Guinea pig nails: regular trims, and an eye on their feet

According to the PDSA, guinea pigs’ nails never stop growing. When they get too long, they curl, can dig into the foot pads, cause pain and infection, and make walking difficult. The MSD Veterinary Manual recommends regular trims to prevent overgrowth and to avoid scratching whoever handles them.

According to the RSPCA, a hard, solid floor in their enclosure helps keep nails short; Blue Cross points out that most guinea pigs still need regular trims.

• Check their nails every week, along with their teeth, as the RSPCA advises.
• Trim them as soon as they stick out or start to curl: the University of Florida veterinary hospital recommends ideally at least one trim a month.
• Start when they’re young so they get used to it, as the MSD manual advises.

• 1. Get settledSomewhere quiet, with your guinea pig held securely on your lap or against you, on a towel; it’s easier with two people.
• 2. Find the quickOn a pale nail, the pink part contains a blood vessel. On a dark nail, shine a torch behind it to see it.
• 3. Clip the tipWith clippers designed for small animals, cut about 3 mm beyond the quick, according to the MSD manual. Better to take a little, more often.
• 4. If it bleedsApply styptic powder or a styptic pencil, as the MSD manual advises; if the bleeding doesn’t stop, call your vet.
• 5. RewardA favourite vegetable: the next session will be easier.

If you’re unsure, your vet or veterinary nurse can do the trim and show you how, as the PDSA and Blue Cross suggest.

Pododermatitis is inflammation and infection of the foot pads, also known as bumblefoot. According to the MSD Veterinary Manual, it is made more likely by small wounds, wire floors, poor hygiene and excess weight; the PDSA adds lack of exercise and overgrown nails. Left untreated, it can spread to the tendons and joints; severe cases sometimes need surgery.

• A smooth, solid floor, never wire mesh, with soft, dry bedding that is changed often.
• A clean enclosure: droppings and wet bedding removed every day.
• Weight checked every week, and daily exercise.
• Nails kept short, and a look at the foot pads at every trim.

Some guinea pigs develop hard calluses on the underside of their feet. According to the PDSA, these can become painful, affect walking or catch on things: it’s your vet’s job to reduce them without touching the sensitive areas.

Log every trim in MyArk: everyone in the household knows when it was done and by whom, and a reminder tells you when the next one is due.

• A repeating reminder for nail trims
• The task ticked off with the date and who did it
• A dated note if a foot pad worries you
• The weight chart, to help prevent excess weight