Nervous senior rabbit needs a nail trim

[Delilahsmomma]

So I have a bunny that’s over ten years old. I don’t know her actual age. She is friendly but skittish, so socializing with her is usually just sitting with her, talking to her and petting her forehead. She freaks out if you pick her up and could really hurt herself. But now she is quite old (as well as small and delicate) and her nails are overgrown. So she needs a nail trim and I would also like to be able to give her a good checkover to check for any issues. What would be your handling reccomendations for her? To safely and quickly trim her nails? I have heard of trancing but I’m worried that would be too dangerous for her.
In the past I have put her in travel carrier with the font door closed, and sneak in through the top door to trim a couple nails. But it’s really hard to access the nails that way, and I tried to do this today but she freaked out and jumped out from the top. I managed to catch her safely but she was struggling so much in my arms I just let her go. She is ok but won’t come near me now.
Also if anyone has any good diet reccomendations for senior bunnies, I would love to hear them!

[Wick & Fable]

Firstly I’d say continue doing just a few at a time, even if you need to spread to across a week. Have a notebook or something handy to jot down which ones you have and haven’t done.

With Wick, his nails get clipped while he’s lounged. So I pet him to distract him while intermittently feeling his front paws for nail length, then clipping them. Back feet are more difficult because like many rabbits he does not like getting his back feet touched. My future approach (to be tested soon) with back feet (because the lounge method for back feet doesn’t work for him anymore ) is to pick up just his front half and let him keep his bottom feet on the floor. I can use my chin to stroke his head and my carrying hand to pet him a bit and I’ll try and get the back nails quickly, using my carrying arm to support his upper body and trying to use both hands to secure a foot.

… Treats afterwards is good as well. I recommend having a little dish of water on hand, so you can dip your fingers in it and wet-back the fur so you can make a confident quick cut at the nail without accidentally tugging at fur strands.

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.

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