I uses the little scissor style ones, i find the smaller the better. I can see everything and manuver them better.
Rabbits quicks never change length like a dogs would, so ocne you have an idea where your bunnies are nail clipping becomes a lot easyer (and less stressful LOL)

Keeps some corn strach next to you just in case, i find when i have it there I never make a mistake

I find it’s easiest if you tackle this issue with a friend! Usually I have my roommate hold Penny, flipped over, on her legs while she’s seated on the ground. She rubs her forehead and gets her ‘tranced,’ and then I can quickly clip each foot. I am pretty reserved with how much I clip – Penny is extremely shy and I’d rather do her nails more often than earn back the trust I’d lose from hitting the quick!

Good luck, keep us updated

With my male I have to sit on the couch with my knees bent and hold him with his back facing my chest. I have to hold him secure as he is a bigger bunny with very strong back legs. I have to stop sometimes and pet him and talk to him. With my female I just flip her over onto her back with her belly up and clip them. She doesn’t mind being on her back but a lot of rabbits don’t like it at all.

I have heard that if you wrap them in a blanket with thier eyes covered it calms them down a lot and makes it easier.

Rabbit quicks don’t change? You sure about that?? That makes things so much easier… I’ve never bothered to remember where I last cut cause I figured their quicks change in response to nail length!

That is what i was told, and i’ve not seen a change in mine BUT I also cannot find any information on it to proove what i have been told So it’s up in the air untill i can I supose. (I am asking the ladies in my rescue as well)
I know dog’s quicks will grow longer if the nails are not trimmed/worn down regularly.

I had understood that the quick will get a bit longer if you go too long between clippings, so you should clip a bit less, and more frequently, to get the quick low again.

A bunny burrito is a good way to hold a bunny still, while gently pulling out each paw for the trim. Having a friend hold the bunny in the towel works well.

Also, there is a method called “Press, press, clip” that I learned on a video that works well. You set the clippers, squeeze twice but do not clip yet, and clip on the third squeeze. The idea is that if you are on the quick, the bunny will yank his foot away but not be cut. It helps the bunny tell you in time before you hurt him.
Keep a small dish of corn starch handy, if you do cause it to bleed, and press it on the foot. Some use styptic powder the same way.

Or, there’s always Beka’s tried and true method:
Insert bunny into carrier.
Drive to vet.
Pay bill.

Old Habbit! LOL! I don’t think it will ever get easier with mine! Then again, I’m not a Veteran Bunny Momma either! lol. Still, some rabbits are easier than others. Baxter is hard and Bella is easy. I don’t think that will change Anyway, congrats. You did the right thing by making him feel more comfy with the blanket and covering his eyes. My Vet told me to hold my boy with his back to my chest and push his back legs down stretching them out. He demonstrated it and it looked as if it may be easier but I haven’t yet tried it. I will let you know if it makes it easier. If you find an easier method please let me know too. I tried the blanket thing with Baxter, he just wouldn’t have it. LOL

im so nervous to clip Pixie’s nails for first time. I know I should learn but the breeder I got her from said that she would clip them for free just so she can be selfish and see Pixie! LOL.

Is it a good idea to take her back to the breeder every month? Wouldn’t the breeder have other animals there that Pixie could pick things up from? Like maybe fleas and other parasites? The breeder could even pass something like that to Pixie from handling her other animals. Maybe I am being overly cautious but I wouldn’t take my bunny back to the breeder. I would learn to do it yourself or have the Vet do it. It really isn’t that hard. I just have a big bunny that doesn’t at all like to be held. lol He likes to climb on me and get pets but doesn’t want to be held down. I got a great clipper from Walmart. It’s not the scissor type. It has a hole that you put thier nail in and you squeeze the handles and it comes up from the bottom and clips the nail very clean. I really like them. They have the syptic powder attachment to them and a nail file. I also heard that if you are too nervous to actually clip the nails, keep filing them. Of course, you would have to do it a lot more often than once a month and I am not sure if the bunny will make this any easier. lol. Can you see the quick in your rabbits nails? If your bunny has dark nails and you can’t see the quick, hold a flash light to them and you can see them

I am really nervous to clip my buns nails and I know they are due for it very soon… I am worried they will hold a grudge against me (as Sully usually does if I do anything to offend him haha) and I’m not comfortable/don’t know how to flip my bunnies onto their backs. Is it more stress than it’s worth to take them into the vet to do it? My rabbit savvy vet is about an hour away, but there are lots of regular animal hospitals around here that could probably do it. I am soon discovering that the Mini Rex nails are nasty if not kept clipped!

Sullysmum: I really hate it too, and I have to admit that the nails at our place are always overdue, because none of us like it. But it really doesn’t take long. Maybe 5-6 minutes, top.

So, I really think you should try to do it instead of 2 hours in a car. Do you have someone to help you? I am amazed by those people who can do it themselves.

I don’t always flip them on their back, so if you are not comfortable doing that, you can easily doing it just by holding them tight in a position as if they are sitting leaned up against you.

I will try to do it much more often now, if RabbitPam is right about the quick!

I just take my bunnies to the vet. Otto is getting better about being picked up, so we may be able to do it ourselves one of these days. His problem is that as soon as you touch his back feet they start kicking wildly. But he’s been very very good for the vet techs lately (he used to put up such a fight) and he lets me pick him up briefly, so we’ll see. Another problem is that I’m good at nail trimming and the only one who picks him up – I need to train my husband to do one of those jobs so we can work together.

The vet techs can hardly pick up Hannah. *sigh* I highly doubt I’ll ever be able to do hers, so I’ll keep taking her to the vet. Lucky for her, her back nails stay short naturally. When I got her the fronts were awful, but the vet said the backs were fine and she barely clipped them. It’s been 6 weeks since then and the vet said her back nails still didn’t really need to be trimmed. I might have to try the pin her to the floor method and trim her front nails that way (her bum between my knees and my hand holding down her shoulders). 

I don’t flip my bun over either. I’ve tried once but he quickly flips back! lol. Then, he is upset with me and won’t come near me. If you just hold them close to you and pet them on thier head and ears and talk to them while you clip them, it does calm them down a lot. I also pet Baxters paws when I pet him everyday. Then, he isn’t so freaked out when I touch his paws. Bella is easy right now. She just doesn’t care what you do, as long as you pet her while you do it. I can flip her over and hold her lol. She will more than likely grow out of this as Baxter did. It’s funny, a website I read about New Zealand Rabbits said that they are like “ragdolls” and like to be picked up and carried around. lol. It said that you can even sit them on your shoulder and walk around the house! I don’t know who wrote that info in but that is just crazy!!! I don’t know of any rabbit that would be comfortable with that! I wouldn’t want to do it either! lol

I know a few NZs and while sweet, none of them are ragdolls! lol

Thanks for the tips everyone! I will have to find someone who can help me, although none of my friends or family are really comfortable handling rabbits. I think the bunnies should be fine, it is more me who is nervous! I will try covering their eyes next time and hopefully will have someone to either hold or do the clipping

I don’t advocate ever flipping them on their backs. A bunny burrito, with them on the floor in it, or on a table or counter top, usually keeps them still. I actually don’t cover Sammy’s eyes, I am afraid she can’t breathe, so I wrap her more like an ice cream cone with the face poking out, and then fish out one paw at a time.

I wish I could say it becomes Old Habit, but I remember chasing Spockie around for about 3 days until I got him where I could trim his nails. For 8 years. Good grief. having someone else hold the burrito really helps a lot.