stupid rabbit D:<

[Bentley]

You have to face it one time or another......... cutting your rabbit's toenails.

My rabbit, Bentley, behaves ever so badly. She squirms, she bites, she scratches. Worst of all, she has black nails so I can't see where the blood comes up to (like you can see in clear nails) I use a dog nail clipper, but we also have that 'pedicure' thing for your animal or whatever, but I can't use it on her cause she squirms to badly and it takes FOREVER to actually cut down the nail.

please help D: I'm begging you!!

 

[BlueCamasRabbitry]

Try wrapping her in a blanket and flipping her on her back. That will probably help with the struggling, and then you just take one foot out at a time, etc.

What I do is lay the bunny down on my lap, kind of inbetween my legs on the surface I'm sitting on and then keep my legs kind of tight so they can't move - but not too tight that it's squeezing them or anything.

When clipping her nails, do a little bit at a time so that if you start to see a blood drop, you'll know not to go any farther. You can also just clip two or three times, mainly getting the sharpest part of the nail. Keep some flour nearby in case you do cut her quick, then you can put the flour on the nail to stop the bleeding.

Emily

 

[Amy27]

I use to cut mine and I hated it. Mine acted like yours. I take mine to the vet to get them cut now. Costs $15 and they are there anyway.

 

[bunnybunbunb]

I do not have much problem cutting nails, it is Sway's teeth, so I know your pain. I just football hold them in my left hand and cut with my right. It takes a while but you get use to it.

Good luck!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

what I do is have someone else hold my bunnies while I do the cutting--need to find yourself a sucker. Also need lots of light and you can see the quick even in dark nails--keep some bleed stopper handy just in case.

 

[Sox]

I will have to do Sox's for the first time very soon, probably in 2 weeks time; not looking forward to it. However I must say I am lucky. Sox never seems to struggle when I carry her on the back like a baby; back leaning on your hands and legs up in the air - actually she remains rather calm.

I found this article and thought it may interest you ... putting rabbits in a trance for cutting nails. See below. In fact do a search on the net about rabbits in a trance and they all recommend that this is a great way to cut their nails.

http://www.ehow.com/how_2099556_trance-rabbit.html

Hope this helps, Carol

 

[kirbyultra]

Kirby has black nails too so I know all about the anxiety. I don't think the pedicure thing they sell for dogs on tv is a good idea for rabbits. It is so scary to their ears (the noise). It's like us going to the dentist...

I ordered a DVD video from my local HRS and the video showed me a REALLY great way to find out if you are cutting too close to the quick/blood vessel. They keep repeating this mantra: "Squeeze, squeeze, cut": You take the cutter, put it up to wherever you plan on cutting and just sort of apply a bit of pressure, squeeze down twice and if the rabbit doesn't squirm or jerk it's paw away, then you are good to press down and make the cut. Rabbits will always make sudden movements if you are making it uncomfortable by cutting too close for its comfort. I have done this for Kirby the last few times we cut nails and have had no anxiety about doing it. The trick is to go slow, cut a little at a time and don't get overzealous to get it done quicker. If you squeeze twice and everything is ok, everyone is happy and you can make the cut. If you squeeze twice and the rabbit freaks out, then you've gone too far. Let the rabbit calm down, and try again. The neat part is, because you've gently squeezed down on the "bad" cut attempt you left a small indent to mark that location, so you know that you have to do less than that.

This method is provided that you have a tight, steady yet comfortable hold on your bunny. A lot of people have the methods that work for them... one of my buns need a full burrito wrap with a towel to get any sort of hold on his feet. My other one will let me cut a few nails at a time if I lay him in my nook of my lap, on his back. He's not "tranced" because he's very much alert, but he will lay steady for about a minute for me to do the deed very quickly, so I have to split it up into about 2 sessions.

Toby has clear nails because he's a white bun, but I still do a "squeeze, squeeze, cut" to make sure he won't freak out when I make a cut. Cutting too close to the quick even without actually hitting it may frighten a bunny.

 

[Bentley]

okay, thanks for all the good tips ^^

the thing is bentley hates being put on her back though, so if I set her on her back in a blanket she will be constantly fidgiting and trying to get out, but maybe I'll just have to pin her down XD hah. I hate doing her nails, but whatever, sometimes you just have to. Also, I learned that if you put a flashlight near their nails you can see right through them, this helps with the blood thing the only problem is you need to keep the flashlight near the nail while your cutting, and since Bentley insists upon moving, she'll sometimes try to pull her paw away once I found where the spot is, then I loose it.

 

[kirbyultra]

Try covering her eyes. When I cover my buns' eyes with a towel (don't cover the nose) they stop moving.

 

[tonyshuman]

Trancing is great, but a lot of bunnies don't do it. My Tony is a deep trancer--it's hilarious. Muffin trances, but not as deeply. Benjamin barely trances, and Frida doesn't at all. I haven't been able to get any of the shelter buns to trance (and I guess there've been about 100 bunnies that have been through there in the last year, I probably cut nails on 50-75% of them).

 

[SilverBirchRabbitry]

I LOVE cutting my bunnies nails I know I'm a weirdo xD What can I say? Actually I hate doing the black rabbits nails. The white ones aren't too bad