How do you trim a guinea pig's nails?

nail clipHow do you trim a guinea pig's nails?
You can use regular nail clippers, or special guinea pig nail clippers from a petstore. Here's how to clip a guinea pig's nails:





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





You have to clip their nails every month!





Hope this helps!


Good luck!How do you trim a guinea pig's nails?
if you are inexperienced i would suggest taking him/her to a vet to have it done.


There is a vein called a quick, that runs along inside the nail, and an accidental clip of that can cause a lot of pain and blood loss, so its best done by someone who knows their stuff.


Watch how its done, and after a couple of times, perhaps ask the vet to show you and do it when you are happy that you are ok with how to do it safely
My Bor takes him to the vet to trim them and its really cheap sometimes they will do it for free....
Restrain him,and use nailclippers.
My usual nail cutting tips:


You can use regular human nail clippers. If you are scared about cutting to short, hold the feet over a light (flashlight, maybe) and you can see the quick easily and know where to stop. You could also put a brick in their cage. It might help them file their own nails down a bit, but probably not. My guys just jump over their brick.





You can always take him to a vet to trim his nails, but that will cost you. I always have their butt sitting on my leg so that they don't feel like they are mid air. My guys don't like it and it takes time. Sometimes, if their are exceptionally wiggly, I only cut one foot and let them run for a bit before doing another. There have been times that I cut the front feet one day and the back the next. It does take patience. Good Luck!!





New owners shoud read http://guinealynx.info for a great guide to keeping your piggie healthy and happy
You use a normal nail clipper. The first time only take the very tip off. Dont cut them very much, or else they will start to bleed. If they do just grab a tissue and apply pressure. they will stop bleeding soon. Dont try and continue if it gets hurt, just let him deal on its own. give them treats to make them feel comfortable and happy about getting their nails done.
Take your pig out to the sidewalk, hold it by the ribs and rub briskly back and forth on the concrete until the nails are the desired length
If you feel you can do it yourself buy the nail clippers for cats. Hold the animal securely and trim the tips. If you can't see the quick, that's where the vein is, be extra careful. If you clip it too short they will bleed. If you're not comfortable doing it yourself try your vet's office or a groomer.
have one person hold the pig and the other clip the very tip of the nail
when i usually trim my guinea pigs' nails, i give them something to eat and i clip their toenails with a regular nail clippers. I feed them so they are distracted and they don't even know what you're doing so they won't give you a hard time. Just be careful not to cut too far, just cut to the pink. Best of luck!
I had the same problem. Just hold the guinea pig in your lap, stroke him and talk to him, then cover his face so he doesn't see what's going on and clip off the ends of his nails. Don't cut of too much at a time or they'll bleed. Having one person distract the guinea pig and the other cutting its nails definitely helps. Good luck.
Helps to have two people do it. Wrap your pig in a blanket and hold him snugly, not too tight of course. Then the other person takes out one of the legs and clips off just the very tips of the nail with baby finger nail clippers. Clip about every 2 weeks or so. It may help to feed the pig a carrot, it should calm him down and help him to concentrate on something else...like eating which they LOVE to do.