Poor Winkie

[moosmom]

I was clipping his nails tonight and I cut 2 too short. :( When he squeaked, I knew what I had done. Fortunately, I have a steptic pencil in the bathroom cabinet so I immediately applied it. It took a while for the bleeding to stop. I gave him lots of fruit and cheese yogurt drops. I hope he forgives me.

I feel SOOOO bad! Anyone have any advice as to how I trim his nails without hurting him??

[Muddy4paws]

Im sure the extra treats made it up for him!

Ive been told to file the nails down with a nail file or use baby scissors or to even put a brick in their cage under the water bottle so they can wear it down whilst drinking.

[sweetpatata6]

Ive been told to file the nails down with a nail file or use baby scissors or to even put a brick in their cage under the water bottle so they can wear it down whilst drinking.


I use a nail file with Valintine... Tho one time my friend's mom clipped them... Filing is much easier

[IRescue452]

Filing sounds like a good idea if he'll stay still. I'm sure he forgave you after all the extra lovin'.

[Freedom]

No ideas for preventing it as I don't have the experience. BUT, if you DO clip one too short, you can also stick the paw in a small bowl of flour to stop the bleeding!

And WHY did you have to cut TWO? After I snip one too short, I usually stop on the dogs and cats; figure I am too tired or whatever!

[moosmom]

He's just so wiggly. I'm going to try and find a brick to put in his tank. I would imagine that filing would be just as difficult as clipping because he is to active.

[Kalei]

I bet after all those Treats Winkie probably didn't even care about what had happened, and possibly even forgot it lol.

I dont' know about clipping the nails or not, when I go to clip my rabbits nails, if I get the 'gut feeling' that I may be cutting too close to the skin, then I stop and move away from it.

[Animallover1004]

I think you should go to the Vet, so he can do it! But, if you can't then just cut up to the point that you think its safe!

[Blue Dragonfly]

winkie looks like he has white nails, so it should be easy to tell where to cut. there should be a pink line running down the nail. this is the blood vessel. use toenail clippers and make sure to cut just after it. leave more room if you are worried. i have done it so many times it is down to an art. it works for rabbits, guinea pigs, and rats. it is more difficult when the nails are dark, as you cannot see the blood vessel running through it. if you look under the nail, you should see the nail type change near the ends, this is the part of the nail that can be cut. always leave a couple of millimetres as a safety net. these tricks work every time for me. it takes a while to get the hang of it because you will start off slow and the animal may pull their claw away while you are clipping, and they can lose there nail. (hasn't happened to me, but it can happen) just make sure to line it up properly before you clip. i also just apply a tiny bit of pressure with the clippers before going for the full cut. if they jump, move the clippers further down the nail.

you can file if you dont feel confident in clipping, but it does take longer and winkie may get agitated. if you follow these steps properly, it will become so easy, you can get it down in about 1 minute. Hope this helps.

[Blue Dragonfly]

also, cheese is not good for rats as they cannot properly digest it. if you want a good treat, go for corn. it makes them crazy.

[moosmom]

Wow! Cheese isn't good for rats?? I didn't know that! I give him cheese flavored yogurt drops that are made for rats.

It's not that I don't know how to clip his nails. It's just he's so WIGGLY that he makes it very difficult.

[Blue Dragonfly]

yeah, if they are made for rats it should be fine.

I know what you mean. when i cut my rats nails they used to wiggle a lot. some more than others. i just try to hold them upside down, and close to me body. or you could sit down and lay them upside down in the crevass between your legs.

if your rat bites though, you are gonna have a tough time. lol. mine never bit, unless they were snapping for food.

[Blue Dragonfly]

No ideas for preventing it as I don't have the experience. BUT, if you DO clip one too short, you can also stick the paw in a small bowl of flour to stop the bleeding!

And WHY did you have to cut TWO? After I snip one too short, I usually stop on the dogs and cats; figure I am too tired or whatever!


i was wondering the same thing. how did you manage to cut two nails too short? did you cut 2 at once or made the 2nd mistake after the other nail stopped bleeding?

[moosmom]

made the 2nd mistake after the other nail stopped bleeding?

That's it.

[Muddy4paws]

I think people are trying to make something of nothing here.

Rats really are so wiggly so accidents do happen and Moosmom done the right thing by having the powder nearby incase of an accident.

You should try the brick it really works really well and it very cheap too.


Also the cheese yoguart drop will be fine dont worry. My rat eats nearly everything. I believe anything is ok as long as its keep down to a minimum and not given too often. If they are designed for rats they should be fine the guideline for feeding should be on the back. I believe it the dairy in cheese thats meant to be bad for then but most treats for rats are made so the ingredients avoid dairy so dont worry at all. One thing I've never given Ronnie is orange, its meant to be very very bad for male rats.

[moosmom]

I didn't know about the oranges. I've put them in his dish but he doesn't touch it.

Corn works!!! I bought corn on the cob today and he went to town on it!!

[Blue Dragonfly]

what did i tell you! lol. they go crazy for corn. yummy!

[luckies4me]

Wow! Cheese isn't good for rats?? I didn't know that! I give him cheese flavored yogurt drops that are made for rats.

Cheese is perfectly fine in small amounts!!! The only time you really want to avoid giving diary to rats is if they are dealing with an URI. Sorry, but I had to chime in there. :p

Also, as far as corn, if you ever offer it make sure it is fresh! I cannot stress this enough. Dried corn can contain a number of different molds and mildew, parasites and aflatoxins. Not to mention it is very hard to digest. One of the reasons why the store brand rat foods suck. Wanna know why rats don't eat the alfalfa bits? They can't digest it.

[luckies4me]

I didn't know about the oranges. I've put them in his dish but he doesn't touch it.

Good! Oranges have been proven to cause cancer in male rats.

Also, try the brick thing. If he is squirmy you do not want to wind up chopping off a toe. Trust me, it does happen. Use the brick or have a vet do it next time. Also, you want to avoid using a septic pencil. They are painful. :( Try septic powder, flour, or corn starch instead. :)

[moosmom]

Wow, I'm learning alot here. Thanks everyone!

I've been on the lookout for a brick (a loose one no one will notice gone). I think I'm going to let the vet clip his nails till I can find one.

[CathyBogart]

I used to play "bobbing for peas" with my ratties. I'd put an inch or less of water in a dish and sprinkle frozen peas in the bottom of it. They LOVED diving in and "snorkeling" to find the peas!

[moosmom]

I wonder if Winkie would go for the pea bobbing??

[luckies4me]

I think every rat would...well probably 99.9 percent lol. My rats loved going after the peas. :p