Really long nails…….

[Michelle&Lolli]

 Lolli has really long nails.  I cannot see her quick without the help of a flashlight and much angling.  When I’m in doubt, I just snip the tips.  And I’m in doubt like 99% of the time.  I don’t want to take her to vet because I did that before and I think they cut the quick.  They just seemed awfully short.  So I don’t want to put her through that.  Her hocks  are ok.  A little red, but no broken skin.  

What concerns me is that tonite when I was clipping her nails, I noticed a small deep red mark on one of her pads of her front paw.  I touched it and she didn’t flinch so I guess it doesn’t hurt her.  It looks a little like a blood blister we get.  The pad isn’t swollen or anything.  

Is there anything I can do to help get her nails shorter?   Buy a dremel to file them down?  Take her to a vet and request she be sedated and have them cut them short?  I don’t want to traumatize her.  So I guess my questions are a moot point.  lol  But I am at a loss as to what to do.  I have been trying to cut a bit at a time in the hopes of getting the quick to recede but it is not working.  And as soon as they get short and closer to the quick, she starts flinching.  Help!  lol

[Pandorachik]

hmm.. I have a perfect paws. A grinding thing. I hold it on for 3 secs on 3 secs off repeatedly. It works good. I wouldn’t have her sedated, I think if you tell them last time they cut the quick, this time they won’t.

[mocha200]

have you thought about getting one of these?: http://www.amazon.com/QuickFinder%C2%AE-for-Cats-and-small-animals/dp/B000UR7EZM

[Pandorachik]

Yeah Mocha! That’s neat. you could let the vet use that if you really dont want to.

[Sarita]

I would not use a dremel. I think if you are being overly cautious, clip a little bit each week until you get it to the length you want.

[CocoVermont802]

I have my brother or a friend help and we also have to use a flash light. I use regular nail clippers and cut them the side where its flatter. Seems to work better.

[bunnnnnnie!]

Can you take her to the vet and tell them in the past her quick has been cut, and to please be careful?  If not, I second the clipping off a tiny amount once a week or so idea.

They really need to make a pair of small animal clippers with a built in LED light or something!!!

[Kokaneeandkahlua]

I’ve changed my mind on dremals-they do heat the nail up so a good sharp pair of clippers is better imho. There are clippers that sense the quick but I don’t know how well they work but might be worth a try. Are there any of her nails that are lighter colored? I use those to guide how much to clip on the dark nails for my crew who have some dark and some light nails. Another trick is the nail is uniform shape over the quick and then taper. So you can just trim the tapered part. They would be a bit longer than they could be, but you’d be safe from the quick and from them being too long.
New consideration when adopting bunnies-check the color of their nails lol

[HoneysBuns]

A lot of rabbit adoption events in my area offer free nail trims done by rabbit savvy people, and I have taken my buns to the HRS headquarters. Are there any rabbit savvy people/rescue groups in your area who do free or low cost nail trims? Vets do often cut more and then use Quick stop type formulas to stop the bleeding (not all vets, but some do). And I wouldn’t recommend using anything that claims to find a quick, at my job we do nail clips for dogs and those things can never really be trusted, so we just recommend clipping the tips of the nail more often which over time shortens overgrown quicks, and therefore prevents any unnecessary pain/bleeding.

Oh and having a second person either holding the bunny or doing the clipping makes a HUGE difference, and that’s true with any kind of pet!

[BinkyBunny]

Posted By bunnnnnnie! on 03/09/2012 03:39 PM

They really need to make a pair of small animal clippers with a built in LED light or something!!!

They do! I actually have one of those! It has a little curvy bendable flashlight that is attached the clipper…however, I find it useless now.   The light needs to be brighter, (doesn’t have battery options), and even before, I had to adjust it for every nail and it’s difficult to get it just right – as each time you clip a nail it’s a little different.

  This is what I do now if I don’t have Steve to help me.  I just put a flashlight behind the nail, spot the quick, and with my fingers hold the part of the nail where the quick is. Then I put the flashlight now and clip safely below my where my fingers are. I also do a little pump the nail first with the clipper. Normally if it’s on the quick or too close, the little pre-pump with the nail clipper will make the bunny jump a little, so it’s a good way to make sure you are not going to cut the quick if all is calm with the pre-pump clip. 

[BinkyBunny]

Posted By Michelle&Lolli on 03/08/2012 08:08 PM

 I have been trying to cut a bit at a time in the hopes of getting the quick to recede but it is not working.  

How much is a little at a time?  How much time between clippings? 

[Michelle&Lolli]

I usually clip her nails every 2-3 weeks. I check them more often than that. If I clip a little, it is just a tiny bit.

Can their nails have a growth spurt? LOL Because I was doing good with trying to get them shorter and thought I was making progress. Then the next thing I know, I’m able to cut like 2 mm off them. Maybe I just waited too long. That is completely possible.

I am terrified of cutting her quick because it has happened before. It’s not the blood that traumatized me. It was the fact that I hurt her. (I have stypic powder on hand.) Also, since moving into my dad’s, I’ve had to try to cut them on my own. Before, my friend would come over and we’d get the job done. Sometimes she cooperates. Sometimes she doesn’t. Sometimes she starts out cooperating and the fights too much so I only get one or two nails done. lol But then I just try the next night.

One of her dew claws is really long and is opaque so I can’t even see the quick. Do I treat those like the other nails? Also, I have searched the internet on this but got different answers. Does the quick actually recede? During my attempt at getting her nails short, I have not notice the quick receding at all.

Ok, I feel like a complete idiot asking these questions. lol I’ve had a rabbit now for almost 5 years and Lolli’s nails are stumping me. LOL

[RabbitPam]

Pumping it is another way of saying the technique I learned that works for me: Press, Press, Clip. You hold the nail and press the clipper down on it but don’t cut. Do it twice in the same spot, saying it out loud. If the bunny flinches or pulls away during either Press, Press, you have touched the quick. If bunny holds still, you’re usually safe to clip on the third try. The bunny works with you that way and actually tells you if you’re too close.

If you do just a little bit, frequently as Sarita said, they will grow back more normally soon as well.

Have a little dish of plain corn starch next to you if you do cause bleeding.

[Malp_15]

you can also buy animal specific nail files and just slowly file the nails down… if she will stay still for it We have 3 different ones on hand at work for all these chihuahuas that have weirdly shaped nails that grow into their pads.

[Stickerbunny]

Powders quick isn’t easy to see either, so I trim his nails more often – if you trim them about once a week and just clip the tip off, you’ll gradually work them down. Then it’s a lot easier to get the right length, as the quick recedes as you trim. He came to me with longish nails and I was scared to clip too short, so I just gradually worked it down to what I wanted it at. And I know my nails have growth spurts, so I would imagine a bun could too… Pams idea is good if your bun is good about nail trims, both my buns flinch if I even touch their paws, so I can’t judge from that for mine.

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