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HELP cutting a bunnies nails when they HATE being picked up?

O

oscarbunny

Warren Veteran
Hello,

My rabbit hates being held, and has done since we got him. He grunts, gets jumpy and kicks his way out of my arms. This makes it extremely difficult to cut his nails, it is near impossible to cut them. Ive tried holding him firmly, tipping him on his back, and nothing works, i give up. Will the vet be able to do it any better? I can successfully cut my other bunnies nails very easily as he is soft and loves being held, but the other bunny is very agressive and hates being held. Please please help!
 
mine dont enjoy having their nails cut but i jsut persevere and they usually quiet down (more out of terror than acceptance) and let me getson with it.. no sure if there is a stress-free way...
 
One of mine is fine with being picked up but hates having his nails done he goes nuts. So I wrap him in a towel and free one paw at a time to trim it can be a bit awkward but he's muchmore relaxed. I also try to keep him the right way up and not tilt him in any way again he remains more relaxed.
 
I wimped out of doing buns nails a long time ago. When I took mine to the vet they were fine, and the vet nurses do know what they are doing so I would rather pay out a few quid and not stress them as much.

PS Mine hate being picked up too.
 
A few of mine hate having their nails done, the best way I find is to tip them on their backs and tuck their upper heads under my arm so it's dark, this tends to quieten them down. A treat afterwards also helps as they are learning it doesn't hurt and they get carrot after! :D
 
My vet charges £6.00 to do the nails. However, when I go for the six monthly myxis, I say to my vet can you do the nails whilst I am here and she doesn't charge. I usually take her a plant in the summer and then something for Xmas so she doesn't mind. Also, as my rabbits are free range, their nails are fine every six months.
 
My bertie needs his nails done very soon... He hates being handled so I'm not sure if it's best for me to clip his nails or I take him to the vets..
 
i just do not like seeing my bunny scared, its awful, but if he is going to be same at the vets, then i might as well do it at home, one paw a night lol. i know some of you have suggested the vets are better if u have a bun that doesnt like being handled, anyone else find this too?

Thanks for all your replies.
 
I'm not sure that "if he is scared at the vets, he might as well be scared with me" is the best way to look at this. A vet nurse has a lot more experience with these sort of things and will handle the bunny in a different way.
 
We always struggle with Flopsy, cos she hates being handled. But once my hubby has got her on her back she calms down. I then give her nails a snip. I find its definately a 2 person job.

Nicola
 
My rabbit hates being picked up too. I get her to hop into her carrier and then take her inside and plop her onto the kitchen table. Once she's on the table and in this unfamiliar environment, she gets scared and doens't move as much. Also, the table surface is a bit slippery for her, just like at the vet's, so that makes her sit still more too.

But this is only when I need to do her back nails. I have no trouble with her front tails where I can just lift up a paw and give it a bit of a clip. It's a slow process though...1 nail at a time...

Good luck!
 
Howdie Folks

I used to use the Trance method - which I've gotta say worked well but I did read in the Rabbiting On Mag some time ago that although they look calm and sedated that they are really in a high stress level during this so I now do the following with a bit of help from MOH :lol: :lol: :lol:

Mine are normally quite good as sitting still so we pop them on a non slip surface on the table with them facing towards hubby who gives loads of fuss and reassurance - then I can gradually work round the table from foot to foot - I generally try not to take too much off - especially as Zak has dark black nails which are a real struggle to make sure I don't nip too much off :roll: :roll:

Oh yep and loads of healthy treats afterwards so hopefully they kinda remember it as a positive experience :)
 
Oh how easy was that!! Can't believe it I clipped berties nails with no struggle at all brilliant.. Only thing is how short do I take them ? only snipped off a little ..
 
I use the 'wrap them in a towel' method, it works very well, either that or i hold the rabbit with its legs away from, and i hold one leg at a time while i get my mum to clip them.

Mikes are easy to do, but Felix has black nails so its a lot harder, i just take a little at a time and compare to Mikes, never made one bleed yet and i've done a lot of rabbits :) Rather proud if i do say so myself :D

Guineas are easy peesy!

If only i could get near the dog.....
(i'm not scissor happy, or even nail clipper happy :lol: )
 
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