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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
