How to Trim Guinea Pig Nails

Guinea pigs are great small pets for children and adults alike. Like most pets, they require some grooming. This includes trimming the nails on a regular basis, which is an important part of keeping your guinea pig healthy. You can always take your pet to a veterinarian or other professional to have its nails trimmed, but if you want to do it yourself then follow the steps below.

Things You'll Need

• Nail clippers

Instructions

1. Use either a pair of standard human nail clippers or a set of scissor-style clippers found in pet stores specially designed for small animals. The one you use is a matter of your personal preference.

2. Utilize the help of a second person when trimming the guinea pig's nails if you are new to this job or if your pet is still fairly small. Having a second person there will allow one of you to hold the guinea pig while the other one does the cutting.

3. Position your first finger across the guinea pig's chest, between the front legs. Hold the guinea pig with its back against you. This will make it more difficult for your pet to bite you or escape.

4. Hold one leg out and gently clip the nails before working your way around to the other feet.

5. Start at the top of the nail and work down as opposed to starting at the quick. This will help you avoid cutting too close to the quick and potentially hurting your pet.

6. Cut the nail down so that there is still a little room between the tip of the nail and the quick. If you can't determine where the quick is because the nails are black, play it safe and only cut off about 1/4 inch.

7. Trim your pet's nails every 30 days or so. Waiting too long could allow the nails time to start curling, making it more difficult to cut them.

8. Stop any bleeding by using a styptic pencil or powder, found at the local drug store, applied directly to the tip of the nail. Hold onto your pet until the bleeding has subsided.

Tips & Warnings

• Have an experienced professional show you how to correctly trim your pet's nails if you are attempting it for the first time.

• Use a set of baby nail clippers when your pet is very young and work your way up to standard size.

• Begin clipping your guinea pig's nails when it is around 2 months old.

• If you clip your guinea pig's nails on a regular basis, there is a greater likelihood that the quick within the nail will recede. Left unchecked, this quick could eventually extend to the tip, making cutting the nails more difficult.

• Simply putting a piece of brick or concrete in your pet's cage will probably not wear down the nails enough to preclude the need to trim them.

• Avoid cutting the quick of the nail, since this will cause bleeding and pain for your pet.