When to clip?

[loveisagirlnameddaisy]

I've got two GPs and am clueless when it comes to nail clipping. I'm also too scared to do it myself so sent DP off to the vets with them a couple of months ago as their claws felt very sharp. But the vet who saw them said they weren't long enough to clip and managed to cut too deep on one and sent poor piggie almost through the roof.

I've got no choice but to use the vet as I really don't have the confidence to try myself, so, my question is, how often would you expect to clip their claws?

Little and often is the key. I would do it at home with a good helping of parsley bribes. Mine are clipped every month. I sit them on my knee and hold each paw in turn and snip the end of the claw. Smoothpig sits beautifully and thoroughly earns his 'good boy parsley' but Scruffy is a wriggly nightmare and has black claws. He usually ends up chewing my hand while I clip him. I have nipped the quick a couple of times but dipping in cornflour sorts that out. Shining a torch on black claws can help you to see the quick.

Young guinea pigs nails are very pointy and short and just need the ends nipped off regularly.

As guinea pigs get older their nails get thicker. Its not a bad way of guessing how old a gp is. The shape of a guinea gives their age away too. Firm and bullet shaped = young. Pear shaped to backside like a Xmas pudding = middle aged. Scrawny and rat looking in the face = geriatric .

Hold a torch behind their nails if they are dark coloured. Or if they are pink claws you should be able to see the quick in daylight. You should be able to see where the blood flow ends and the dead nail starts which is safe to cut into.

Use proper pet clippers, available at p@h for about a fiver - they have a cut out bit so you can't crush the nail like ordinary human nail scissors would. Snip off a tiny bit at a time until you get used to it. Little and often is best. Bribe guinea pig with handfuls of grass, parsley, cucumber or all 3 and they won't make such a fuss.

If you do nick the quick, dip claw in cornflour to stop the bleeding quickly.

Good luck

BTW I do my sows at least once a month and they really need doing. I should really chack them every 2 to 3 weeks but like you said they don't like it.

HTH

Fernie Snap. I see we are giving the same sage advice

YY

There's a narrower opaque bit at the end and a sort of 'ledge' where the vascular part is.

My Rex boy has very thick rear nails.
I haven't managed to take any more than a millimetre off GP5 razor sharp front paws. Just enough to blunt them.

I bought some scissor type clippers that have a rounded notch for the nails. They need to be sharp enough to cut clean without crushing but not too cumbersome. The front claws tend to curl inwards (que judgey looks from GP3 when I have to hold his little paw to get into the curled one)

We do - DD holds the pig under the armpits and rump (so they aren't sitting on their spine) and gets gnawed. I trim and get the dirty looks.
If you have to, do back feet one day, front feet a couple of days later. They might get a bit anxious but it needs to be done. But if my pigs want to make it into a battle, it'll wait till tomorrow.

Hmm, still not convinced I'm brave enough to do it myself, although as with most things, I'm sure the first time is the worst.

One of mine sits on her little behind and chews off her own claws. Never seen another one do this, but we've not needed to trim her nails at all yet.

The others have to be arm wrestled as above.

I hate doing it too. Just a tip that if the worse happens and you cut into the quick badly, PAH sell little tubes of solution that are designed for cuts on dogs and cats, but also stop the bleeding on GPs nails. I once took a big chunk off one of ours when he wriggled at just the wrong moment, and it just wouldn't stop bleeding with cornflour, Vaseline and everything else that was recommended in my frantic googling, and it was 5.45pm on Saturday. Now I always do them when the vets are open, just in case...

we I do ours every 4-6 weeks, she does not like it - but a quick wrap in a tea towel, each paw out, quick snips with claw clippers and it is done...