Nail caps

[Mary]

Has anyone ever used nail caps? They are more popular for cats, but they also make them for dogs (which also have straight nails like rabbits). My little guy is just a pain to clip his nails or buff them down, but he loves to claw up my chest to snuggle on my shoulder, which scratches me up. So I’m looking for some options

[jerseygirl]

I do recall seeing a photo once of a rabbit with these on. But honestly, I think most rabbits would just chew them off.

It’s important to keep nails short though, so that their weight is distributed evenly on their feet. Buns don’t have the protection of foot pads like cats and dogs so the hocks can develop sores.

Have you looked into seeing if a local rescue offers a nail trimming service?

Ever tried something like pedi-paws? I have a little tool similar to that (without the guard) and Jersey always lay there calmly while I used it. More so then when I trimmed with clippers.

[Mary]

i have, what you could call an off-brand of pedi-paws. it does’t smooth the nails but it does shorten them. He will tolerate it sometimes on the front nails, but usually kicks and squirms for the back ones. I do want to keep them short but also there’s the scratching. he’s still young, about 5 months. and since he has hit puberty, he has basically lost his mind LoL all the progress i did with litter pan training basically went out the window (which i read could happen) so I’m hoping for a calmer, more cooperative bunny after he gets neutered at 6 months. heck, maybe when he’s under for that, they can trim his nails LoL I had a rabbit as a kid – a female – and i swear she wasn’t half as crazy as this guy is. she always let us clip her nails without a problem and always up for cuddling. this guy loves being petted but if you pick him up he gets squirmy.

[Azerane]

I also imagine they would just chew them off and potentially eat them. Although I am highly amused at the thought of Apollo with his white fur and brightly coloured nail caps, lol. He would hate me

[Muchelle]

You need to keep the nails trimmed down because of health reasons. The little blood vessel in each nail will extend over time, making the minimum lenght of the nail longer and in the long run it will cause discomfort to the bun and increase chance of nail breaks, of the bun getting stuck on things and even promote sore hocks.
My bun is super-against manicure too, but with some vet help I have learned to do it at home. I’d call the vet to ask them to teach you how to manage with his behaviour, it takes patience but it pays off Since my bun doesn’t like it I only trim him every 2 months or so and we’ve been fine so far!

I’d say nail caps are a no-go for buns, he’d probably get them off in no time or go crazy trying to escape

@Azerane: since K is black, I’d love to see him with neon colored nails… ahahaha

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