How often do I clip my rabbit's nails?
A rabbit's nails should be clipped every 3-4 weeks at the least. If you go too long without clipping your rabbit's nails, the blood supply (Kwik) will continue to grow out with the nail, and will make it harder for you to cut the nail to an appropriate length because the nerve in the nail will be too long to cut any shorter without making your rabbit bleed. If you're super uncomfortable clipping your rabbit's nails on your own, vets will usually do it for about $5. Of course, it is much easier for you and less stressful for your rabbit to do it at home.
Can I use my nail clippers to clip my rabbit's nails too?
Using human nail clippers on a rabbit's nails is not wise. Here's why:

This is an example of a rabbit's nails that have been neglected for far too long. I'm using this photo because it clearly shows the shape of the rabbit's nail. Round. Human nail clippers are designed to cut thin, flat nails. Rabbit's nails are round, therefore they need nail clippers that provide a rounded edge.

Here are the proper nail clippers for rabbits. As you can see, the sharp edge of the clippers are rounded, providing the perfectly shaped window for your rabbit's nail to easily slide into and it will be much less painless for your rabbit to use these round-edged clippers.
How can I clip my rabbits nails without making them bleed?

In this photo, if you look closely at the base of each of the nails, you'll see a pink or darker shadow. That is called the kwik. It is basically a little vein that supplies blood to the nail (this isn't an exact scientific explaination, but it's the easiest way to explain it here). Looking at the photo again, you'll see a thin, black, diagonal line going through each nail in a specific area. These are the cut lines. The goal in cutting your rabbit's nails without making him bleed is to cut just above the kwik. If you cut the kwik itself, your rabbit will bleed.
Some rabbits have black nails (as shown on the far right), which are harder to trim because the kwik is harder to see. Some rabbits have a mix of black, clear, and opaque nails. Always hold a light on the other side of the nail so that you can clearly see where the kwik is.
You also want to always cut the nail at an angle facing upward against the way the nail is facing (as shown in photo.) The diagonal should not be too drastic because you don't want the nails to be razor sharp, you just want your rabbit to be able to get a grip on the floor without slipping.
See this diagram to find out what a healthy nail should look like and what happens if you let it grow out too long.

0 Comments