All pets, without exception, require careful care. Particular attention should be paid to the claws. For example, guinea pigs, which are very popular in Russia and abroad, need to regularly cut them. Otherwise, the furry pet may suffer and cause serious harm to its health.
About animal
Guinea pig - an unpretentious and funny animal that safely adapts to home conditions. Outwardly, it is much larger than a hamster or a decorative rat. The rodent is characterized by a cylindrical shape of the body and sharp teeth. Depending on the breed, guinea pigs are divided into short-haired and long-haired. The color of pets is striking in its diversity: from maroon to silver.
Fluffy "piglets" can be called centenarians. They live 10-15 years. Much depends on care.
In particular, cutting the claws of a playful animal is a mandatory procedure, which in no case should be neglected.
When to cut?
In the wild, guinea pigs do not suffer from the problem of overgrown claws, as they grind naturally. The owner will help pets cope with the claws. For the first time, cutting the claws of a fluffy “piglet” is recommended at an early age, when the pet was only a month old. Naturally, this procedure can be carried out earlier. Everything will depend on the growth of claws.
Experts recommend cutting the nails 1-2 times a month, when their "transparent" part grows by 2-3 mm.
Why do you need to crop?
Overgrown horny bases on the paws of domestic furry dogs can cause irreparable harm to them.In particular, the claws of the animals begin to harden and acquire an irregular shape (they twist into “spirals”). This can lead to the following troubles:
- finger deformities;
- spinal problems;
- claw rotation;
- the development of pododermatitis - an unpleasant disease occurs due to the ingress of dirt under the grown claws;
- injury to the fingertips.
Overgrown claws interfere with guinea pig when moving. The animal stops moving in the proper volume, which leads to obesity, and subsequently to the death of the pet. In addition, long sharp claws will scratch various surfaces on which the animal will move.
Note that in the claws of the playful “piglet” there are blood vessels, therefore cut the horny bases with extreme care. To cut the claws of a pet, it is not necessary to consult a veterinarian. This procedure will be carried out at home.
What do you need?
Preparing for clipping includes the following tools.
- Nail clipper, nail clippers or electric sharpener. The last tool can be considered the safest.
- Special Hemostatic Powder. It can be purchased at stores where shaving accessories are available. It will help stop bleeding if you accidentally touch the vessel during the clipping process. If the powder is not available, then use a solution of chlorhexidine.
- Terry towel. It should be soft and voluminous.
- A small file. With its help, irregularities are removed after cutting the claws of a guinea pig.
Note that it is better not to use manicure scissors for cutting claws of a pet. The fact is that they cannot instantly shorten the tip, which complicates the procedure.
How to cut?
On the legs of guinea pigs are 14 fingers: 4 in front and 3 in the back. Experienced veterinarians advise leaving the claws slightly longer on the front fingers than on the back.
It is best to cut the claws of the pet after sleep. At this time, he is calm and inactive.
The basic rules of the process are accuracy and care. In order for the haircut to take place painlessly and quickly, pay attention to the algorithm of the procedure for cutting the claws of the fluffy “pig”.
- We take the pet out of the cage and reassure him with gentle strokes.
- We wrap the guinea pig in a towel and place it with our backs to ourselves, we fix the head with fingers.
- We extend the foot to the "light" and determine the location of the blood vessel.
- We take the nippers and abruptly shorten the transparent edge of the claw obliquely.
- We perform similar manipulations with all the claws of the animal.
- After each circumcision we treat the pet with a treat.
- If you still hit a blood vessel, then use hemostatic powder promptly. As soon as the bleeding stops, carefully remove the remnants of the product. Otherwise, the animal may lick it.
- In the final stage of the procedure, remove all claw irregularities with a nail file.
Before sending the animal after cutting the claws into the cage, change the litter to a fresh one. Otherwise, dirt can clog under the trimmed claws, which will lead to an inflammatory process.
Note that it is most convenient to carry out this procedure in tandem with one of the households - one holds and the other mows.
Useful Tips
The haircutting process will help you to facilitate the recommendations presented.
- Start cutting from the front claws, gradually moving to the rear.
- If the guinea pig is very nervous, take a short break or completely stop the process.
- The sound of water or a tasty treat (a piece of pumpkin or celery) will help distract the animal.
- The animal may begin to bite. In this case, a muzzle designed for miniature dogs will help you.
- “Manicure” your pet in bright light.
- A towel or sheet will help fix the rodent that is trying to escape.
Note that if you still doubt your own abilities, it is best to take the pet to an experienced specialist. The veterinarian will easily trim the claws as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Preventative measures
We have already said that in greenhouse conditions a guinea pig cannot grind its claws in a natural way. But still there are measures to combat the overgrowth of the horny bases. So you need to:
- purchase special claws in the pet store;
- put in a cage a piece of brick or other "rough" stone;
- if the size of the "home" of the rodent allows, then you can build a pyramid of solid materials.
Note that all the claw grinding devices that you put in the guinea pig cage must be checked for strength. Otherwise, the furry pet may get injured, which will lead to sad consequences.
See below for how to trim your guinea pig’s nails.
