With gloved hands (Figure 1), reach into the cage with a slow and steady movement, then grasp the guinea pig from behind under its forearms with one hand and support the hindquarters with your other hand.
Gather items you will need: nail trimmer (similar to the size used for cat nail trims), styptic pencils or clotting powder, and nitrile gloves.įigure 1. If you feel that a guinea pig is too resistant to restraint or too active, it is best to work on 1 or 2 feet per day until you both feel comfortable with the procedure, provided the nails are not excessively overgrown.
Until you can hold them and clip their nails at the same time, it is best to have another person assisting you. The first step in this process is making sure that the animals feel secure with being handled. Here, we provide a few easy steps on how to trim guinea pigs’ nails. 1 The inflammation associated with this condition can progress to osteoarthritis and, in rare cases, osteomyelitis, which has a poor prognosis in guinea pigs. Pododermatitis or bumblefoot may develop from an infected footpad. Overgrown nails can result in damage to the skin by causing open wounds on the feet. This is an important part of their grooming needs because their nails tend to curl and can grow into their footpads. Clipping nails more often will help to create a routine and prevent the quick, or blood supply at the center of the nail, from growing closer to the tip. The frequency can vary among animals but should occur once a month at a minimum. Guinea pigs require regular nail trimming. Guinea pigs are generally docile and seldom bite however, they are easily frightened and will try to avoid capture or being held. Guinea pigs have been largely replaced by other rodents, such as mice and rats, 3 but they are still used in research, primarily as models for human medical conditions such as juvenile diabetes, tuberculosis, scurvy, and pregnancy complications.
3 Their use as a model organism in the 19th and 20th centuries resulted in the epithet “guinea pig” for a test subject. They are a species of rodents belonging to the family Caviidae, and their scientific name porcellus is Latin for “little pig.” 2 These animals have been involved in biological experimentation since the 17th century.
Despite their common name, guinea pigs ( Cavia porcellus), are not really pigs at all.
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