Nail trimming for a guinea pig…what a scary thought! But it doesn´t have to be a scary experience. With practice and patience, nail trimming will become a part of your regular routine. Keeping your guinea pigs´ nails at proper nail length is an important task as guinea pigs cannot keep their nails trimmed down by themselves.
How to clip guinea pigs´ nails, and what happens if you don´t cut them properly? It´s these topics that we´ll be discussing today! Let’s get started!
Table of Contents
Why Cutting Guinea Pigs´ Nails Is Important
Keeping guinea pigs´ nails trimmed is essential to their health and well-being.
Overgrown nails tend to curl and can therefore grow into their footpads. This can damage their sensitive skin and cause open wounds on the feet. In the worst case scenario, pododermatitis or bumblefoot may develop from an infected footpad. This is definitely something that you don´t want to happen. If you´re brave enough, see pictures of such conditions here or here.
Clipping nails on a regular basis have many positive impacts, one being that it prevents the blood supply inside the nail (also known as the quick) from growing closer to the tip. More about this later on in this article.
How Often Should I Cut My Guinea Pigs´ Nails
Guinea pigs require regular nail trimming. The frequency can vary but the trimming should be done no less than once a month. If necessary, you should do it more often.
Clipping the nails routinely will help to keep the nails and foot in good shape for walking, and the quick inside the nail at an appropriate length for trimming.
Getting The Right Equipment
You need proper nail clippers to clip guinea pigs´ nails. Don´t use nail clippers for humans but only those that are designed for cats and small animals. The proper nail clippers have a small notch at the end of the blade for cutting the nail.
You should also have styptic powder. The powder quickly stops bleeding in that unfortunate case that you cut a nail too short.
Fresh vegetables or treats. You can distract your guinea pig with treats while trimming, and also provide treats to your piggie afterwards for positive reinforcement.
How To Position Guinea Pig When Clipping The Nails
It´s important to get your guinea pig feel relaxed before you start to trim. Talk soothingly and give loving pets to your piggie.
Go sit down with your guinea pig. The ideal position is to hold your guinea pig upright with its´ back against your stomach. Make sure your guinea pigs´ hind end is supported. Put your hand across your guinea pigs´ chest, but remember not to squeeze! This position is ideal because it prevents your guinea pig from backing up.
If your guinea pig doesn´t feel comfortable in this position, you can try to hold it in a position that is more familiar to you. Remember though, you need to hold the guinea pig firmly so that it cannot move or squirm during nail trimming.
If your guinea pig is not accustomed to being on your lap, you can wrap it in a towel while keeping its´ feet visible. That way your guinea pig will feel more secure and relaxed during the trimming session.
How To Trim
Before getting into the details about trimming, let’s take a closer look at the structure of a guinea pig’s claw. At the center of the nail there is a blood supply called “quick”, which also contains nerve endings. Before you start to clip the nails you should identify where the quick ends. Cutting into the quick, or too close to the quick, will cause unnecessary discomfort and pain and may draw blood.
Gently pick one leg at a time and clip in front the quick towards the end of the nail. Remember to use your dominant hand when clipping to avoid injuries. The tip is usually narrow – you should only clip the narrow part of the nail. With light-colored nails it´s usually very easy to see the quick as it is the pink area inside the nail. Unfortunately that´s not the case with dark-colored nails. Some tend to shine a flashlight underneath the guinea pigs´ nails to get an idea where the quick is. Luckily these days you can buy small animal nail clippers with a light or even small animal nail clippers with magnifying glass – they make things so much easier!
If you´re not sure where to clip or where the quick is, clip only the very end of the nail. If you happen to cut too deep, quickly apply styptic powder to stop the bleeding.
Remember to give positive reinforcement to your guinea pigs when finished. You can pamper them with their favorite treats or with a new fresh pile of hay.
Important Tips!
- If you´re having hard time getting your guinea pig feel secure and comfortable while clipping the nails, ask another person to assist you. You can hold your guinea pig and your friend can do the clipping or vice versa. You or your friend can provide your guinea pig with treats to distract while doing the clipping.
- If you feel that your guinea pig is too active, scared or resistant to restraint, you can do only 1 or 2 feet at a time.
- Remember to stay calm as you are trimming; your guinea pig will notice if you start to panic.
To Sum Up!
It´s necessary to clip your guinea pigs´ nails on a regular basis. If you are uncertain to do the trimming yourself, you can always ask your local pet store or vet to do the trimming. Some pet stores even host nail trimming events. Trimming is fairly easy task, so it shouldn´t be too expensive.
I hope you find this article helpful and eye-opening. It would be awesome to hear from you! If you have any questions or comments whatsoever, please let me know in the comments below. I will be more than happy to help you out!
I´m always happy to help fellow pet owners make sure their animals are happy and healthy. For more information on guinea pigs and how you can be the best pet owner possible, make sure to check out my blog for more updates!
