What can i do about guinea pig nails?

Question

i got a guinea pig from outside the last owner didnt take care of it properly and didnt cut his nails when i brought him in from outside his nails were curled, i got a nail cutter but i cant cut his nails, i know that they can get infected so i really need to get them taken care of, is there anything i can do to make it easier to cut the nails?

Answer 1

There is a really good video on youtube called cutting your guinea pigs nails or something like that.

I have 3 black gp's and 1 white. the white one is definitely easier. You are supposed to clip them every three weeks. If it goes too long, then the blood inside goes long too so the best thing to do, is every other day, clip just the very ends off. just the tiniest amount and this will make the blood vessel go back. It will be good practice for both of you and get you both used to doing it. It shouldn't take maybe 4 times of doing it like this until they are short enough. then just start doing it regularly.

And you can put their paw over a flashlight(torch) like that other suggestion, but it's hard to do without help.

Answer 2

ive looked a lot of places but on tv there is a paid program about cutting nails on animals but it uses a sandpaper type thing and it says  it dosent hurt the blood vessales in the nails like clippers do

Answer 3

a local pet shop, groomer, or veterinarian should be able to cut / assist you in cutting his nails for just a few dollars. that way you'll have someone knowledgeable on hand as well as styptic powder just in case you get too close to the quick

and in the future, i suggest a miniature sandpaper treadmill for nail maintenance

Answer 4

if you dont know how to cut them, then dont! you might make it bleed!! take it to the vet to get it trimmedddddddddddddd

Answer 5

Cutting nails for the first time can be a daunting task, however, take heart! It can be done and once you get the hang of it, its no big deal.

Get a pair of human toenail clippers or nail clippers for small animals. If you're lucky, your piggie's nails will be light coloured & you will be able to see the quick. If they're black, you'll have to be more cautious. Have some styptic power on hand (can be bought at any pet store) in case you accidentally cut into the quick.

The following link will give you some idea of how far to cut. Scroll down until you see "Heathers Handy Pig Hold". This is how I hold my pigs while doing nail trimming. It works great! You can also place your piggie on a towel on a solid surface & try to distract the pig with a bite of carrot. Clip quickly while the piggie is eating his treat.

If you don't feel comfortable doing this yourself, enlist the help of a friend to hold the pig whilst you do the cutting.

http://www.guinealynx.info/nails.html

Good luck!

Answer 6

Take him/her to your local vet they should be bale to help you and that way if they are all ready infected it can be treated as soon as possible

Answer 7

hey,

the way that i always cut my piggy's nails, is by putting his foot on a torch and looking at the veins.all that you have to do is cut right in front of the vein and it will not bleed.  If it is infected, take it too the vet to get it checked out.

hope i helped

Answer 8

I would deffinetly take him to the vet . He will be able to hep you cut his nails.