What Are Some Of The Ways I Can Trim My Pet's Nails At Home?

Method one - cutting your pet's nails using nail clippers. Method two - burring down your pet's nails using a hand or powered file.

Nail Clipping

Many pets, particularly those kept indoors, often don’t wear down their nails as they naturally would if they were out in the wild. Over time, this leads to them becoming sharp and overgrown. Some nails will even curl back on themselves and dig into your pet’s foot which can be very painful.

For these reasons, we perform and recommend regular nail clipping for rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, many birds, some reptiles, and some rats.

Why Do My Pet’s Nails Get Sharp?

In the wild, your pet would be naturally wearing down their nails during their everyday activities. This could be climbing around in lots of trees for birds or renovating their burrow for rabbits. In captivity, our unusual pets often do not get the same access to perform these natural behaviours, which can lead to their nails becoming excessively long.

When Should Rabbits Be Vaccinated?

Most rabbits are vaccinated from ten weeks of age. If your rabbit is in a high risk situation (for example they are housed outdoors), then we can discuss giving an additional vaccination under ten weeks of age, with a booster four weeks later. However, for most indoor rabbits, one initial vaccination given after ten weeks of age, with a booster required annually, is appropriate.

Method One - Cutting Your Pet's Nails Using Nail Clippers.

You can use regular nail clippers, and this works well for most rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, rats, reptiles, and some birds. In some cases, it can be hard to find small enough nail clippers for these species, so we generally find that using the smallest cat nail clippers you can purchase often works well.

You want to clip the nail just past (towards the tip) the blood vessels that lie within the nail. The blood vessels generally give the nail a pinkish appearance in white or lightly pigmented nails but are hard to see in black or darkly pigmented nails.

While you are learning, a good tip is only to clip the very end 1mm or so to get used to the technique, and then as your confidence grows, you can clip more (if needed).

Method Two - Burring Down Your Pet's Nails Using a Hand or Powered File

This generally works well for most parrot species and a few of our smaller reptiles and mammals. A hand file (such as an appropriate human nail file) can be used. However, not all pets will tolerate the amount of time it takes to use a hand file.

A small rotatory power tool such as a Dremel® (available from most hardware stores) with a grinding or filing attachment also works very well.

The general idea is to slowly take off the nail’s sharp point but still maintain the nail’s normal shape. Take it slow and make sure not to go too far. If you are using either a hand or power file, it is important to allow your pet to get used to the file’s sensation and noise gradually, so they don’t become too stressed.

How often do I have to trim my pet’s nails?

The frequency that nails need to be trimmed depends a lot on their living environment. Some pets who spend a lot of time outdoors never need their nails trimmed to wear them down regularly. Others that are always inside will generally need their nails trimmed every 4-12 weeks.

Does it hurt my pet to clip their nails?

When done correctly, nail trimming does not hurt your pet; however, they may not like the restraint or sensation associated with having their nails corrected.

How Can I Help My Pet’s Nails to Wear Down Naturally?

Providing access to areas where your pet can wear their nails down is a great way to minimize the frequency that they need their nails trimmed. This can be as simple as providing lots of appropriately sized, safe, native branches to your bird or allowing your rabbit access to a safe area where they can dig.

At the Unusual Pet Vets, we offer free nail clipping with any consultation or as an independent service (without a consultation) for a small fee.

If your pets’ nails are getting a little sharp, we can help! You can make an appointment online or by giving us a call.

Other Services

Wing Clipping

We can perform wing clipping on some feathered friends. However, it is a service that requires consideration. We recommend that you think about and discuss with your veterinarian the reasons you are clipping them and what you hope to achieve.

It is important to consider your bird’s environment and how not having the same level of flight might impact them. If you would like to have a more detailed discussion about the pros and cons with one of our vets, make an appointment with your local Unusual Pet Vets team.

Microchipping

All exotic pets can be microchipped. We routinely microchip snakes, lizards, birds, rabbits, ferrets, guinea pigs, rats and even turtles.

As part of the microchipping procedure, we register the unique code with a national registry so that when a lost or displaced animal presents to our clinic, or any clinic for that matter, the first thing we do is scan them using our microchip scanner. The lucky pets are reunited with their rightful owner, but those that are not microchipped often never find their way back home and are re-homed.

Vaccinations

Ensuring your pet is up to date with their vaccinations is very important to prevent deadly diseases. Vaccinations involve your pet having a small injection under their skin that allows their body to become familiar with the inactivated disease particles. That way if they are ever exposed to the real disease, they are ready to fight it.

Currently, in Australia, there are no commercially available vaccines for parrots, reptiles, amphibians, guinea pigs, rats, or mice. However, we routinely vaccinate rabbits and ferrets, and recommend it an important part of their preventative health program.

General Health Checks

Exotic pets are very good at hiding signs of illness. Therefore, regular health checks are essential for your unusual pet’s health and happiness. While it is interesting and exciting, it can also be difficult to know whether your pet is healthy and that their husbandry requirements are being met.

When it comes to exotic pet health, there is a large amount of misinformation out there. But our knowledge and experience extend past the norm. We are the trusted experts when it comes to the health and wellbeing of extraordinary animals.

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