Care tip of the Month - October

Many small animals need their nails clipping regularly. If your pet's nails are getting long or very sharp, especially if they are beginning to curl, you should either take them to the vets to have them cut or learn to do it yourself. If you want to do it yourself then make sure that you have the right equipment. Nail clippers made especially for small animals or birds will make the job easy to do and will leave a good clean cut on the nail. You will have to restrain your animal well so that it can't wriggle just as you are about to cut the nail. You may find it easier with two people so that one person can restrain while the other does the clipping. Take a close look at the nail and you will see a thin vein running through the length of it. This is called the quick. You do not want to cut as far down as the quick as it will bleed and will be very painful for your pet. Make sure that you can see the quick before you cut and be very careful not to cut too much off the nail, making sure that you avoid cutting into the quick. It is easy to see it on a white nail but if your pet has dark nails it can be difficult to know where the quick is. It is better to cut off too little than too much so just trim the nails a little if you are unsure. You can always do it again the following week if they are still too long.