My hamsters nails are super long

Question

I have a dwarf hamster and he's front claws grew really, really long. I don't know why. I tried putting a a piece of sand paper glued to something in his cage and I put a brick in hoping he would ware them down on his own but he didn't. They're so long that he can't even run on his wheel anymore and I feel really bad for him. I'm scarred to try trimming them with nail clippers because he's so small and wiggly. anyone have any ideas?

Answer 1

in nature, the ground would keep their nails short; this is what happens when you keep an animal in captivity....

Answer 2

Hey!

What a dilemma. Try taking him to your vet and get him to cut them. You can observe how he does it and then buy yourself some cute little animal nail clippers. You can then do exactly what your vet does and you can keep them to a  minimum length. If you dont want to cut them because you dont know how to, you will have to take him to a vet and get them done and learn how to..!

Glad I could help..

Xo.

Answer 3

If you allow your hamster to run on things such as carpet or other rough areas(As you tried) often times the nails break off. I know my rats get long nails over a period of time and if I want them to soften up I let them onto my floor to run. Often times the nails catch and break which makes them much shorter. Or, if it gets so bad that it needs to be done, hold your hamster by the scruff of his neck, pinched between your index and thumb and trim away only a tiny amount of the nail at a time, as, since his nails are long, there's been more time for the Quick to extend.

Just keep trying. ^^ But if you absolutely have to, clip them.