A neighbour popped round today asking if I could clip his guinea pig's feet. I'm more than happy to clip claws for anyone who asks so in came the piggy patient.
He's an adorable looking guinea pig with a glossy black coat and beautiful placid character but I was taken aback when I saw his feet. The nails were quite atrocious; curling and bending in all directions. I couldn't wait to get snipping. I was wanting to take a photo of his sorrowful feet to put on here but it felt kind of rude to do so! I think the little piggy was completely relieved to have neat little claws again and he was soon chirruping away in my arms. His owner said he doesn't make that noise much which is sad. It's difficult when a owner is clearly in love with their pet yet overlooks what I see as simple husbandry. I said he is most welcome for his guinea to have a clipping again next month so I do hope he comes by with his piggy pal.
In many cases things really do boil down to education. Lots of guinea pig and rabbit owners may not even think their pet needs regular claw clipping because maybe their dog doesn't. I only hope I help somewhat. I am by no means perfect and am the first to put my hand up and admit that. I would like to think that using what knowledge I do have and by being an honest owner I can learn to be a better carer of my own animals and help others along the way.
Claw clipping the rabbits and guinea pigs is a routine procedure I do myself and will clip all of the claws on the same day once a month. I don't like nails to grow too long and will keep them neat and trim. When I'm doing the nails I will check the whole foot for any spurs and if there are any skin tags, which guinea pigs can be prone to, I will give these a snip too.
Neglected claws can cause a rabbit or guinea pig pain and suffering if not maintained. Overlong and curly nails make normal movement difficult and can lead to foot injuries or painful bumblefoot if the nails cut into the foot pad.
It's the beginning of the month and time to do my animals claws again so I'll get each of them out of their cages (or grab them from a floor somewhere!) and pop them upon a towel on my lap. I don't think I hold them all in the same way as I clip because they're all different in how they prefer to sit and what feels comfortable to them. Some of the furries are more compliant than the others too!
Not all guinea pigs feet are the same unified colour which can prove a challenge with inexperienced owners and if you're clipping under poor light. Timmy has both white and black paws so here's some images of his feet, before and after the trim:
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