No matter what type of guinea pig you have, all guinea pigs have something in common. All guinea pigs need their nails trimmed on a regular basis. There are multiple reasons for this.

First, if your guinea pigs nails are not trimmed ordinarily they’re going to get too long, and will snag on thing when he is running about, or scratch you when you’re holding him. There’s also the risk of the long nail becoming caught and being ripped out, which would glaringly be extremely agonizing for the guinea pig. Another reason to trim the nails is because as nails grow, they are going to start to round on the ends, and will grow into the soft bed of your guinea pigs paw, which may also be quite distressing for him. It can also simply get infected.

Guinea pigs can also grow spurs on the side of his paws. You will see these when you you can safely, and you can safely, and painlessly, cut these off, before they begin to hurt. Eventually , your guinea pig will actually be much happier with shorter nails, because it easier for him to run around.

You should test your guinea pigs nails each week to 2 weeks, but you can most likely find that he does not need a trim more often than every four to six weeks. You can help your guinea pig even more by providing him with rough running surfaces, that will wear down his nails naturally, but you will most likely still need to trim them a bit – just not as regularly.

To cut your guinea pigs nails, all that is required is a pair of nail clippers designed for humans, or nail clippers designed for moggies. You may also need a towel to wrap your guinea pig in, to help hold him still, and keep his paws that you aren’t working on secure. It also helps to have some other person to hold the guinea pig, while you do the trimming.

You must be cautious not to chop into the fast of your guinea pigs nails. You know how much this injures when it happens to you, and the guinea pig will feel that same agony. Look closely at his nails, and you will be in a position to inform where the fast basically starts. Elude trimming all the way down to the quick. Instead, clip just above the quick.

Cutting your guinea pigs nails will take some getting used to – for you and the animal – but you will get used to it, and everytime you do it’s going to be simpler than the time before. However, if you still feel nervous about doing it, you can always take him to the vet, or to a groomer to have his nails clipped. Note, however that the price of having this done can swiftly add up and you will save a massive amount of cash by learning the way to do it yourself.

Pet Insurance How to clip your Guinea Pigs nails

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