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Like most pets, guinea pigs require some care. While long-haired guinea pigs need to comb their hair weekly, short-haired guinea pigs only need to comb their hair a couple of times a month. Bathing your guinea pig is a good idea, especially if it spends a lot of time outdoors. Trimming your nails is another task on the guinea pig grooming list. If you are new to the life of a guinea pig, you will want to know how to trim guinea pig nails.
Learn how to trim your guinea pig’s nails and how to calm your pet during the process. Also, learn what to do if you accidentally cut your guinea pig’s nails too short.
How to trim guinea pig nails
Before you start clipping your nails, it is helpful to examine your guinea pig’s nails. If your guinea pig has white or light colored nails, it will be easy to see a thin red line inside each nail. This is a blood vessel called a fast blood vessel. Fast brings blood to the nails of this animal. If your guinea pig has black nails, aim the flashlight closer to the nail so you can look inside and find a quick one.
Once you see the back of the head, grasp the guinea pig’s leg firmly, placing the nail trimmer just behind the end of the back of the head. The goal is not to crash into the fast. If your guinea pig becomes agitated, take a break and let your pet relax a bit before trying again.
Small animal nail clippers are the best tool for clipping your pet’s nails. Small animal nail clippers are available with handles that are easy to hold and easy to operate. The clipper has a retractable blade. So, when you slide your guinea pig’s nail into the hole of the nail clipper, you simply squeeze the handles together to control the blade. Guinea pigs have thin nails, so it only takes a second or two to trim each one.
Many guinea pig owners use nail clippers designed for clipping cat nails. Cat and guinea pig nails are similar, so if someone already has a nail trimmer for their cat, it can be used as a family guinea pig trimmer.
How to keep your guinea pig calm by trimming her nails?
Understandably, some guinea pigs are worried or scared of having their nails trimmed. This is true, especially if this is the first time the owner takes on this task. Fortunately, there are several ways an owner can make the process less stressful for their pet.
Gather some leafy vegetables for your guinea pig to chew while their nails are trimmed. A few lettuce leaves, carrots, or hay can all be delightful fun for the guinea pig while clipping his nails. As a bonus, treating your guinea pig will likely make her feel even more relaxed the next time she needs to trim her nails.
Petting and talking to your guinea pig in a soothing voice is another way to calm this pet and trim its nails. If you find that your pet is reacting to soft music on the radio, turn on the music.
Whenever possible, while trimming your guinea pig’s nails, sit on the floor. A pet may feel more comfortable near the floor than on a table or countertop in a bathroom. Plus, being on the floor means that if the guinea pig slips out of your hands, it won’t fall far or get hurt.
Consider keeping your guinea pig in a soft towel while you trim your nails. A guinea pig may feel more secure if its body is partially wrapped in soft tissue. Another benefit of keeping your guinea pig in a towel is that it can lose some of its fur during the process. Guinea pigs, along with other animals, shed their fur when they are nervous. The towel prevents too much fur from getting on your clothes. But, of course, the goal is to calm the guinea pig to the point that it doesn’t lose a lot of hair.
All guinea pigs are different, so it is wise to try different methods to find out which is the most comfortable for your pet. Once you figure out what works best for your pet, the clipping process will become much easier for both of you.
How often do I trim my guinea pig’s nails?
Generally, nails should be trimmed once a month. Of course, one owner may need to trim the guinea pig’s nails more often.
One way to tell if your guinea pig’s nails are too long is to quickly examine them. Do the ends begin to bend under the pet’s paws? This is a sure sign that you need to cut your nails. In fact, if the nails begin to curl at the feet, the guinea pig may start to limp or run awkwardly. This is because the end of one or more claws is pressed into the sensitive pads of the paws.
The second way to determine if you need to trim your nails is to watch for seizures. A guinea pig can snag a piece of wool with a fingernail that is used as bedding in a cage. This is a sign that his nails are getting too long.
If you see a guinea pig biting or rubbing its claws, this is a sign that it has grown too long and needs to be trimmed. Biting or pulling on a nail means the pet is trying to fix the problem on its own.
What should I do if I cut too close to the tip of my nail?
Unfortunately, the tip of a guinea pig’s nail is easy to cut through. This can happen as a result of the haste of the process or the inability to clearly see the fast inside the darker nail. Cutting the tip of the nail causes a little bleeding and a little pain in the guinea pig. If this happens, there are steps you need to take to stop the bleeding.
First, gently bring a soft cloth or paper towel to your nail to slow the bleeding. Then apply styptic powder to the damaged nail. To do this, pour a little powder into a shallow bowl and dip the pet’s nail into it. It is best to put the powder in a separate bowl rather than trying to place the animal’s nail in a container of styptic powder. Hemostatic powder is designed to shrink or close blood vessels to stop bleeding. It not only stops bleeding, but also prevents bacteria from entering the wound. Hemostatic powder can be found at most pet stores and even online.
Why is it important to trim guinea pig nails?
A regular nail clipping schedule is important because, in severe cases, long nails can damage their small feet. If the claws of this pet continue to grow, curl and dig into the soles of the feet, they may actually wedge into the ball of the foot. Unsurprisingly, it is very painful for the guinea pig and requires veterinarian intervention to remove the toenail or toenails.
The second reason it’s important to keep your nails trimmed is to avoid getting hurt. As mentioned above, nails that are too long in a guinea pig can snag or snag on a piece of tissue in their habitat. When the guinea pig pulls on the leg to remove it from the fabric, it can injure or break the nail. This can lead to infection.
How to keep your guinea pig nails short?
While nail trimming is essential for guinea pigs, there are a few things the owner can do to prevent this pet’s nails from growing too quickly.
A guinea pig, who is allowed to run on concre
te
, will file down that hard surface with her fingernails while she has fun. A fenced patio area is a great option for this type of exercise. The area will provide safety while allowing this pet to move around. Please note that the guinea pig should not run on concrete for more than 20 minutes. Allowing him to run for longer can injure the pads of his feet.
Next: Do guinea pigs sleep?
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