How To Trim Guinea Pig Nails

Have you just bought your child a cute pet guinea pig? Then you’re probably wondering how to trim guinea pig nails. Guinea pig’s nails grow very fast and should be trimmed once per month. Their nails are quite similar to those of cats and can be trimmed with domestic clippers. Keep in mind that all guinea pigs can become squirmy when it’s time to trim their nails. When trimming your guinea pig’s nails, giving them something to nibble on would be a good idea to keep them distracted.

As with most pets, guinea pigs require specific care when it comes to grooming. Long-haired guinea pigs need to have their hair brushed every week. However, short-haired guinea pigs need brushing a couple of times each month. If your guinea pig spends a lot of time outdoors, you can bath them once per month. My kids wanted guinea pigs, and we had a mating pair, and both of them enjoyed having a bath.

Discover the steps of how to trim guinea pig nails, along with how to keep your pet calm during the process. Plus, learn what to do if you accidentally cut your guinea pig’s nails too short.

Get Your Nail Clipping Tools

A pair of small animal nail clippers is the best tool to use to trim the nails of your pet. Small animal nail clippers are available with handles that are easy to grip and control. This type of clipper has a sliding blade. So, after putting a guinea pig’s nail through the hole of the nail clipper, you simply squeeze the handles together to operate the blade. Guinea pig nails are thin, so it takes just a second or two to trim each one. Many owners of guinea pigs use nail clippers designed to trim a cat’s nails. A cat’s nails and a guinea pig’s nails are similar, so if someone already owns a nail trimmer for their cat, it can double as a trimmer for the family guinea pig.

Get Cornstarch or Styptic Powder

Next, you want to get some cornstarch or styptic powder. Both of these will stop the bleeding quickly if you accidentally cut the quick. You can find cornstarch in the baking section at the supermarket. Styptic powder is usually found in the men’s shaving department, pharmacy, pet store, and online. Not only does it stop the bleeding, but it also stops bacteria from entering the wound.

Use a Hand Towel

If your guinea pig is wriggling while trimming its nails, you can wrap him or her up in a towel. Use the same towel next time you trim because he or she might feel more comfortable with the same towel. Another advantage to holding your guinea pig in a towel is it may shed some of its hair during the process. Guinea pigs along with other animals shed some fur when they are nervous. The towel prevents too much fur from getting on your clothing. But, of course, the goal is to soothe the guinea pig to a point where it doesn’t shed much hair.

Get Some Snacks

Gather together some leafy vegetables for the guinea pig to munch on while it’s having its nails trimmed. A few lettuce leaves, a carrot, or hay can all serve as a delicious distraction for a guinea pig during the nail clipping process. As a bonus, giving a guinea pig a treat is likely to make it feel even more relaxed the next time it needs its nails trimmed.

Examine The Nails

It’s helpful to examine your guinea pig’s nails before you begin the nail-clipping process. If your guinea pig has white or light-colored nails it is going to be easy to see a thin red line inside each nail. This is a blood vessel known as the quick. The quick sends blood to the guinea pig’s nails. If the nails on your guinea pig are black, shine a flashlight near the nail to find the quick.

Sit on the Floor

If possible, sit on the floor when trimming your guinea pig’s nails. The pet may feel more at ease near the floor as opposed to being up on a table or on a bathroom countertop. In addition, being on the floor means if the guinea pig were to slip out of your hands, it wouldn’t fall a long way and hurt itself.

Relax Your Guinea Pig

Understandably, some guinea pigs are anxious or frightened at having their nails clipped. This is true especially if it’s the first time you are trimming your guinea pigs nails. Fortunately, there are some ways an owner can make the process less stressful for their pet. Petting a guinea pig and talking to it in a soothing voice is another way to calm your pet in order to trim its nails. If you find your pet responds to music playing quietly on the radio, then put on some music. Every guinea pig is different, so it’s smart to try a variety of methods to see which ones put your pet most at ease. Once you find out what works best for your pet, it can make the nail clipping process a lot easier for both of you.

How To Trim Guinea Pigs Nails

Hold one of the nails between your thumb and index finger. Don’t squeeze too tight. Find the quick it will look pink. Once you find the quick, trim the nail down to just above the quick. If you cut the quick, it will bleed. Just dab a small amount of cornstarch or styptic powder on the nail to stop it from bleeding. If your guinea pig becomes restless, give it a break for a few minutes before continuing to trim the nails.

How Often Do I Trim a Guinea Pig’s Nails?

As a general rule, nail clipping should be done once a month. Of course, one owner may need to clip their guinea pig’s nails more often. One way to tell if a guinea pig’s nails are too long is to give them a quick visual exam. Are the ends starting to curl back beneath its feet? This is a sure sign that nail clipping is needed. In fact, if the nails start to curl into their feet, the guinea pig may start to limp or run around in an awkward way. This is because the end of one or more of its nails is pressing into the sensitive pads of its feet.

A second way to determine whether nail clipping is needed is to watch for snags. A guinea pig may snag one of its nails on a piece of fleece cloth used as bedding in its cage. This is a sign its nails are getting too long. Additionally, if you see a guinea pig biting or pulling at its nails, this is a sign they are getting too long and need a trim. Biting or pulling at the nail means the pet is trying to solve the issue itself.

Why is it Important to Trim the Nails of My Guinea Pig?

Regular nail trimming is important because in severe cases long nails can cause injuries to their little feet. If its nails continue to grow, curl, and poke into the bottoms of their feet, they can actually wedge themselves inside the footpad. Not surprisingly, this is very painful for a guinea pig and requires the intervention of a small animal veterinarian to remove the nail or nails.

How Can I Keep My Guinea Pig’s Nails Short?

A guinea pig that’s allowed to run around on concrete is going to be filing its nails on this hard surface while it’s having some fun. An enclosed patio area is a great option for this type of exercise. The area would provide safety while allowing it to move around. As a note, a guinea pig shouldn’t run around on the concrete surface for more than 20 minutes. Allowing it to run around for longer can injure the pads of its feet.

The image featured at the top of this post is ©iStock.com/Oleksandr Shchus.

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