clipping nails for the first time!

[oh_katiee]

hi! i’m a first-time bunny owner and i need help! my new 10 week old bun named nutmeg has some pretty sharp nails! i just got him about 3 days ago he is going great! however, he HATES being held or picked up. i never pick him up unless i HAVE to (taking him out of his cage to clean it, let him play, he gets into something, etc) and every time i do he’ll tolerate it for like 5 seconds but then he starts squirming and i read that’s very dangerous because bunnies can easily injure their spines and legs that way, and i certainly don’t want that! i was wondering how i should trim his nails for the first time. i’m SOOO nervous. i dont want to hurt him, and i dont want him mistrusting me because i had to hold him down. someone please tell me how i should go about doing this!

my bun nutmeg

[piperknitsRN]

I have the same problem with my bunny, Simon.  He is not a fan of being picked up and scratches and nips when I clip his toenails.  Here’s a recent thread on nail clipping with a wiggly/uncooperative bunny:

 

https://binkybunny.com/FORUM/tabid/54/aft/118397/Default.aspx

 

Hope that helps!

[Stickerbunny]

Stickers hates being picked up as well – it’s really easiest if you have a partner to help (friend, SO, family member, whatever) so one of you holds and one of you clips. If you’re solo, probably your best bet is a bunny burrito if he’s squirmy (wrapped up in a towel or blanket, I am sure there are youtube videos for it). If you have a partner, what I like to do is hold my bun against my chest, one hand on the shoulder blades and one arm supporting the back legs/spine securely. No wiggling mine have done gets them out of that and holding them against me helps to calm them. This position also leaves all the claws exposed for easy clipping by your partner. But you really have to figure out what method works best for your bun.

[Bunnehs]

teehee just what i had in mind.. a bunny burrito!!! http://www.ehow.com/how_5641404_make-bunny-burrito.html

Well anyways you will need a regular toe nail clipper, some corn starch or styptic power, and a partner. BE PREPARED FOR SOME SQUIRMING. While you do this keep your bunny in a closed area so if he runs away it will be easy to capture him. If you don’t do the bunny burrito:
Put him on your lap upside down so his head is on your knee and secure his legs. He will slowly fall asleep downward. Hold on his legs firmly with your arms and hold onto its fingernails. Clip it on the white line. if it bleeds add the powder. This will probably take you 15-20 minutes but worth using your money! I had many failures

[Monkeybun]

I managed to get all 4 of my rabbits nails clipped the other night. Just sat in my chair with a towel on my lap, flipped the little wigglers on their backs, snuggled them between my legs so they couldn’t squirm, and snipped away.

[somebunny]

+1 for the burrito, keeps them nice and cosy, minimal squirming…if you start doing it regulary, it seems to get easier for all involved! also don’t forget the treat at the end

[Sarita]

I think her nails should be fine at this age, they are very soft so it’s probably not going to be easy. As your rabbit ages, the nails will get more brittle and easier to clip.

[Elrohwen]

Pretty much all bunnies hate to be held, so don’t worry that there’s something wrong with him. His nails should be ok at this age, but you will eventually need to do it. There are all sorts of techniques (burrito, holding them on their back, holding them feet out, etc) but I think they’re all much easier with a helper. I think they’re also helpful if you do it in a strange place, like in the kitchen or bathroom, because bunnies are calmer when they’re out of their element.

I noticed that you pick him up to get him in an out of his cage. Is there a way to set it up so that he can get in and out on his own? Rabbits are fast and having to pick them up to put them away every day will just lead to chases around the room – frustrating for you and scary for him.

[mindy10]

oh boy do I know what you mean. I have tried on 3 different occasions with Blossom with no luck. She kicks and kicks and squirms I too am afraid she is going to break her spine. I think i will have to bring her to the vet to get them done. She will be spayed soon so hopefully they can do it when she is under. I actually got her a few cerment flat blocks that she likes to jump on (on in her cage and one outside under a box she likes to play in and sometimes she scratches at them so im hoping that will help keep them down like my cat!!

[MayaConsuelo]

I understand your frustration, I took Mr. Bun-Bun to a grooming event at Red Door Shelter in Chicago… all the other bunnies were laying on the volunteer’s laps and complacently letting them cut their nails and groom them… but my bunny needed a team of TWO people and a towel to hold him down! He kicked one of the ladies in the face!

Then I decided to start cutting his nails myself because I didn’t want to pay the vet… his nails are dark and the flashlight trick didn’t work… long story made short, I immediately cut the quick on one of his nails, was stupidly wearing white sweatpants which were sprayed with blood, and started crying…

I persisted even though I was nervous, and now I successfully cut his nails once a month. The key is to keep trying, of course they hate it! But they need it to be done… so for me the trick is doing it frequently (not waiting until the nails are super-long), holding the bun down firmly so he can’t squirm (or using a bunny burrito like others are saying), and doing it quickly. You can press down on the nail without cutting, if the bunny flinches that means you’re on the quick, so pull back a little.

 

[Bunnehs]

Oog yea!! about the snack- Get dem a veggie or a carrot to nom on while you clip their nails!

[KatnipCrzy]

for young bunnies, kittens and very small puppies I find that human nail clippers work the best as even cat nail trimmers can be very large for tiny nails that just need the points clipped off. And if they still feel sharp after clipping- you can use a nail file to quickly file/blunt the sharp edge left behind by clipping.

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