When their animal is bleeding for any reason, most animal owners begin to panic and think of all the worst possible scenarios. If the incident occurred under their watchful eye, some people may pound themselves into the ground with blame and guilt. But rest assured, odds are your pig will be fine, so take a deep breath, and let’s assess the situation.
If your guinea pig’s nail is bleeding, the first thing to do is gently clean and gently dab the affected area. Afterward, put a small amount of flour where the bleeding is to help stop it. More often than not, a nail bleed is relatively easy to overcome in guinea pigs, but it is essential to take action quickly to ensure it does not become a significant problem.
Before moving forward, it’s worth noting that most people have a conventional understanding of what is life-threatening and what isn’t. If you’ve nicked your guinea pig’s foot while attempting to trim its nails, then this is the article for you. If something obscure or unique has caused your pig’s paw to lose substantial blood, go to a veterinarian immediately.
What Should You Do If Your Guinea Pigs’ Nail Is Bleeding?
Assuming the initial injury occurred while attempting to trim your pig’s nails, you’ll want first to aid the wound in clotting so the bleeding itself can stop and the healing process can begin. To do that, you’ll want to act similarly to what you would if you scraped your finger.
Firstly, you’ll want to clean the area gently. A small damp cloth will do nicely. Use dabbing motions to remove any excess dirt or germs. Then, take a small amount of flour and apply it to the wound.
The flour will aid the wound in promoting clotting, and then you apply a small amount of pressure to help expedite the entire process. Given time, the bleeding will stop, but admittedly, your pig will probably resist and be more than a little aggravated about the entire situation.
Tips For Preventing Further Nail Bleeding In Guinea Pigs
No one likes when their pet is injured, especially if the situation could have been avoided. Thankfully, there are a few very simple precautionary measures you can take to almost guarantee that this issue won’t occur again or happen at all if you’ve never encountered it.
1. Trim Their Nails Regularly
The first thing you can do seems basic, and truthfully, it is. Trimming your guinea pigs’ nails regularly not only gets them into the mentality that this is going to be something that you’ll be doing every so often, but it also gets them used to the process itself, which leans towards them being less likely to fidget and jump during the procedure and innately making it smoother by association.
Another perk of doing this regularly is that your pig’s nails never get out of hand, jagged, or misformed, making the routine trimmings quick and easy. This means you are even less likely to hurt your pig doing the clipping in the first place.
2. Use Sharp Nail Clippers
A sharp pair of clippers will make the work quicker, and the faster you are done, the smaller the time frame and odds of an injury occurring. You’ll be able to notice a discernible difference between a very sharp pair of nail clippers and rather dull ones that might take several snips before they get through the nail entirely.
Unfortunately, this can become an issue relatively quickly as every snip has the potential of inciting a reaction from your pig, which can come in the form of them jumping, fidgeting, or reeling away from the cut, increasing their chances of being injured by association.
3. Do Not Cut Into The Quick
Trimming a guinea pig’s nails is similar to cutting your nails, and while the anatomy itself may be different, there are enough similarities for you to know what the quick of the nail is in most cases.
If you aren’t familiar with the term, you will probably know where the nail is connected to the skin on either your finger or your pig, where it is no longer growing off of the hand itself but onto it. Cutting too close here may cause you to knick the skin, where most nail bleeding stems.
The best way to avoid this is to take your time to line up your cut evenly and inspect where your clipper blades will start and where they will end after applying pressure. While it isn’t ideal, you can always adjust yourself to clip your pig’s nails multiple times, but attempting the “one and done“ is a quick way to hurt your pet.
Are Nail Trims Painful For Guinea Pigs?
No, trimming your guinea pig’s nails is not painful, but if you attempt to be too quick with the process, you can inadvertently make it painful by cutting your pig’s nails into the quick. Other potential injuries could occur if you struggle to hold your pig safely and it squirms and wriggles into a painful position.
In a perfect scenario, you prep a given area for the trimming process, ensuring you have a place for the nails to fall. You then sit with the pig while cutting it comfortably and use a proper holding technique to help facilitate the entire process.
Do Guinea Pigs Need Their Nails Trimmed?
Yes, guinea pigs need their nails trimmed because they can become too long and inhibit their walking ability. However, given enough time, guinea pigs’ nails can become so overgrown that they catch and cling onto portions of their enclosure and become entangled in their surroundings.
Some of the worst-case scenarios here would be the overgrown nail being so long that it catches on their catch and causes your pig to stumble on it, potentially harming their legs in the process, or the nail becoming warped from treading on it and the nail itself circling back and puncturing the pig’s paw.
Best Nail Clippers For Your Guinea Pig
As noted above, you’ll want quality clippers to get the job done nicely and cleanly. Thankfully, several options are available for everyone who wants a pristine pair that will take an eternity to dull to a cheaper pair that is more affordable and eventually replaceable without hurting your bank account too much.
1. Candure Nail Clipper
Candure’s take on nail trimmers says that they are catered more towards cats, but like most nail care products for smaller animals, they will definitely get the job done in a splendid fashion regardless. They do notably say guinea pigs as well in the overall description.
The clippers themselves are extremely cheap but offer a nice design with grooves alongside the handle that offer better support and an almost slip-proof grip that will make the entire process easy. They come in several different colors, and you can also purchase a pack that includes a nail file for really getting the job done in style.
2. PAKEWAY Pet Nail Clipper with LED & UV Light
Next on the list is PAKEWAY, which sets the standard for nail trimming safety. Their clippers are not only perfectly shaped so they can easily be wielded by most hand sizes, but they also include an incredible LED and UV light that will allow you to see the specific bloodline in your rabbit’s paw to prevent you from cutting it and causing that bleeding issue to begin with.
These clippers are going to be a bit more expensive than most traditional variants, but the added security features more than make up for the costs, especially when they eliminate the guesswork from the entire trimming process.
3. Gonicc Pet Nail Clippers and Trimmer
Continuing with clippers that have specific safety features to prevent over-trimming, Gonicc’s nail clippers come in a very neutral blue design with a unique safety guard that will prevent you from ever getting the quick of your guinea pig nail in the way of the trim, to begin with.
The clippers’ safety feature is fantastic for people who might be novices at trimming or simply lack the best eyesight for making the cuts safely. The trimmers also come with a nail file that allows you to smooth out the nail afterward, making it one of the best investments on this list.
4. Guinea Pig Nail Clippers with Magnifying Glass
Keeping in step with the idea that not all eyes and pet owners are built the same, these nail clippers have a built-in magnifying glass to help you better see your guinea pig’s paw. This also gives you greater control over the cutting process by actually seeing what you are doing.
The assumption is one of the primary reasons anyone knicks their guinea pig’s paw in the first place. Having a wider view allows you to gain enhanced control over your trims and almost removes the issue from ever occurring in the first place.
Some Good Practices To Stay Safe While Trimming Your Cavies Nails
Setting the stage, so to speak, is one of the best choices you can make if you want your guinea pig’s nail trimming to be handled safely. This goes back to giving yourself a distraction-free area, finding sufficient light, and ensuring your pig is well-rested and not irritable.
Most people don’t think about being mindful of their guinea pigs’ state of mind before a trim, but it is undeniably a factor. The more tolerable they are to being interacted with at that time of day, the more likely things are to go smoothly and, to a lesser extent, injury-free.
How Do I Learn The Proper Nail Trimming Technique?
Unfortunately, explaining the precise angles required to guarantee your guinea pigs’ nail trimming is done with the greatest expertise isn’t something you can simply type and display. It’s more of a visual process, especially for nervous people.
If you are truly concerned about your first time clipping, the best advice would be to take your guinea pig to a local pet store (that offers walk-ins) and ask to be shown the technique. Alternatively, you can find plenty of visual examples (of varying quality) on YouTube.
What If The Original Cut On My Pig’s Nail Gets Infected?
An infected wound needs to be taken as seriously on an animal as it does on a person. There are a myriad of different ways the situation can get worse. Anything ranging from an intense fever to the pig’s flesh becoming necrotic can all stem from how you handle things at this point.
Cleaning the wound and getting proper antibiotics will be your wisest choice, assuming things get to this point. You can tell a wound is infected by its inflamed, swollen, discolored appearance, slightly yellow or green discharge, or even an off-putting smell.
If you notice the first hints of infection (usually swollen, red, and inflamed), take your pig to the veterinarian immediately to prevent the condition from getting worse.
Final Thoughts
Trimming your guinea pig’s nails safely isn’t too difficult, especially if you give yourself the opportunity to succeed from the start, with proper tools, a well-lit environment, and a pig who is mentally ready for the journey. But if your pig is already bleeding, just remember: a bit of flour on the wound, a paper towel with some pressure, and patience, and everything will be fine.
