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Stopping nails bleeding and a curly nail question

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iamsnape

iamsnape

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So last night was nail trimming day, and as normal, it scared me a lot and got my heart rate up. Elmo's nails are black and small so I only take off the very very tips (they're razor sharp). Noah's are clear so a bit easier to cut except a couple which like, lie on their side and are hard to cut. I'm not sure why they do this but i get terrified of cutting the quick :( but I worry that if I don't keep those particular ones down enough they will do damage. I try to keep them in check as best I can.

Anyway - everyone I ask has a different view. My question: best way to stop the nail bleeding? This concern sticks out to me a lot more because of Noah's odd curly nails (are these normal by the way? They lie on their side and grow/curl sideways. Only 2 do this). I have found this quote on a website:

"You can quickly stop the bleeding by dipping the nail into talc, flour or cornflour to create a clot and holding it there until the bleeding stops. Alternatively, for a rather less messy method, you can purchase a rather handy styptic pencil that works simply by adding water to the end and then gently pressing on the end of the bleeding nail.

You may also wish to treat the paw with warm salty water to keep it clean and reduce the risk of infection, especially if the paw is a bit mucky. Before putting the guinea pig back in their hutch or cage, make sure the bedding is nice and clean, and then offer a vegetable treat. "

What do you make of this, and what would you say is better? Flour, talc, styptic powder, etc. The website I got that off gives a link to where to buy styptic pencils but I don't know which is generally better.

I try to cut their nails once a month-ish. They have never got crazy long but Noah's weird curly sideways nail does worry me, hence my sudden questions about stopping bleeding - I knew cornflour was recommended but now I want extra opinions.
 
I have always heard of flour and styptic pencil. I don't think any piggie slave enjoys claw clipping, I detest it and don't know how you guys do it with black clawed pigs.

Megan has a claw that grows sideways and curled, our vet does this one whenever we go, we are frequent visitors for cookies injection, so it get done regular then, she has seious claw trimming skills :)) Otherwise as there is two of us Rach will trim while I hold one of the piggies this makes it easier to get the piggie in the best position..
 
Ahh glad it's not just me with a curly clawed pig. I normally get my boyfriend to hold the pigs whilst I cut their nails, it's not yet a one person job for me...

Do you think it's worth buying a styptic pencil in case or just having flour on hand? With flour do you just dunk the claw in after bathing in a salt water solution or would that just hurt the pig too much? Just thinking of sterilising it.
 
Honestly don't know, never nicked one yet.. I would say just put some flour on it as salt water would make it sting I would imagine.
 
That's what I thought, but I didn't know if it should be sterilised to prevent infection.....hmmm decisions!
 
I have a styptic pencil which I have used in the past. It doesn't stop the bleeding that quickly but does seem to work. Even holding tissue to the nail, seems to work.
I have caught our girls a few times because they are fidget bums, they squeak a little if you catch the quick but they soon forget about it and get back to normal.
Rosie is nearly 7 and she has thick curly nails, they look a lot worse in photos but I haven't had any problems cutting them, as long as one person holds the pig and the other cuts.
 
I do have a styptic pencil, but find I get results that are just as good when I hold kleenex to the nail and apply some pressure. One of my pigs (Linney) has curly nails too, plus they are dark so you can't see the quick. Unfortunately, she has gotten clipped too close a few times. Once she also ripped off one nail at the edge of her foot by getting it caught on something- that bled like crazy but healed without incident!
 
It's one job I don't like doing for my piggies...it's usually a 3 man job in our house! One to hold piggy, one to clip nails and one to keep the cucumber slices coming to give their teeth something to do lol!

Patchy is the worst - his nails are thick, black and curly! I have to trim them every weekend just to ensure they don't get too bad...
 
Freela said:
I do have a styptic pencil, but find I get results that are just as good when I hold kleenex to the nail and apply some pressure. One of my pigs (Linney) has curly nails too, plus they are dark so you can't see the quick. Unfortunately, she has gotten clipped too close a few times. Once she also ripped off one nail at the edge of her foot by getting it caught on something- that bled like crazy but healed without incident!
Click to expand...

Oh god that sounds horrible :(
 
tylerina said:
It's one job I don't like doing for my piggies...it's usually a 3 man job in our house! One to hold piggy, one to clip nails and one to keep the cucumber slices coming to give their teeth something to do lol!

Patchy is the worst - his nails are thick, black and curly! I have to trim them every weekend just to ensure they don't get too bad...
Click to expand...


Ah, not fun. One of the only things I dislike about owning pigs is the nerve wracking task that is nail clipping. I try to do Noah's curly ones as often as I can be my boyfriend has to be round to hold the pigs. I can get Elmo's done a bit quicker cos he doesn't like Jordan so is keen to face away from me but Noah likes everyone so always tries to turn round and get snuggles rolleyes
 
I used to have a piggy who would pull his foot when you clipped his nails i tried allsorts but best thing i found was just kitchen towel hold it there till it subsides then bathe in mild salt solution :)
 
Tissue works fine with me if I ever catch the quick.

Dudleys are quite easy as they are clear but he does have some really curly nails on his outter toes which are really hard to clip, he is also a fidget bum so I hold him and feed cucumber while my OH clips.

Yuri on the other hand has black nails so its much harder, we end up only taking a little off but luckily enough he is quite happy being held to have this done and creates no fuss but I do still let him have breaks for cucmuber as his teeth are very sharp :-)
 
Jaffa's nails are a nightmare. His previous owners clearly didn't cut his nails so RNGP Welfare did the best they could with them but several of his nails are now very long, thick and twist sideways. I clip them once a month and I also give them a file with an emery board in an effort to get them as short as possible. He really loves me doing it 8...as you can imagine. But I find I'm less likely to cut the quick using a file as you can stop immediately it's clearly becoming sensitive.

The girls are easy as they have white nails. Phew!
 
it's a 3 man job in our house 2 ! my o/h got bitten by our black piggie susie, she hates having her nails cut, o/h holds her, i cut her nails & my little boy holds up the broccoli for her to eat while we are doing it!
she is a nightmare, hates being picked up anyway....
our ginger pig is much easier but she has quite dark nails, we cut the very end of the quick once and it bled for a minute but i held a clean tissue on it and it stopped then....
i hate the nail clipping job!
they both have one curly nail on each foot that drives me insane trying to cut it!
 
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