# Trimming nails.....



## Chivahn (Mar 30, 2007)

Does anyone have any tips on trimming their nails? My double rex Curly is constantly tearing himself up (he's not itching more than any other rat, he just doesn't have hair and his claws are really sharp!) and tearing me up crawling on me. Poor guy looks so busted half the time....I've tried doing it myself (I had the vet help me when I was in there) and it never goes over well with the little guy. 

Any one have any magic tricks?


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

You could try putting something in the cage so that he trims them down naturally. I have had a lot of luck with *these*, from Petsmart. I place them where the rats come to greet me most often.


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## cjshrader (Feb 15, 2007)

I've also heard that what you need is some baby nail clippers, then just give the rat a treat and clip his hind legs while he eats the treat. As to the front legs, well, I don't know about that.

I'd go with what DonnaK mentioned, though I've never had a whole lot of luck getting my rats' nails shorter. I've also never seen that thing DonnaK mentioned, though.


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

cjshrader said:


> clip his hind legs


Really, cjshrader, I thought you were better than that


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## cjshrader (Feb 15, 2007)

No legs no nails no problem, that's what I always say.


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

:lol: Next, you'll be telling us you're starting a ratty wheelchair business


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## cjshrader (Feb 15, 2007)

You'll have to forgive me, but I did just imagine a legless rat rolling around everywhere they need to go, and I pronounce that adorable.


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## twitch (Jan 4, 2007)

i've never seen that either but a lizard's lava rock of a bird's cement perch would also work. i use the perch myself. i attached it to the cage under the water bottle so they have to use it to get a drink. it helps a bit but they're still fairly sharp. i've also used a piece of broken cement as a rock uner the water bottle before. that worked better then the perch but doesn't fit safely in the cage i have now. i'm not sure why the rock worked better at keeping nails down the perch either. i just know it did. i have a completely different set of rats now then i did when i had the rock so maybe that has something to do with it too. i don't know. but what you need if you go this route is to make sure you get something that has a rough surface (like the thing DonnaK linked to) and a place to put it that is already highly frequented. under the water bottle or at the doors seem to be most effective. if you jsut find a rock outside make sure you clean the heck out of it and bake it on high in the oven for a while to kill anyhting parisites it might be carrying. you may wan to do the same if you get it from a petstore that sells animals as well. you don't really know what bugs are floating around in there with all those animals. but that's really only if your parinoid about pet stores. i've never actually done it myself but its an idea. i know some people here are really cautious about pet stores and with valid reason. some of them can be pretty nasty. 

to help trim nails give them a hard treat while your doing their back paws and something sticky (like honey) when doing their front and have a lot of time on your hands. the hard thing has the rat focused on knawing the crud out of hte yummy treat (and takes them a while) while you can get at the back feet. they'll hold it in their front paws though. the sticky honey will keep them busy with a spoon or dish but leave their front legs mostly free to you. it gets really messy though which is why i only use it when i'm doing the front half. if they don't have it as long there's less of a mess out of the size they could have made. at least that's my reasoning behind it.


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## OnlyOno (Apr 4, 2007)

nataliedee.com has some ridiculously random comics about cats with no legs, and "circlecats". type cats into the search box.

anyway, i've always seen it done with a small pair of guillotine-style dog nail clippers. but i def agree that the sandpaper or limestone, etc chew toys and stuff for hamsters and birds are the best. someone recommended them to me and i think it's faboo.


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## Lise (Feb 26, 2007)

I just use regular human nail clippers. Much more precise on small animals, than anything for dogs/cats which are way too big and awkward.

I can only do the back feet though, I have never had any luck getting a single nail clipped on the front foot. But they don't get as long at least on my rats for some reason anyway.


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## ladylady (Apr 5, 2007)

Ive given up with clippers cus when I did it Lola actualy screamed although I drew no blood. We were both upset, but at least I didnt poo down her jumper.
Ive got a few rocks in there at different angles and in well traveled areas but Im still covered in scraches!


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## 2manyrats (Apr 10, 2007)

I saw a cool attachment for a mesh wheel that was essentially a small piece of sandpaper tied underneath the mesh, so that their footpads wouldn't touch the mesh, but their nails would get filed. I'm going to put a small piece of 400 grit on my wheel for a day and see if it helps - I'm always *covered* in scratches!

I hate nail clipping. Honestly, I think that all it does it make your rats hate you, if they're not already extremely socialized and very patient. Also, it's really easy to accidentally clip too far and make them bleed, so I don't do it. 

I've had a rough bird perch in my cage since the beginning, and I think it helps nominally. It's not fantastic (since it's just a perch, and not walked on tons), but it does make a slight difference. Maybe multiple perches or something larger would work better.

I also tried a brick, but it got pee-soaked and stinky almost immediately.


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## ladylady (Apr 5, 2007)

2manyrats said:


> I hate nail clipping. Honestly, I think that all it does it make your rats hate you, if they're not already extremely socialized and very patient. Also, it's really easy to accidentally clip too far and make them bleed, so I don't do it.
> 
> I also tried a brick, but it got pee-soaked and stinky almost immediately.


 :lol: 
Yeh i dont think Lola has ever forgiven me!


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

ladylady said:


> Ive given up with clippers cus when I did it Lola actualy screamed although I drew no blood. We were both upset, but at least I didnt poo down her jumper.
> Ive got a few rocks in there at different angles and in well traveled areas but Im still covered in scraches!


Steve was a screamer at first but once he realized that if he sat still and let me do what I wanted he wuold get a yogi. My boys are ally well baheved fo rtheir front claws though I just hold and clip.


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## ladylady (Apr 5, 2007)

:lol: 
hehe "a screamer"

Maybe I'll get the bottle again one day


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

he was such a drama llama but he stopped after he realized i wasn't going to hurt him.


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## Chivahn (Mar 30, 2007)

Awesome, thanks guys! I went to the local pet shop by my work today and got this chinchilla stone swing thing, so we'll see how that works out.


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

twitch said:


> and a place to put it that is already highly frequented. under the water bottle or at the doors seem to be most effective.


Yes, I embed mine in their bedding and place them just in front of the doors.


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## DonnaK (Feb 8, 2007)

ladylady said:


> but at least I didnt poo down her jumper.


This made me laugh. A lot.


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## Poppyseed (Feb 1, 2007)

Lol, it always takes an extra set of hands for me for all my animals. Seriously every week I need a spa day or something 

EVERYONE'S claws D: (rats, ferrets and cats)
Brush teeth (cats and ferrets)
Clean buck grease
Do little checks on ferrets
etc... etc... etc...

and give treat at the end! Yeah I have a lot of animal upkeep here lol hardly any free time.


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## dreadhead (Mar 1, 2007)

i keep a terracotta pot in the cage... great file as they use it alot for a perch, and hidey hole. forget trimming my girls nails, well Lucy anyways... she's way too spastic for me to try and trim her nails.


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## fallinstar (Nov 26, 2006)

ive got a parrot ladder wiv cement rungs


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## Templeton_Jack (Apr 19, 2007)

Well, I'm a gonna try to use baby clippers on my boys tomorrow, hopefully I will still have all my fingers and skin when I'm done! 
Those little claws can get painful! Jack walked up, actually I should say ran up my chest under my shirt and owwww!


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## Stephanie (Mar 25, 2007)

iriquois first bath was hilarious it looked like i tried to commit suicide via rat!


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## JennieLove (Jan 2, 2007)

haha


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