dark nails!

[somebunny]

well i think we have mastered the art of bunny burrito and clipping nails and other monthly yucky stuff thart my husband gets to do ( i just hold her hehe)…but we have a small problem…we’re scared to cut her nails short! she has brown/black nails and we cant see the quick..even with a torch.

any suggestions? her nails are very long…we cut them often..but i think we can go shorter, we’re just too scared!

also one of her claws is weirdly bent but she doesnt seem to be in pain…i’ll take a pic if i can..

[katie, max & penny]

have you tried shining a flashlight underneath her nails?

[MarkBun]

That’s what the torch is.

Just keep nearby the stippling powder and go with what you think seems right. Even expertly trained vets miss sometimes with the dark nails (even Dr. Harvey here in San Francisco).

[megrat7]

I feel your pain! Dark nails are no fun!
Where is the convenience store would the powder be? I need to buy some….just in case…

[katie, max & penny]

you might have to go to a pet store to buy it.

[Furface]

I got my powder at the pet store. It will be in the dog deparment, probably near the nail clippers. In an emergency I’ve read that you can use flour or cornstarch instead.

Oh & the bleeding is not too traumatizing for the bun. I had an bunny unexperienced dog groomer clip one of Bugsys way too short. Freaked me right out. Bugsy didn’t seem bothered at all. Once we got the bleeding stopped she even let the lady finish. I do them myself now & she doesn’t seem to have a memory of this episode. I know some dogs get very nervous after being clipped too short. Maybe they have more pain receptors? Anyway I’m always nervous with the black nails but as I said, it bothered me way more than it bothered her.

[KatnipCrzy]

It is correct that you can use flour or corn starch instead of styptic powder/ Quick Stop.  It aids in clotting.

For trying to see where the quick is- you can try looking on the underside of the nail to see if you can determine where the fleshy part ends.

[Sarita]

Another thing you can try is to lightly pinch the clippers to the nail where you want to clip a few times before you actually make the clip and if the rabbit flinches you are too close to the quick of the nail. It’s like a press, press, clip…this was suggested on a nail clipping video from the New York City House Rabbit Society and it’s a good idea in my opinion.

Also you may have to clip a small bit and then go back a week later and clip some more as the quick recedes.

[bunnycutie]

i had a guineapig w/ dark nails. i never really cut his quick, i wouldn’t worry about it. a cheeper alt. for powder is  flour! it stops bleeding just like the powder.

[MarkBun]

Yeah, there can be what seems like a lot of blood (even a drop seems like a lot to us, eh?) but I just keep not only the powder on hand but also a raisin. Even dono who hates me has totally forgotten about his injured toe the moment he gets the raisin.

[Author]

Messages