Luna's claws don't seem to "grow"

hi guys :wave:

I was wondering if anybody could perhaps share any insight into this

Luna's claws don't often seem to grow, as odd as that sounds. some of them seem to grow very very slowly. I clip their claws roughly every 3 weeks, and I've actually taken rough measurements, and the nails haven't grown at all. some others seem to grow, but they never really grow as fast as Orions. they also don't become "sharp", they just stay blunt. as if they were cut yesterday. she isn't the most active rabbit, probably due to her arthritis despite being medicated.

I always remember her claws growing quickly, often becomming long by the 3 weeks, just like Orion. but that seems to have slowed down.

she also had a claw that had a quick turn black. I was scared to cut it in case it hurts her, or it bled, but I did cut it as it had grown considerably long after leaving it for three months, and no pain or blood showed up. I've cut it quite short with nothing happening, its as if its dead almost.

her feetsies are in a poor state anyhow.. probably due to her previous life. many claws turn outwards or inwards which I'm sure makes walking a pain.

I'm just worried this is a sign she is unwell, or lacking in possible vitamins.

I don't know if this is any help but my rabbit Snowy's claws don't grow particularly fast. When I first got her, I'd have her claws clipped every 1-2 months but it started becoming a waste of money as she would never need enough off to make it worthwhile. A few of her claws also don't grow at all, and the vet said it looks like she's been nibbling them (completely harmlessly) which apparently some rabbits do! I never knew that until the vet mentioned it!!

Poor nail growth, if not associated with normal wearing down, can be indicative of calcium deficiency. This can also lead to dental problems and bone problems.

What is the exact problem with her feet ? Fungal infections can cause sore feet/nail damage

Can you post some pics of her feet ?

Jack's-Jane said:

Poor nail growth, if not associated with normal wearing down, can be indicative of calcium deficiency. This can also lead to dental problems and bone problems.

What is the exact problem with her feet ? Fungal infections can cause sore feet/nail damage

Can you post some pics of her feet ?

Click to expand...

I was wondering that. she has a "good" diet though with SS / burgess pellet (recently swapped over) and a variety of veggies every night. I don't know much about rabbits when it comes to vitamins etc but I would have thought calcium deficiency would be due to a poor diet.

her feet don't have any fungal issues. the easiest way I can explain is that her claws aren't "straight" if that makes any sense. when I pick her up, or sometimes when she stands, some claws turn outwards. her foot is still flat on the floor, just the claws don't point "forwards". one nail also went black recently, almost as if it "died" but it does still continue to grow.

the ones that sit outwards I do try to cut, but I can only do as far as the quick will let me.

the only way I can describe her claws is that they're more "blocky", Orion's at the tips become thin and sharp, Luna's look like rectangles almost.

I've brought it up with the vet, but as it didn't seem to be causing any issues we left well alone. but we can all agree that her start to life didn't do her many favours. she spent most of her time in an 80cm cage, if not all the time, no hay, no toys, and a poor quality pellet was fed to her. she couldn't move, stretch her legs, develop, she was locked in a "prison" so to speak. its likely why her hips are in such poor health, lack of vitamins and a lack of movement.

I will try and grab some decent pictures later, but she isn't too cooperative, prefers to bite my phone or run up to it :roll:

I'm not entirely sure if she's nibbling them, they look exactly the same as when cut. but its a possibility.

I've noticed that nail growth varies with age. Young rabbits and cats may need weekly trimming. Adults tend to be OK on a 3-4 week check and trim as required. Those who are getting to be OAPs have very much slower growing nails and sometimes I've noticed the 'quick' turn black. My very elderly cat was an example of this - his nails hardly seemed to grow and his front feet had black quicks for about the last year. He had many health issues and was on medication for many years, so some of it may have been due to factors other than just age.

Rabbit and guinea pig toes often go wonky with age. On one visit to FHB I remembering her mentioning this as one way she estimated the age of a rabbit. Obviously, other known factors such as poor diet and living conditions can / will affect rabbits in different ways - so not being able to move about freely will affect joints, how they sit / stand, and how the toes / nails develop - and it all may have a knock-on effect with the rest of their life (eg sore hocks, back or joint issues, etc).

I've never seen a rabbit trim its own claws, but we do have a dog that trims her dew claws. These don't get to wear down naturally, so would normally need trimming - but she does an excellent job with her teeth.