NAIL TRIMMING ISSUES: PLEASE HELP

[bear_the_bunny]

My bunny, Bear, hates being picked up.  He can practically sense when I need to pick him up, and nail trimming has become a major issue as of lately.  The first time the vet did it, but I don’t want them to do it every time.  I tried trapping him in a barrier-type thing.  However, no matter how high it was, he kept on jumping over it, flicking his tiny feet back at me.  As of today, I have had three barrier fails.  It seems like I need to have a barrier or he will just run somewhere I can’t get him, but he hates being trapped.  Please help me!

Edit: I’m also worried that if I put him on a table he would jump off and hurt himself.

[Asriel and Bombur]

Honestly, the vet probably is your best option. My boy Asriel will protest till he hurts himself. The only place I can guarantee he won’t hurt himself is at the vet. 4 vet trips a year is worth it to me.

[Wick & Fable]

I do not pick up Wick for nail trimming. I have a small square fabric piece that I lay down and that becomes the “business” area for Wick — grooming, trimming, medications, etc.. So I lay that down and he sits on top of it. I sit behind him and pet him down into a loaf (not sitting). I’m left-handed, so for his left paw, I put my right hand between his face and his left paw (back of hand facing his face) and lift up the paw, then clip it with my left-hand. What’s nice about this is Wick can’t really turn his head to bite my hand very easily, since it’s so close and the way it’s oriented. I do the same thing to the other side.

It can be extremely stressful to clip a rabbits nails, especially when you see instances where other people’s rabbits are angels during it…. definitely not the majority! You’re in good company.

Is your rabbit immediately squeamish when his paws are touched? If so, it may be good to just do some exposure training, where you briefly pick up a front paw (as if you’d clip it), but then put it down — so that sensation becomes more normalized.

The answers provided in this discussion are for general guideline purposes only. The information is not intended to diagnose or treat your pet. Seek the advice of your veterinarian or a qualified behaviorist.

[JessKez]

My bun hates having his nails trimmed and will always run away. I’ve found that just getting down on his level, petting him until he relaxes a little and then picking him up so his back is on my chest/stomach, his front paws in one hand and back paws in the other is OK. Once he is there, he relaxes. Of course it helps to have a second person who then clips the nails!

[Kylebunny]

I pet my rabbit until he lays down then I carefully take one paw and cut his nails. It takes awhile but that’s what works for me.

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