are not picking them up with your hands. I too have trouble getting hold of mine. I wait until they are in their beds and pick the bed out. These are the beds I use. Makes it a lot easier.
20221203_153320.webp
 
Yes nails need to be clipped around every 6-8 weeks.
These guides below may help you.

The first guide is about how to carry out the weekly weight checks but the picking up part of it is useful for any handling.
(Do note that guinea pigs should be weighed once a week so you can ensure they are eating enough hay (you cannot judge hay intake by eye, and weight loss can be one of the first signs of any illness so it is important routine weight checks are carried out). Once they are used to weekly weight checks and they realise nothing bad is happening to them, it may get easier over time to handle them.)

I have four boys and one of them used to be incredibly nervous and he did not like being picked up once a week for those checks. (It actually took him around 18 months to properly settle in and trust me). Patience and the piggy whispering tips paid off in the end though - it just wasn’t an easy road with him.

How To Pick Up And Weigh Your Guinea Pigs Safely (videos)
Guide to Cutting Guinea Pig Nails
Understanding Prey Animal Instincts, Guinea Pig Whispering and Cuddling Tips
 
None of them like it !
i find about every 6 weeks is required . Especially the back claws which can get quite long and thick.

I never know about the front 4 toes as they are very short and difficult? If anyone knows ? I leave my 3 sharpish as they seem to like that for grooming. Maybe wrong …

One tip I found myself is don’t try and do on one sitting. If you get a couple of good trims without bleeding then leave it until the next day . even my most docile one gets upset and I found I was getting stressed going ‘on a mission‘ to do the whole pig . It can end up in a very distressing struggle And you lose trust.

Just leave it until the next day and finish off the long nails.

just what works for me …
 
Popcorns & Wheeks said:
I find if one person holds them and the other clips it is much easier (you can feed them a treat to avert their attention too) but if you do have to do it alone, don't aim to do every nail at once. Maybe try doing one paw one day, then another one the next day and so on. I really struggle so I know how stressful it is. Even if you just do a nail everytime you handle them, they will eventually all get trimmed.

Have you got some sort of bed that you can lift them in and out of cage in? So you are not picking them up with your hands. I too have trouble getting hold of mine. I wait until they are in their beds and pick the bed out. These are the beds I use. Makes it a lot easier.
View attachment 218493
Click to expand...
I dont have one of these beds yet! I have a lot of hideys but i was actually planning on buying this bed offline today, so ill definitely try this
 
Mon59 said:
None of them like it !
i find about every 6 weeks is required . Especially the back claws which can get quite long and thick.

I never know about the front 4 toes as they are very short and difficult? If anyone knows ? I leave my 3 sharpish as they seem to like that for grooming. Maybe wrong …

One tip I found myself is don’t try and do on one sitting. If you get a couple of good trims without bleeding then leave it until the next day . even my most docile one gets upset and I found I was getting stressed going ‘on a mission‘ to do the whole pig . It can end up in a very distressing struggle And you lose trust.

Just leave it until the next day and finish off the long nails.

just what works for me …
Click to expand...

I always make sure to cut the front nails as short as possible as my piggies front ones tend to curl round if left too long.
 
What is the best clipper? The front nails are very tricky ! The guide is not clear .

I tried human clippers that you turn around and was told these are not suitable. So I bought some really expensive small animal and cat scissors and found them lethal ! Very easy to have a nasty accident if the piggy moves . They would probably take a toe off. Horrible..

So I have gone back to the lever type . Much less dangerous I find .
 
Don't give up - some piggies are just difficult with nails.
For the entire 6+ years she was with us it took 3 people to clip Ruby's nails.

One would hold her on their lap, one would keep a carrot positioned in front of her mouth, and one (me) would do the clipping.
It was a bit of a palaver, but it really was the only way to do it without someone loosing a finger (also me).
 
I have human clippers and claw clippers but the human ones are easier to judge for me. I use the claw clippers for some of my oldies back claws - they're like eagle talons! I don't do every 6 weeks. My pigs have nails that some people might think are too long but the pigs aren't bothered and that's the important thing. It also depend very much on how active they are and what sort of surfaces they run around on. Younger piggies have dainty little pointy nails, older pigs have thicker ones. When George got arthritis his front feet puffed up and his claws started to go curly but they don't dig into the foot - they twirl upwards like a whippy ice cream! He actually keeps his back claws in check himself by nibbling on them.
 
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