Advice for Trimming a Sassy Rabbit’s Nails?

[Madi G.]

Phoebe L~O~V~E~S to be pet and sometimes even held. If I’m sitting outside with her in her pen, often she’ll get a running (or hopping ?) start and jump into my lap and snuggle into my arms. But as soon as I touch her paws and try to trim her nails, she nips me! I can tell it’s not a bite cause it doesn’t hurt too bad and its just a quick little warning. I’ve tried putting her on her back but she scratches the living daylights out of my legs and arms and one time even got my face. I tried putting her on a towel on a tall counter and having my brother hold her while I try to trim her nails but she just nipped and kicked at him until he let go. Any suggestions or tips on how to trim my sassy bunny’s nails? It’s getting to the point that they’re so long that sometimes when she scratches me, it draws blood and I’m afraid of her scratching my little nieces and nephews. She’s a very sweet and loving rabbit but also tends to be a little spunky.

[DanaNM]

My Bunston was very scared during nail trims, and was impossible to trance (which I know is a contentious issue)! With him it was a 2 person job. I would hold him so that his side was against my body, one arm under is bum supporting his weight, other arm holding his front end and pressing him into me. I would shift him slightly to expose each foot, while my partner would trim the nails. The whole process was less than 10 minutes. I would wear a thick sweatshirt, because after we were done he would usually turn and “dig” at me lol. We would get lots of scornful foot thumps and dirt flicks afterward, but he would forgive us pretty quickly. 

Before I had a helper, I would take him to my local house rabbit society for trims. If you have a group near you, they may also be able to show you some correct ways to hold your bun during trims. 

I have also heard of some people desensitizing their buns using clicker training. The videos are on youtube (linked below). First they got them used to having their feet handled without picking them up. Then they would “trimming” pieces of raw spaghetti near the bun’s foot, to get them used to the sound (apparently the sound can be as shocking as the sensation).  Then eventually they were able to trim the nails on the ground, without handling the bunny at all! Since it sounds like your bun is usually fine with being handled, this might be something to look into! 

I saw another training vid where they made it a game for the bun to “attack” one of those sanding blocks, that has sandpaper on each side, to help wear down the bunnies nails without trimming. You would still need to trim the back ones though.

Here’s the video I was thinking of that show’s the “spaghetti ” training: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEFrHZbw6tQ
And here’s the one that shows how to train them to file their nails themselves! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jr4CSlPopjg
As a side note, both channels have lots of other nifty clicker training videos to help get started, and so many cute tricks and games to play with them!

. . . The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.  

[LBJ10]

It takes 3 vet techs to do Wooly’s nails. Hehehe!

[DorothyTheMiniSatinBun]

We do something similar to what you’re doing with the tall counter and the towel. I still think this is the best place to try to do a nail trim – both she and you know she won’t be going anywhere. Dorothy is very skittish, but we still are able to do her nails every 4-6 weeks.. don’t give up! To do the back feet, my boyfriend will hold her up like she is standing and to do the front paws he will hold her in the position she feels comfortable – like a loaf position, and I will just pull her paw out to trim. My boyfriend pets her the whole time to keep her calm. We also give her a treat after each paw.

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