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Does nail clipping ever get any less nerve wracking?!

shelley

Mama Doe
Seeing as i have mastered a position to keep Buster completely still whilst i give him his meds and clean his wound i decided to have a go at clipping his nails tonight.

Ive always taken them to the vets to have thier nails done because im so frighted of cutting into the pink bit by mistake and making them bleed. I managed to do all of Busters nails (they were mahoosive :shock:) but i literally panicked before i did each one :roll: On the last foot i think Buster really felt my unease, got scared and nearly managed to escape my grip.

Does it get easier to do or is it always nerve wracking? I dont think i'll even attempt Lola, she might have my hand off :lol: she's much feister than Buster!
 
No! I did Timmy's last night, got the OH to hold him while I clipped. Decided I had to do it quickly and firmly, as the vet who clipped Pickle's nails did (I cannot do Pickle's nails he is just too much of a brat :oops:) I still panicked though. I don't worry about making them bleed, its the way they have this habit of jumping and pulling their paw away as your about to clamp down with the clippers! Feels like your going to rip their whole claw off!

Have to say well done for doing it yourself though, that is impressive!
 
It was very stressful, i think i held my breath the whole way through! Buster isnt too bad, i lay him on his back on my knees then cover his eyes. I wrap his back legs in a towl whilst i do the front paws, he doesnt mind the front ones being done but then i have to uncover the back paws one at a time :lol: it was a palarva but it worked. If i triend it on Lola my arms would be shredded but it makes sense to teach myself as it saves the stress and cost of going to the vets!
 
It gets easier, I always feel terrible if i accidentally cut the nail too short though! When I cut mine my mum holds the rabbit for me so I have to put up with her gasping and telling me that nail was cut a bit on the sort side as well as the bunny fidgeting :roll:
 
I have been doing lots lately and have found that if I give the nail a squeeze first with the clippers, they flinch if it's where the quick is. If its just nail they don't. It's useful for black nails or if you're just not sure.
 
I have been doing lots lately and have found that if I give the nail a squeeze first with the clippers, they flinch if it's where the quick is. If its just nail they don't. It's useful for black nails or if you're just not sure.

I use this technique too, I saw it on a you tube video I think. Squeeze, squeeze, clip. I get hubby to hold and I clip, but it is nerve wracking! Whenever I'm at the vet, for vaccs or whatever, I ask her to check their nails and she will clip them if they need it for free :love:
 
I wouldnt be able to manage doing it myself without putting them on their backs which would trance them, and obviously I dont want to do that. So I get my friend Mark to sit them on his lap with their backs against his chest in a bunny burito, then I kneel in front and clip them. Much easier that way! They stay fairly still, although sometimes I just do the front or back, and then do the other pair another day, as it does stress them out.

It is easier to get Annabelle done at the vets, especially as I dont like her to associate me with bad experiences where she's flighty anyway, but they usually trance the buns to do it, so I try to do them at home as much as possible. Barney usually has his done when he is under anesthetic for dentals as well, and they dont charge me for it.
 
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Its easier to do it on my own than it would be if OH held him :roll: he's useless with small furries, he's more worried about getting bitten and i dont trust him to hold on tight enough. I took Lola to the vet before and the vet didnt even have to pick her up. Lola just sat on the table and the vet picked one foot up at a time and clipped each nail, she didnt even flinch. Yet if i tried that at home she wouldnt have any of it!
 
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