Nail Clipping

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Tickle'sMommy

Member
Joined
Oct 4, 2014
Messages
11
How do you clip a hedgehogs hind legs? The front ones are easy, but my hedgehog, Tickles, just won't let me do his back ones. There is just this one nail on each foot that is way too long! Please help
 
There are a few things to try. First, try and get him used to clipping the nails on his rear feet by just holding him and touching his cute little feet... gently holding them between your fingers and let them go. As you're doing that, you may find he's less wiggly in some positions than others. I've had the pleasure of trimming several hedgies' toenails. Seems each has a preferred position.

The easiest was Texie, he'd curl into a loose ball on my lap (belly up) and I could reach into the ball and gently grasp a foot, he'd extend his leg as I held his foot, then I'd clip.

Next up are Marlee and Satin. With them, I try a number of things. Eventually, one would work, but I'd never know which on any particular day. Holding them with belly in the palm of my hand and their back to my tummy, grasping a foot with whatever fingers weren't being used to support their bellies, then clipping. Another is, if they're really calm and just sitting in my hand, sometimes, I can sneak in one of two snips if a foot was out/dangling. Yet another method is to strategically place mealies (those two are/were such food lovers), and grasp a food and snip while they're distracted by the yummy treat.

Bella is most difficult. I spend a lot of time positioning and repositioning her in my left hand, trying to grasp a foot, etc... She really requires the patience of a Zen master. Some days, I can be that Zen master; others, no... it's just not going to work. She is a biter and will let me know that what I am attempting to do with her nails is NOT okay with her. In more desperate times (ie, when things have just gone too long and they NEED to be cut and she would rather bite my finger off than let me near her cute little feet), I'll get out a dishpan, put down a washcloth, fill with about 2" of warm water, let her romp around (and poop) in the water, and I'll grasp a foot and clip nails that way.
 
Thanks!

I'll try it, but do you know if it will work just to put a big rock in his cage to wear down he nails naturally?
 
Putting a rock in doesn't end up working out too well.

Hedgie's nails are sort of like our own in that they start on the top of the toes. Figure that if you were walking on rocks, it would definitely do something to the bottom of your feet, but it wouldn't do much for your toenails.

The other thing about hedgie nails is that, when they do start growing out and getting too long, they curl inward, back toward the foot. By the time that they're down far enough to contact the rock on a consistent basis, they'll also already be (or very close to being) tearing into hedgie's little foot.
 
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