Nail Trimming At Vets?

[newtoguineas]

Hi everybody

I am after some advice re nails pls. Do the boys need to be a certain age before needing them cut? How long is too long for nails?

Does anyone have their piggies nails done at the vets & if so what does it roughly cost? I am new to gp's and have nowhere near the confidence to remotely consider doing it myself.

Very many thanks

 

[Janey]

I sometimes have mine done at the vets, if there's nobody to help hold them for me. If they happen to be going for any other issue, the nail clipping sometimes gets done as a complimentary item! But it usually costs about £6 per piggy

 

[Julesie]

I used to get mine done at the vet but for how much it cost it just wasn't worth it.

Eventually I figured out a little trick that I do. I hold the piggie up against my chest and with his little foot out I reach out with the clippers and very slightly squeeze down. If its too far down the piggie will lightly tug their foot or give some kind of signal that its too low. It won't cause them pain, just a bit of a feeling. So with that note, you move the clipper a bit higher up and lightly squeeze again. With no indication when you lightly squeeze, you know it isn't too far down and you can clip. I live by this rule as one of my boars has black toenails and I can't tell otherwise. He's very good at letting me know if its too low.

 

[Janey]

Julesie - I wish mine would sit still for me, because that sounds like a great way of handling it.

 

[Julesie]

Oh they squirm if you let them, thats why I hold them to my chest. They can't really squirm and if they are really little buggers, I get my mum to help hold them as I cut.

 

[Stewybus]

It's best to go to the vets or see someone experienced do it then start doing it yourself. I didn't cut mine till about 2 1/2 to 3 years ago & now I cut 30+ Guinea Pigs nails at my local rescue once a month. That somewhere in excess of 400 nails in 2 to 3 hours. It's one of those jobs that gets easier the more you do it. At home I check my piggies weekly but on average each nail gets cut every 3 to 4 weeks. A tip is to use a towel & if they're a wriggler, cover their face & front legs when you do the back feet & cover their back legs when you do their front feet. A little often is best.