toe nail help please

[CritterCatcher]

hi

well i have a question
I have a rabbit that we just got today and she has the longest toe nails i have seen on a bunny....
question is how do i trim them....i have read to use dog nail clippers...and i have a good pair of them ...i cut our dogs nails with no problem...but i dont know if a rabbit has a "quick' like a dog that you have to be careful around and not cut or ..blood....
any help would be great....as you can tell were new to rabbits...
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[tortoise]

Just like a dog, no worries. The quick grows out farther than a dog though. And if it bleeds, no worries. A dab of flour or cornstarch, or styptic - whatever you have.

 

[CritterCatcher]

ok
thank you,, and i have stop-bleed also but dont want to have to use it,,,:/

 

[Bunnylady]

If the rabbit's claws are light to white in color, you can sort of "candle" them in bright light to see where the quick is. If they are black, well, you can't see much. A typical claw will begin to taper and curve downward near the end of the quick. I have a pair of claw clippers that I found in the cat department of a pet shop for my rabbits' claws. Because the jaws are very small, these clippers allow me to see the claw better, and I'm less likely to end up twisting toes or cutting too short, something that did happen when I used the larger clippers meant for dog claws. If dog claw clippers work for you, great, getting the job done is more important that what you use to it!

Your rabbit isn't a Mini Rex by any chance, is she? IME, they grow claws like nobody's business!

 

[CritterCatcher]

If the rabbit's claws are light to white in color, you can sort of "candle" them in bright light to see where the quick is. If they are black, well, you can't see much. A typical claw will begin to taper and curve downward near the end of the quick. I have a pair of claw clippers that I found in the cat department of a pet shop for my rabbits' claws. Because the jaws are very small, these clippers allow me to see the claw better, and I'm less likely to end up twisting toes or cutting too short, something that did happen when I used the larger clippers meant for dog claws. If dog claw clippers work for you, great, getting the job done is more important that what you use to it!

Your rabbit isn't a Mini Rex by any chance, is she? IME, they grow claws like nobody's business!

hi ..i have NZ"s that we keep...BUT i took in 2 bunnys as a rescue yesterday now 1 is a lop i guess as it has the long floppy ears but this little white rabbit has short ears that stand up....i honestly have no clue what he is ...but i am going to do his nails in a couple min,s so i will take a pic of it and post it ..then maybe you could tell me what he is...????
and i will look into the smaller cat clippers...but i have to do somthing now fo it ...these nails are soooooo long..
thanks
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[CritterCatcher]

it is just so friendly.... the pic's make it look big...bit it is not, it is quite small actually..

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[rabbitlady4433]

holy moly those were some long nails! Poor rabbit, glad he has a good home now.

 

[therealsilkiechick]

the easiest clippers i found r for dogs and they r like scissors not like the old fashioned clippers. work so much easier and don't break the nails or skip. u can also use nail clippers. ur bunny looks like a charlie (less than 10% coloring)broken castor. i'd say mini rex but ears look short and fur looks to long. it looks lionhead or velvet lion to me, possible mini rex cross.

 

[cutechick2010]

The dog nail clippers, the scissor type ones, are the best to me also. The guillotine style clippers can splinter the nail rather than cutting it sometimes. Something that I have found helpful when trimming my bunnies nails, set the clippers on the nail where you think is the best place to cut, and squeeze down on them veeery slowly. If you are on or too close to the quick, the bunny will flinch and try to pull away. Then you can let go and move the clippers, that way bunny's foot doesn't wind up bleeding.

 

[CritterCatcher]

i would like to thanks ALL of you for your help.....the bunny nail clipping went very well...( i have done lots of dogs and have no problem..i just did not know if a rabbits nail was like a dogs) and THANKS to all of you we now have a shorter nailed bunny (will take a few weeks to get them back where they should be)..
thanks to all
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