# 1st Time Nail Clipping



## Tarynsgate (Sep 25, 2010)

Roxie hasn't even been with me for a week, so I haven't handled her much apart from playing with her a bit in the evenings after work. This is when I noticed that she has some pretty long nails on those feet of hers, and I really mean long and they're kind of mismatched (some are a lot shorter than others, and a couple of them are hilariously long) 

She's obviously not comfortable enough for me to try touching her feet, but I can't just leave her nails like that when she might snag them on something. Help!


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## smhufflepuff (Aug 28, 2008)

They do seem to grow at a different rate. Keep trying to play with her feet - just hold gently tonight and don't even worry about the clippers. Normally, I'd say try this plan for awhile before getting the clippers out, but if things are truely out of control, you need to act sooner.

Are they long enough that they're curling back and digging into her foot? If it's truely gotten out of hand, you could try putting her standing in a cm of warm water while you clip - the thought being, she won't curl up into a ball if she's in water. Another possiblity is to wrap her up like a little burrito and grab a paw. Still another - one I don't like so much, but if it's really getting bad is to put her on a wire rack... like a wire cage top or cooling rack for cookies so that she's resting on the bars, but her feet are dangling through. You'll need to be super-fast and apologize a lot, but it will work. Finally, if her nails are so long they're digging into her feet and she just will NOT let you help, you can bring her to a vet. They may have to anesthetize, but you'll be able to snip her nails. And, hopefully, you'll bond with her between the vet's visit and the next time you need to cut so it's not so difficult. 

Otherwise, just cuddle with her and gently hold a foot for a moment and let it slip through your fingers... have a calm zen-like play with footsies time. And she'll grow used to you fiddling with her feet so that the clippers won't be too much of a change. 

Also, don't worry about clipping all her nails in one sitting. You might just get one one night, zero the next, four the next, none for a week, etc...


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## EryBee (May 23, 2010)

I don't know if this is possible with her comfort level, but what I do when my little guy is being difficult with his back feet is I lure him into tolerance by "wheelbarrowing" him. I lift his tummy and rear end and then, when he relaxes a little, nab his little legs. Sometimes it helps to have someone hold him still so that he can't turn around.


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## Tarynsgate (Sep 25, 2010)

So far her nails aren't curling yet (thank goodness) so I'll try to get her used to me fiddling with her feet to get her used to it  thanks for the advice.


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## Xena (Sep 14, 2010)

Cutting both of the girls nails is a two person job...In our house we only do it after they have had their bath (once a month or so) or when they get a foot bath...my husband holds a hedgie wrapped in a towel against his chest and I grab their cute little toes and clip away...they really don't seem to mind it at all.

The first time I was absolutely a wreck and it took more out of me than the hedgies...but you totally get used to it...


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## Tarynsgate (Sep 25, 2010)

Tried giving her nails a cut, even with my grandpa holding her in a towel, she somehow managed to ball up. I guess she doesn't trust me enough yet even though she dosen't mind me touching her feet.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Keep working with her. Each night, hold her like you would if you were going to clip her nails. Hold her feet still. Get her used to the actions it will take. Also, keep in mind that if you are acting nervous she is going to react accordingly. Relax, trust yourself, you can do this. Hedgehogs feed off of our emotions extremely well. 

I absolutely cannot clip nails on a hedgehog that is being held by someone else. I hold them against my chest in one hand, and clip their nails with the other.


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## Tomato (Aug 8, 2010)

A related question: when you have their feet, do they "snap it back" when you try to cut, or do they just pull and overall give you a very hard time?


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## Tarynsgate (Sep 25, 2010)

It probably didn't help that when I tried to do it (she happened to be awake anyway) we had guests and my grandma was being noisier than usual (I normally am with just my younger brother so its generally quieter) and she was a bit on edge. I can't figure out how to hold her with her feet sticking out though, she doesn't even like being on her back. 

I'll keep trying to get her accustomed to being handled as such. Perseverance!

As for her feet, she snaps it back. I can touch,poke,stroke,prod her feet as much as I want but she'll never let me hold them.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

I hold them so that their back is against my chest, and their tummy is in my left hand (I'm right handed). I then allow a leg to slip through my fingers and "clamp" down on it. Since they are pressed against my chest I get good control over them and can also feel how they are moving so that if they suddenly move I can react accordingly. It works well for me.

Definitely relax and try to work with her feet when you are in a quiet area. 

The three things you will learn when dealing with anything hedgehog is to be patient, to be quiet/relax and that you cannot rush a hedgehog.


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## Tarynsgate (Sep 25, 2010)

I manage to clip 3 of her longest nails just now! while she was having a footie bath. She was more interested in getting out of the sink so I just took the opportunity :mrgreen: 

I'll try for a couple more tomorrow whence she's settled down a bit. She's throwing me dirty looks now, despite rewarding her with mealies for not throwing a fit.


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Tarynsgate said:


> I manage to clip 3 of her longest nails just now! while she was having a footie bath. She was more interested in getting out of the sink so I just took the opportunity :mrgreen:
> 
> I'll try for a couple more tomorrow whence she's settled down a bit. She's throwing me dirty looks now, despite rewarding her with mealies for not throwing a fit.


YAY! Sometimes clipping their nails takes days or weeks to get them all done. You are off to a good start and usually it gets easier with time as you figure out what works best for her.


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## Tarynsgate (Sep 25, 2010)

Update : I finally managed to clip all of her nails 

Seems that setting her down on my cutting board area (near her cage) makes her just plop down and keep still ( I haven't yet figured out why but it sure was convenient!) so I just went all out with the nail clipper


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Good job! Sometimes it can just take a lot of time and work to figure out what the hedgehog likes/dislikes. I've yet to have one that I couldn't figure out a method to clipping their nails. Some were a bit more tricky as I've had a couple that loved to try to bite my fingers when I touched their toes!


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## Tomato (Aug 8, 2010)

I got all of my hedgie's toes last night too! It wasn't as bad as I thought, granted I've been playing with her legs and feet a lot and she was seriously distracted in the bath...


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## Tarynsgate (Sep 25, 2010)

That's great Tomato!  distraction techniques for the win!


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