how-to-clip-guinea-pig-nails

Having small and adorable pets is like having live happiness in your home. But when it comes to grooming them, it can be tough especially when you have a guinea pig. Caring and grooming them is a very essential part of keeping your pets healthy. But do you know how to clip guinea pig nails? In case you don’t know how then you would obviously need some tips. So, here in this article, you’ll learn a few essential things on how you can keep your guinea pig safe and sound.

 

Is it easy to cut guinea pig nails?

If we are telling the truth, then it can be easy if you are being careful. For the first time when you are about to trim your guinea pigs nails, it will be hard for you. But as you start doing it more frequently, it will be easy for you to get the hang of it.

 

What are the things you should be careful about?

When you are cutting the nails, the main thing you should focus on is the blood vessel. Unfortunately, the blood vessel of the guinea pigs runs through the nails. But the good thing is that it doesn’t last right up to the end of nails. If you keep your guinea pig clean all the time, then it will easy for you to see the blood vessel right through the nails. So, before you are about to cut down their nails make sure that you clean them up first.

In case your guinea pig has dark or non-translucent nails, then you can use torchlight. Place the light right below the nails, and you will be able to distinguish which part of the nail you can cut. There is one other way to identify the part. Look for the indented line in the dead part of the nail. The part can be spotted easily as it is dry and light as compared to the rest of the nails surface.

 

How Often Should You Trim Your Guinea Pig’s Nails?

Grooming part can be handled by the guinea pigs mostly on their own. But they need help when it comes to cutting their nails. And it is vital that the guinea pigs nails are trimmed periodically. Typically, the nails can be left for like one or two months. But if you leave the nails long for a long time, then it can hurt you and anyone who holds the guinea pigs. And sometimes, they can also hurt themselves. Thus, you need to avoid such kind of situations.

The frequency by which the nails should be trimmed also depends on their age, diet, activity level, and cage substrate. The nails grow faster in the young age as compared to the old age. Also, the nutritious diet that is provided also makes the nails grow faster than usual.

The guinea pigs that are active and play regularly, they often wear down their nails. This usually happens when they walk on hard surfaces instead of spending the whole day in soft bedding.

 

How can you trim the nails?

To make sure that you don’t end up hurting your sweet little friend, you need to be as careful as possible. Trimming the nails with a cutter is a much better option than using any other tool. To do this in the safest and easiest ways possible, follow these tips:

 

Gather the Supplies

To begin the trimming, you’ll need to grab a nail clipper first. You can use the same clipper which is used for humans or choose the one designed for cats and small animals. Secondly, you’ll need to styptic powder. The powder is for safety purpose in case you mistakenly reach the blood vessel. The powder will stop the bleeding as quickly as possible.

 

Identify the Ends of Each Nail

The endpoint of the nails have nerve ending and contain blood vessels. The nail is the dead part covering them, but if you cut too deep, then the blood vessel tear will hurt a lot. The end part is more commonly visible in pink color. You can also see the shape of the tip to observe the end part.

 

Position Your Guinea Pig

If your guinea pig feels comfortable in your lap, then keep it there and hold it upright with its back stuck out to your stomach. You can hold them with just one hand by the chest so that they don’t rush when you trim the nails. If the guinea pig isn’t comfortable in your lap then wrap him in a towel and keep its feet accessible.

 

Begin Trimming

To make sure that your pet doesn’t get hurt, you need to be careful. Hold the leg gently start trimming from the endpoint. It will be better if you start by cutting down a small portion of the nails. If the nails are very long, then trim down the nails gradually over the week.

If you are doing it for the first time, then you can ask someone else to help you. They can hold the guinea pig, and you can cut its nails.

 

What if the nails are sharp even after cutting?

If the nails are just sharp or left sharp after trimming, then you can use an ordinary filer to smooth them out. But even with the files, you need to be careful as the vessels are prone to even slight damage. If you want to avoid such kind of situation where your guinea pig nails grow out too long, you have to make sure that it stays active. Also, allow them to walk on hard surfaces as the surface will wear down the nails itself.

 

Conclusion

Overall, you just have to be confident and careful when you are trimming the nails. Some guinea pigs can tolerate the discomfort they face while trimming. But it is suggested that you only trim a few nails at once. And after you trim their nails, provide them a treat so that they can easily forget the stressful situation they just faced.

You May Also Interested In: