Nail cutting disaster!

[JK]

Ok what a nightmare.  Bought the clippers and styptic powder.  Got myself all situated.  The towel was way too thick, couldn’t get Edson really squished between my legs.  Got him finally relaxed. Found the nails but couldn’t  tell where the damn quick was!  He has like  black lines down the entire front of his nails so I couldn’t really see the quick at all. I got one cut and the clipper didn’t cut well. He flinched. I gave up! Damn it!  Off to the rescue I go. I have alot of admiration for those of you who can do this because I failed miserably!

[ADEE]

awe im sorry!! Its normal for them to flinch.. your cutting their nails after all. Im sorry it didnt go well, thankfully abbie and rain have lighter colored nails so you can see their quick.

[bunnytowne]

If you could get another 2 hands to help you that person could help hold bun in the burrito and hold the flashlight to try to see where the quick lies. That is just so scary when you can’t see it real well. I am lucky mine are light colored. I would be nervous with dark colored nails too.

[MimzMum]

Both Mim and Pip have dark colored nails. It is SUCH a hassle to get them trimmed and it seems like the week after I do Pip’s they’ve grown back in again! >_<
Poor knowltons! I hope you and Edson are okay!

[Lightchick]

Oh, I totally had a similar disaster with Thumper today!  And I had BF to help, although he was even more clueless than I was… 

Thumper HATES being picked up with a vengeance.  He squirms and flails and is genuinely terrified.  Tried bunny-burrito, which helped with picking him up, but when I tried to get a paw out of the burrito, he flipped-out again, and thrashed and ran BACKWARDS until we had to loosen our grip.  Tried flipping him over and trancing him…which seemed to work a little, until I touched his paw, then mass flailing again.  So I tried to just keep him on my lap and pet him to get him relaxed, but by then he was totally out of patience.  Nipped my finger just hard enough for me to go, “Hey!  Did you just BITE me?!”, at which point he decided that I was obviously the densest human EVER, and sank his little fangs into my thigh.  Ouch!  Several vehement foot-flicks later, he was back in his cage, grudgingly accepting lettuce by-hand only because he’s a pig, not because he’d forgiven me.  I made him a goody-bag to play with, which he ignored.  He still hadn’t forgiven me when I had to leave…

I counted…BF’s mom got Thumper & Flower in March.  No nail trimmings since then.  Thumper has TALONS, poor guy!  (And fangs, apparently…)

[MimzMum]

Oh dear! And I think I have a hard time with MY two! >.<
Hmmm….all that fuss and he gets a treat? I’d have to rethink that myself. ^_^

Maybe he’ll have to have his claws trimmed by a vet? Or do you have a rescue in your area? He sounds like he’s going to need months of TLC before he trusts you enough to let you do it.

How long ago did you get him again?

[Lightchick]

Hi, MimzMum!

BF’s mom acquired him from I-don’t-know-where in March, and promptly put him in a cage. BF and I stole him…3 weeks ago I think?

He’s a total sweetheart about everything else, but he truly HATES getting picked up. Lizzy hates it too, and I used to think he was better, because she holds a grudge, but with him, when you put him down, he sits really still on the ground and doesn’t move. So then you can pet him and apologize for having to pick him up, and after a couple minutes, he’s back to normal and forgets that you were “mean” to him. Now I’m beginning to think that the staying really still maneuver is because he’s honestly terrified…

I’d rather be able to deal with nail trims on my own, rather than pay the vet every month, but if that’ll keep him from having a stroke… I’ll look into rescues who may have nail cutting services too…

Do you think he’ll get better about being picked up when he’s been with us a while longer? He seems very trusting already…in every thing else…

I HAD to give him a treat! Poor guy was SO MAD! I’ve never seen Thumper mad! He’s like the Prozac poster-child, he’s so laid-back…and he was flicking all sorts of four-letter words at me!

[JK]

Oh Lightchick I’m just laughing so hard!  Edson wasn’t bad at all it was just me not being able to tell where the quick was!  $15 to the rescue is worth every penny to not have to ever do this again.

[ADEE]

Abbie wasnt too keen on being picked up either at first.. but i understand its a natural instinct response. I pick her up probably 20 times a day, pick her up, pet her put her down.. this way its quick and positive. She has actually gotten ALOT better about it.. not saying thats what works for every bun’ but it has for Abbie

[MooBunnay]

A lot of bunnies have a real problem with being picked up, I think it is probably just their instincts kicking in, as a prey animal, they are very concerned about always having an escape route. I have one bunny that is just a huge problem to pick up, in fact, even after doing 6 bunny’s nails for 2 years, I still can’t get the guy to be picked up! I have to bring him to the rescue.

It may help to get Thumper a bit “worn out” before you try to pick him up. Let him have play time, and run around before attempting. Also, you could try trimming his nails at a time of day that is more his “sleepy time.” It is a good idea to have two people, one to hold and one to trim. Might I suggest it not be a significant other that helps you though because it almost always causes an argument between my hubby and I when we do this…”you are cutting too close, TOO CLOSE!!!” “you are not holding him tight enough, he’s KICKING” “watch out for the QUICK!” “I CAN SEE THE QUICK!!” etc.

Finally, I know this is probably the hardest part, but try to stay very confident and strong when handling him, I think that the reason the rescuers can trim my one bunny’s nails and I can’t is beacuse he knows that if he kicks enough I’ll put him down, so staying very confident and calm will A) help your bunny be calm and B) let him know that he is not going to get out of this one with his bunny antics!

As far as dark nails, its always pretty difficult, I try to get directly under a bright light, and usually I can see just a hint of the shadow of the quick. I think after a few more attempts you will be able to see it. Try to get right under the lamp and really get all the fur away from the nail. The flashlight also helps a lot, try just looking for the quick even without attempting the trim part so you can really see what it looks like.

[osprey]

I agree with MooBunnay, they somehow know when they can get away and when it is a lost cause.  My bunny DJ *hates* being on his back.  Cutting his nails involves wrapping him in a blanket and having one of my kids hold him, while I pull one foot at a time out of the blanket.  Very stressful for all of us, and on top of it he has black nails, making it even worse.  When I take him to Cindy, one of our volunteers who does the vast majority of the nail trims at our adoption shows, she just flips him over and does it.  Sometimes he’ll struggle to get right side up, but she just holds him tighter and flips him again.  I think he knows that it is a lost cause.

 

[dmh426]

Mim and Pip? Are you canadian by chance? Mim and Pip was what we call my french canadian great grandparents….it’s like Nonnie for italians.
I can cut my bunny Sophie’s nails, but honestly- I’d rather just pay to take her to the vet and for $7 have them take care of that for me.

[Author]

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