Yes! Long nails affect the way a rabbit stands and walks. You need to trim them now or get your vet to trim them and then trim them regularly so that they stay a proper length to avoid your rabbit being uncomfortable.
Rabbits on the wild wear their nails down on hard surfaces which domestic rabbits don't do so domestic rabbits need regular nail trimming while wild ones don't.Do long nails hurt a rabbit? urgent!?
You have to clip them. You will need a friend to help you.
If bunny is squirming, wrap it in a towel and clip one leg. Be careful not to clip too far up or you will hit the nerve and it will bleed. If you do accidentally do this, a cake of soap will stop the bleeding (push the nail gently into the soap for a little bit).
Best to do this in a cool room as bunny can overheat quickly. If he is squirmy then you can also get a friend to hold him in their arms like a baby (this is called trancing your rabbit and is handy for this situation only- its not a game so please don't do it just for the sake of doing it!)
You can also get it done at the vet but you need to have it done regularly. We do our bunnies nails about every 6-8 weeks or whenever we notice they are too long. It does hurt them to have them too long and much like fingernails, they can get in the way and get cracked, ripped or pushed the wrong way when bunny is hopping around.
Cut the right way, it doesn't hurt the bunny at all to have their nails clipped.
Rabbits nails need to be clipped regularly. It can be painful but not always. Having long nails also can contribute to sore hocks, which are sores on the pads of the rabbits feet then bleed. this is painful. All you need to do is clip them. You can have a vet do it, but you can do it yourself, like I do. Grab a friend and a pair of cat tonail clippers. Have your friend hold the bunny on its back. Using your clippers cut the toenail up to the point where it changes dramatically in color. this is where the blood is. If you cut them too short, they will bleed, but will be fine. I good length is just longer than the fur on the paws. Good luck.
P.S. I think wild rabbits are so active that it keeps their toenails short.
My friend's rabbit had this issue and it was hard for him to walk. You're supposed to keep them clipped.
No comments:
Post a Comment