Nail cutting

I have my brambles now for 4 weeks and i noticed today that her nails have grown and are getting quite long. I was wondering if i would need to cut them and if yes what would be the best way to do this (any hints or tips would be welcome)?

I have cut my hoggies a few times now as they do grow very quick. You will need a special pair of scissors, I got mine from pets at home for around £3 and are suitable for small animals. You can generally see where you should cut up to as part of the nail will be darker (compared to the see through part of the nail) than the the end of the nail so stay away from that bit when snipping as this may cause bleeding and cause hoggie pain. Some people bath their hoggies before attempting to cut their nails but I just do it when the opportunity presents itself, for example when they are particularly relaxed or still. You may find it difficult and nerve racking at first in fear of hurting him/her but with practise it becomes a lot easier. Good luck!!xx

Yep hog nails need cutting! There are loads of posts on nail cutting already on here somewhere. If you search for nail there should be some answers that can help you!

I use a small nail clipper and hold her in my hands, when a foot falls down I clamp it between my fingers and cut her nails. Most cut nails after a foot bath as it softens the nails. Be careful of the quick, some of the nail will be pink and this is the quick. Cut just after it. If the quick is accidentally cut it will bleed a lot, cornflour can help stop the bleeding.

Last week I was worried about cutting Chopper's toe nails however I've done it twice since then! It's a struggle to actually get a foot still to be able to cut!

I get my girlfriend to shine a light on the nail so I can see exactly where the quick is so I make sure I don't cut it.

Chopper totally hates the whole process so I reward him with some meal worms!

Brambles is not the kind of hedgehog who sits still on her bum. She moves a lot as well and does not like her feet to be holded. I keep on getting nightmares of cutting of her toes by accident. Anone any other ideas or tricks of how to cut her nails?

My Rammus is very uneasy when I'm about to cut his nails aswell He would sometimes attack the nail clippers. But I found a lil trick, I would put his whole body in a fleece and then just have his leg sticking out, he still tries to pull it back in, but overall he moves much less and doesnt see the nailclippers hehehe

Its a bit late this reply to ur original post, but for future reference I hope this helps!!!

Many thanks for the advice, most nails have been clipped, its just hard to keep track of which ones have and havent as she does not allow me to all feet around the same time.

Well done good job

Hi, my vet suggested using an emery board nail file to shorten my hoggy's nails - has anyone ever tried this? Is it effective? I'm worried it might pull at her toes and make them sore?

My Brambles does not even have the patience to get them cut, so using any nail file will definitly be out of the question.

But every hedgehog is different.

i thought about filing the nails as i have to reley on my daughter in law to cut my little girls nails as i cant due to probs i have. but thought it would maybe destress her as it would feel wrong and would take longer to do than a quick snip. but anything is worth a try and see how little one reacts

It is worth the try. My Brambles is already wriggling her bum as soon as I get hold of one her feet. I need to have the nail cutter next to me and already partly open read to cut otherwise she will alread wriggle her way out.

But every hedghog is different so it might work for yours

Thank you for your replies, most appreciated! I shall see how we get on and let you know

I snipped them in the end (the nail file was too fiddly and long winded) she was very good during her mani/pedi but a bit grumpy afterwards :( Mummy's got some grovelling to do! Xxx Thank you for your advice! Xxx