Tips For Cutting Nails

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Rosanna Kapur

Rosanna Kapur

Junior Guinea Pig
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hints and tips on cutting my pigs nails would be very much appreciated.
One is happy to sit there as long as she gets fed however my other pig becomes so distressed, it's horrible. I have tried feeding him and swaddling him, the latter enables me to get the job done however he works him self up into such a state. I have tried doing it paw a night but then I'm worried that he's going to associate me with something he doesn't like. He's started biting which he's never done before, and not just a nip!
 
I feel your pain. I have three girls who hate it! One has drawn a lot of blood! (So has another in an unrelated incident)

I think we may have cracked it though. I use their fav food (currently baby sweetcorn) and make sure they don't get any for a few days. My OH hold them on his lap so they are facing away from him, their back feet on his knees and their front feet on his hand which is holding gently round their tummy, they are not against his stomach (they hate that) then I shove a baby sweet corn near their mouth. It can take a few minutes for them to settle and munch and as soon as they do I snip their back toes by getting the clipper in between their feet and his leg so I don't have to hold them, then I do fronts. These are harder due to the proximity to the teeth but I use the same technique - I try not to handle their feet too much. If they get distracted from the corn I stop and wait for them to forget what I was doing.
I have had them 10 months now and we only hit on this method (tried several others!) for the last trim so I'm hoping it work next time too!
((OH wears gardening gloves Incase any pigged-anger is directed his way!)
I'm not sure who gets more stressed, the pigs, me or my OH trying to stop me getting stressed!
 
Guineapigfeet said:
I feel your pain. I have three girls who hate it! One has drawn a lot of blood! (So has another in an unrelated incident)

I think we may have cracked it though. I use their fav food (currently baby sweetcorn) and make sure they don't get any for a few days. My OH hold them on his lap so they are facing away from him, their back feet on his knees and their front feet on his hand which is holding gently round their tummy, they are not against his stomach (they hate that) then I shove a baby sweet corn near their mouth. It can take a few minutes for them to settle and munch and as soon as they do I snip their back toes by getting the clipper in between their feet and his leg so I don't have to hold them, then I do fronts. These are harder due to the proximity to the teeth but I use the same technique - I try not to handle their feet too much. If they get distracted from the corn I stop and wait for them to forget what I was doing.
I have had them 10 months now and we only hit on this method (tried several others!) for the last trim so I'm hoping it work next time too!
((OH wears gardening gloves Incase any pigged-anger is directed his way!)
I'm not sure who gets more stressed, the pigs, me or my OH trying to stop me getting stressed!
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Thank you. Sounds similar to what we try, but I'll wear my gloves next time!
 
Gem789 said:
My pigs will not let me cut their nails so I take them to the local vets and it's £6 per pig.
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We go to the vet too, we pay £8 per pig. I am not confident to do it plus I like the fact it gets the pigs and my daughter (they are her pigs) used to going.
 
Dorothy&Coco said:
We go to the vet too, we pay £8 per pig. I am not confident to do it plus I like the fact it gets the pigs and my daughter (they are her pigs) used to going.
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That's quite steep lol, one of my pigs is black in colour so I won't even attempt to cut his.I used to have a dog clipper lady do it for £2 but she doesn't do it anymore unfortunately .
 
Gem789 said:
That's quite steep lol, one of my pigs is black in colour so I won't even attempt to cut his.I used to have a dog clipper lady do it for £2 but she doesn't do it anymore unfortunately .
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It's worth it to see the vet being asked an endless stream of Guinea pig related questions by my daughter :P
 
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