Chloe Duwelius
Member
Hi! My bunny, Powder, is maybe a couple months old (I could get the exact age if needed) and I was wondering if I should clip her claws on my own or if I should bring her to the vet to have it done while she is young? Thanks!
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It depends on what you feel comfortable doing. If you feel you can handle clipping her nails, go for it. If you feel you can't, it can be done at the vet. Just keep it in mind that it can be a bit expensive if you have the vet do it. I prefer clipping nails at home as it's way less stressful for my bunnies.
SableSteel
Well-Known Member
It's not a hard procedure to learn, I wouldn't stress them out by bringing them all the way to the vet to do it. Baby rabbit nails tend to be the sharpest little things, but still short (and have relatively long quicks), so you only want to cut the very very tip off. For my rabbit's first nail trims I try to cut as little as physically possible off just to get rid of that sharp baby point.
I like the cat nail trimmers from the dollar tree - I use the trimmers to push back the fur so I can see the nail, before positioning them to cut, and these trimmers are just maneuverable enough to manage that (not to mention they maintain a very nice edge). Trying it with the dog nail trimmers or anything bulkier could make it more difficult. I usually have about a dozen of these nail trimmers spread throughout my house, I lend them to people when I help with nails, so I'm always going through them... at a dollar a piece I can afford to do that. I also always have kwik-stop powder on hand just in case, and if you are new to nail trimming I would suggest buying that, or at least keeping corn starch/flour nearby to stanch the bleeding if you cut too far
If you are 18 or under you can try to find a 4-H club around you, they always are helping people learn how to handle rabbits (including trimming nails)
I like the cat nail trimmers from the dollar tree - I use the trimmers to push back the fur so I can see the nail, before positioning them to cut, and these trimmers are just maneuverable enough to manage that (not to mention they maintain a very nice edge). Trying it with the dog nail trimmers or anything bulkier could make it more difficult. I usually have about a dozen of these nail trimmers spread throughout my house, I lend them to people when I help with nails, so I'm always going through them... at a dollar a piece I can afford to do that. I also always have kwik-stop powder on hand just in case, and if you are new to nail trimming I would suggest buying that, or at least keeping corn starch/flour nearby to stanch the bleeding if you cut too far
If you are 18 or under you can try to find a 4-H club around you, they always are helping people learn how to handle rabbits (including trimming nails)
