Nails Nails Nails

I was cruising Craigslist in the pet section, per usual (Looking for some Beta tapes? I am selling some on CL right now. There, that's my shameless plug) when I saw an ad from a woman looking for a young person, preferably female, to trim her guinea pig's nails. Voila, that's me! I have raised four guinea pigs and a hedgehog. Nails, I can do nails. But...it took me a long time to get comfortable trimming my pets' toenails; everyone is afraid of cutting the quick and making them bleed. It happens to everyone at some point, and let's face it, it happens more than once, but it still makes you feel like a horrible animal abuser when it happens. In order to help spread the word about responsible and painless nail trimming I am writing about it here. If you've been following this blog you will have read about my trials and tribulations concerning Phin's nails. Here is what I have learned about hedgehogs and trimmings.

First, you might want to know when it is time to trim you hedgie's nails. Every critter will have a different interval for trimmings, so just keep an eye on their feet. Determining just when is the right time to cut is a judgement call- definitely make sure your hedgie doesn't end up like the one in the photo below. The second photo is a less extreme example, but still, don't let the nails go for too long. A hedgehog's nails are an opaque sort of white and you can see the pink quick. There shouldn't be too much white nails extending beyond the quick. Sometimes you hedgehog will let you know when her nails are too long by ceasing to wheel or to run around. It becomes painful for her to walk on long nails, so she becomes sedentary.

Okay, so now it's nail trimming time. You have either your cat nail cutters or a human set and your hedgehog. When I do it, I make sure to have plenty of light and a fleece blanket to hold Phin in. He does NOT like having his feet pulling out and held one by one, so it helps to pull out the foot and trap his body between my arm and the blanket. Then I trim carefully but speedily. Some people find that it helps to trim nails during bath time as it is harder for your hedgie to scamper away. Below is a diagram of how far to cut into the nail.

I got this diagram and some helpful hints from Hedgehog Central under their Health Forum. There is a search box where you can type in whatever you are looking for. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the people at HHC are wonderful resources full of helpful information! Thanks HHC!