How to Safely & Quickly Clip a Ferret's Toenails

Do you own a pet ferret? Are you thinking about getting one? Are you worried about how to safely clip his toenails?
A ferret's toenails grow fairly quickly, and need trimming about once a week or so. If not trimmed properly & in a timely manner, they will grow long, sharp, & pointy, making it easy to scratch you and get caught as he's playing.
Keeping his toenails trimmed is a vital part of your ferret's care & safety.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• special toenail clippers from pet supplier
• "Furo-Vite" nutritional gel, or similar product
• 2 gentle people

1. Buy toenail clippers specially designed for small critters. Open them up & get them ready.

2. Buy "Furo-Vite", a tube of nutritional snack gel that ferrets go crazy for (or a similar product). This snack gel is required to keep your fuzzy distracted long enough for you to safely clip his nails.

3. Wrangle up someone to help you hold your fuzzy while you trim his nails. This helper person will squirt a small dollop of Furo-Vite on the ferret's stomach.

4. Squeeze a small drop of Furo-Vite on your ferret's belly. He will immediately begin licking it off, and when it's gone, you will quickly have to add more. So the clock is ticking; because he won't sit still for long if it's gone!

5. While he's licking his stomach, begin gently but firmly clipping his toenails. Look at each toe to see where the quick is (the red, artery-filled area under his toenails) and cut just past that.
   Be careful not to cut into the quick, or else he will jump, will bleed, and will not be happy next time you want to trim his nails.

6. Once you've found the appropriate spot on his toenails, squeeze the clippers gently but firmly, cutting the nail off. You may also want to put a towel, trash can, or paper towel down on the floor to catch the toenails after they are cut.

7. Continue to cut all toenails on all feet until you are done. If needed (which it probably will be), have your helper person add another drop of Furo-Vite to the ferret's belly to keep him distracted.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't squeeze your fuzzy too hard, but keep a gentle but firm grip on him the whole time. He may squirm or wriggle a bit, so you may need to adjust your hands, but he should stay mostly put while eating his Furo-Vite.
• Some critter toenail clippers have an adjustable shield that you can adjust to the length of his nails, so you can safely trim them every time, without fear of cutting into the quick. Ask for clippers with this feature at your local pet store. We found ours at our local Jack' s Pet Store, and they seem to be fairly common.

[paulo55]

on 10/9/2009 I never new about ferret's toenails. Great information! 5*

[tesora]

on 9/22/2009 Clever idea. Distraction works well whether you are trying to cut kids or ferret toenails.

[momose]

on 8/17/2009 Ferret's are way too much fun, toenails and all! Good tips for ferret owners. *****

[carikay]

on 5/29/2009 I have always wanted a ferret! One day I may have need of this article. Good job.