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 zap79 |
Need advise on nail clipping! |
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Posts: 14 04/04/08 04:00 PM |
I've been reading that my cavy will eventually need to have his toenails clipped. I tested this the other night because I've never really played with
his feet. He's about 3 months old. HE FREAKED! He tried to bite and succeeded a couple of times. Any tricks of the trade I should know about? Some of them
looked as though they needed a trim. I trim my bird's nails, but I cover them with a towel when I hold them. The piggy is WAY to squirmey!
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penelope and abby |
#1 | |||
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Posts: 29 04/04/08 04:09 PM |
I admit I am chicken (bad experience when I tried it with the dog we use to have) so I have my vet's office do it for me. Usually they charge but all I
have to do is bring in a food donation for a local animal shelter and I get the service free. Admittedly I have to make my appointment at their time not
always convenient but hey its a good deal so I work it out. Around my area vets charge anywhere from 8 to 15 dollars.
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PooksiedAnimals |
#2 | |||
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Posts: 3566 04/05/08 08:42 AM Moderator |
Clipping nails can be a trick. Its something that gets easier with time, as you get more confident and as the pig gets more used to you doing it. There are
some tips on nail clipping on GuineaLynx::Nail Clipping.
I know with my most recent girls, the first couple of times were hard. But now they seem to know the routine, and know they'll get rewarded with carrot
afterwards, and they don't struggle so much.
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Beth2729 |
#3 | |||
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Posts: 19 04/08/08 05:11 PM |
Vet tech told me to clip little at a time, for my dark nailed gp's to go to the black circle. Just little at a time. And I put a blanket over them so they
will feel safe. And if you have to take breaks between claws, to do that.
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zap79 |
#4 | |||
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Posts: 14 04/10/08 01:42 PM |
O.k. the towel thing worked and I successfully cut the rear nails. I don't know HOW to cut the front without getting bit. He was SO mad while I was
clipping his nails. I covered him up and he squirmed and made all sorts of sounds. When I uncovered him to give him a break he DOVE at the towel and was
chattering his teeth at me.. First time for that. Was he mad or scared? He's only about 2-3 months old so I'm not sure. I also need to know what proper
weight of that age is. I think he getting to be a little fatty.... but I'm really not overfeeding him from what I've read. HELP!
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PooksiedAnimals |
#5 | |||
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Posts: 3566 04/10/08 04:16 PM Moderator |
Chattering was probably a mixture of both being mad and scared. In most cases, I find the pigs take to nail clipping better, as they get older and more
accustomed to it.
What does he currently weigh? Pigs should be a little on the rotund side... I mean, they are *pigs* after all. ;-) A real problem pig requires two people for nail clipping. Is there any way you could conscript another person? |
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zap79 |
#6 | |||
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Posts: 14 04/11/08 11:02 AM |
I'm not sure what he weighs, I'm going this weekend to get a kitchen scale. After reading other topics on weight, he may not be too far off, I just
want to make sure. Are they really touchy when it comes to touching their sides and toes? My little turd is really picky about touching his sides. You can pet
him on the center of his back really easy, he usually kicks himself out and purrs. I'm just not sure if he'll get used to it, in time, or that he just
has a fetish for flesh! *L*
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PooksiedAnimals |
#7 | |||
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Posts: 3566 04/11/08 11:40 AM Moderator |
Some of them can be jumpy. Most of mine are accustomed to being handled and petted, so they have no problems with me touching them anywhere.
If you have not already treated him for mites, you may want to. Mites will irritate the skin, and can cause any touch to be uncomfortable. But a lot of it may just be baby-nerves, that he will grow out of. |
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zap79 |
#8 | |||
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Posts: 14 04/16/08 04:40 PM |
I treated him when I got him-he already had mites. He might be just jumpy. He's wound up some days and wants to flip around everytime I touch him. Other
days he just lays in my lap and lets me pet him.
Does anyone have allegeries to piggies? I noticed when I pet my boy he likes to groom me too. When I'm done the inside part of my arm breaks out. I can wash it and by the next morning the rash is gone. But it I don't then I ITCH BAD! Is this a common thing or am I a weirdo? 
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PooksiedAnimals |
#9 | |||
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Posts: 3566 04/16/08 05:55 PM Moderator |
I'm not allergic to my pigs, but for a while I thought I was. Turned out I was allergic to their mites. The mites weren't biting me, but I was allergic
to their secretions. Every time I handled my pigs, I'd end up with these little tiny red bumps all over - like hives. It would last for a bit after
handling the pigs, or until I got washed up.
Treated the pigs for mites, and suddenly I'm not allergic to them. We joke at the pignic, that I've got a built-in mite detection. Works in about 5 minutes after handling a mite-infested pig. |
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zap79 |
#10 | |||
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Posts: 14 04/17/08 10:12 AM |
Can they get reinfected? I treated him just after I got him at a local vet. Cost about $70 for both treatments. I'm not sure I want to pay that again! But
that is what I see on my inner arms is little red bumps that go away about an hour after I wash up. He hasen't been in contact with other piggies so
I'm not sure where he would have got infected again! Or maybe they never went away. Interesting!!! Is there a home remedy I can do to treat him? Is it
healthy to treat if I'm not sure he's got mites?
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PooksiedAnimals |
#11 | |||
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Posts: 3566 04/17/08 11:47 AM Moderator |
They can get re-infected. Not sure why or how, but they can.
You can treat yourself for under $20. Its why I keep ivermectin on hand (its usually what the vet uses for treatment). Some pigs require 3 treatments (or more) for a pig that has a bad case of mites. When you treat one pig, you need to treat your whole herd - even if they don't have symptoms. So, no, its not harmful to treat for mites, even if they don't have them. Information on Ivermectin Some people are allergic to the hay. I know I sometimes break out in bumps if I've been handling a lot of Timothy hay or the pine bedding a lot. So it doesn't hurt to change that around, too, to see if that's causing the break out. |
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zap79 |
#12 | |||
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Posts: 14 04/18/08 12:24 PM |
I want to make sure I read the Invermectin right... are they using the Ivomec for swine/cattle or the Ivermectin Horse paste? I think the hose paste would be
easier for me to get, but is it applied in the same dosage as the charts listed for the Ivomec swine treatment?
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zap79 |
#13 | |||
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Posts: 14 04/18/08 12:35 PM |
Nevermind, I answered my own question. I found this pour on treatment from a link. It's called agri-mectin from the valleyvet website. Would something like
that work? I use fleece as bedding, so it can't be the bedding. I know alfalfa has caused me to break out before in a similar fashion, but this seems to
happen when he's out of the cage and in my lap. He's usually dusted off before I get him out since he likes to pull him timmy hay out and use it for a
bed. I just want to make sure I purchase the correct stuff before I treat. Thanks again for all your help.
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PooksiedAnimals |
#14 | |||
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Posts: 3566 04/18/08 04:13 PM Moderator |
I have the 0.5% pour-on. Love that - no mixing, no mess, nothing to throw out. Lasts forever (well - a long time, at least). I forget the brand name, but it
will say somewhere on the label that it's 0.5% Ivermectin, and I know valley vet sells their smallest bottle for about $14 (+ shipping). I would recommend
that (which sounds like what you found). I keep a printed-out chart for the pour-on dosing with the bottle - so I can easily look it up any time I need it.
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Jewlee |
my nail clipping method | #15 | ||
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Posts: 85 07/02/08 10:08 AM |
I use the same method on both my rabbits and my guinea pig.
I put them inbetween my legs on their back, that way they can't squirm. My guinea pig however screams and jerks her feet a lot. Just have to watch what you are doing and be as careful as possible. The problem I've come across is that I didn't realize her nails were growing faster than they used to. So the pink area has grown and I can't cut as far as I would like to for the nails to be the right length. Gotta keep an eye on the nails! |
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