Nail Clipping

[Mikayla206]

So my bunny is a little Holland lop. She is very sweet, but will NOT be held. She will let me pet her but picking her up is not an option. I need to get her nails cut and I’m afraid whoever I take her to will not be able to cut her nails since she wont tolerate being held. She has never bit me, but I have no idea how to get her nails trimmed.

[Paige]

Hmm..
Have you tried picking her up with food in your hand(so she is eating while being held)?
Does she tolerate being held on the ground(like she is going to be picked up, but all of her feet are on the floor)?
If you can get her into a carrier and put her onto a high isolated area(aka tall skinny dresser/drawer system) maybe clipping would be easier?
Also How cast has a nice video on clipping rabbit nails on youtube.

[Luna]

That’s how I trim Luna’s nails. I put a towel on the kitchen table so she doesn’t slide around, and she more or less sits still.

[Mikayla206]

The closest thing to me holding my bunny is holding food in my lap and she jumps on my legs. But she will only stay for a few seconds.
I want to take her to vet to get it done, but i dont want them to have the same problem.

[sarahthegemini]

I get my bunny’s claws clipped at the vets. They don’t wriggle as much at the vets so it’s safer for them to do it.

[Ellie from The Netherlands]

Most rabbits “surrender” at the vet because they’re in an unknown location. It may be a lot easier to get it done there.

[princessbookworm]

I agree with most that the vets is probably the best option. However, I’ve trimmed my Jakes nails at home successfully. Our vet is a pretty long drive (which would be stressful for bun) and the nearby groomers always has dogs and doggy hair everywhere (also stressful for bun).

Today, I had my sister’s fiance sit with one of Jakes blankets on him and hold him so he (Jake) couldn’t hurt himself if he got scared. He’s a scarredy bun (adventurous if food is involved tho, haha!) so my nerves made him twitch around a bit, but having someone else hold him kept him safe and mostly still. I made sure he held him supporting his bum and his back. And we took a break after the toenails and let Jake enjoy a treat.

I highly recommend getting a pair of dog nail clippers instead of the kitty ones or the small animal ones. I spent $7 on small animal clippers when the $1 doggie clippers I got work much betters (better grip, better clip, and a handy safety to measure where the quick is). I also recommend you clip in a VERY well lit area. When I first got Jake, I cut the quick and panicked (bad idea; he sensed it and hid under my bed for an hour before I lured him out with a banana). So now I keep stypic powder and a wet q-tip on hand.

Good luck

[vanessa]

I clip my bunnies nails at home, with an LED headlight to help see the quick. 3 of the 4 need bunny burrito’s. Of those 3, I can only pick 1 up myself. THe other 2 I scoop up in a cat carrier. The bunny burrito works well. I’m convinced Morgana would bite me otherwise. I was nervous the first 2 times, but I got used to it pretty quickly, and I can get the job done in no time now. But if you are nervous – perhaps watch your vet do it? Or just take yoru bunny to a vet for clipping? My dogs are much better behaved at the vet for grooming, so it makes sense that bunnies might also behave better (give in). Morgana used to fight pretty hard when I woudl burrito her and clip her nails. She has become more accustomed to it, and now she just tries to hide in her invisible tortoise shell. I use a small dog clipper, or a cat clipper. I keep stypic powder on hand. Corn starch woudl also work if needed. I can get all 4 paws clipped in less than a minute, once I have them situated on my lap in the burrito, and have looked at where the quick is with the LED light. They don’t like it, but they forgive me quickly enough.

[Author]

Messages