Poor Winkie

[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.

[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.

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.