Guinea pig toenails

[AllTheLight]

Relatively new owner here. Do you have to cut their toenails? If so, how do you know when they're too long? And do you do it yourself or take them to the vet?

Thank you

[fortifiedwithtea]

When I was a new guinea pig owner I did take the boys to the vets but realised that was an expensive option. I bought a £5 pair of claw clipping scissors from Pets@Home.

Tips: guineas behave like spoilt children when having their nails clipped. No matter how much you tell them it won't hurt if they stay still, they take no notice. Bribery with cucumber, parsley or grass is the way to go.

If your guineas have pink nails, happy days brown or black claws more tricky. Danger of cutting into the quick and they bleed big time. If this happens dip claw in corn flour to stop the bleeding, cuddle guinea and give a food treat, you will feel very guilty.

I clip nails every 3 weeks or so. Little and often is best. My one remaining girl needs clipping but its her birthday today, grand old age of 6 so it can wait.

[AllTheLight]

Thanks fortified, that is really helpful!

[Millimat]

Our vet nurses will do them for free.

[EastMidsGPs]

Our vet's charge around £2.50p a paw.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

pink clawed piggies rule !

Easier to do with two people. DD holds the piggie on her lap with its back to her stomach. One hand under their front legs , the other under the rump so they aren't sitting on their spine.

Good sharp clippers , you don't want to crush the nail. I bought some nifty ones from Joleys , like scissors but a round 'notch] so the cutting bit is like a guillotine rather than scissor blades.

If the claws are long the quick will be, cut a bit off regularly to let the quick shrink.

You'll see the end bit is pointed and more opaque . That's the bit to clip.
The worst ones are the front outside ones, they curl.

We do back feet one day, front the next (but we had 5 pigs at one time so it was a conveyer belt . Of course I got the Evil Eye from them)

Rex and Teddy have big thick claws (but thankfully our coarse coatees GP3 and GP6 are laidback boars)

It is important to keep nails trimmed , they walk on their heels with long nails and can fracture the tiny bones in their paws.

I've had one bleed (GP4) she was not amused ...and my gawd, they bleed well (though vets take blood from a claw so its not a huge injury though your pig will wail at you)

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Awww Happy Birthday Millie

[fortifiedwithtea]

:) Thanks Millie is a Great Dame and will have out lived OB in a couple of days. She is currently in boarding in a conservatory hope she's not too hot and has a couple of skinny pigs in smiffing/wheeking distance. We fly tomorrow and won't see her for another 9 days.

[70isaLimitNotaTarget]

Hopefully she won't get ideas about being a Skinny and demand a tub of Veet Wax when you get home.
The response I have to Skinnies is "Eek like cuddling a scrotum" not "ooh aren't they smooth"

I was pressured into rehoming a piggie a couple of years back. Collegue at work (not someone I knew really) had a relative with a piggie.
Oh can you have it, we can't keep it etc.
In the end I said "OK, as a temporary measure"

Turns out to be a skinny. So needs to be indoors.
Entire male so can't go near mine.

That she then asked £££ for (I think £50)

The words "Feck off I was going to do you a favour but now you can piss right off you money grabbing entitled cow" were This Close > < to pouring out my mouth.
But I just stared at her beadily and snorted that it wouldn't work with my rodents and she wasn't really desperate to rehome him was she, just to sell him.


Enjoy your trip and Millie, enjoy your holidays.