# Nail trimming and biting



## blacktallon (Jun 25, 2015)

I previously made a post about my hedgie being a biter and I have been handling her mostly with fleece. She was getting a little better with the biting but last night I needed to trim her back nails. They grow extremely fast. I don't know if that's normal. I put it off as long as I felt I could, being that I did not want to upset our bonding.
I did this after her bath because normally she's a little more relaxed and cuddly (even after a foot bath) and she once let me trim her nails after a footbath when I first got her. (I guess the breeder hadn't trimmed her nails.) This time it was a full bath though.. because I was trying her on baby food again and she got a bunch in her forehead quills. (She did eat some which made me happy. She has been hard to bribe with treats.) Anyway when I was holding her, waiting for her little legs to come over my hand she bit me three times. I'm glad I had the foresight to trim her nails on my bed, on top of a fluffy comforter, because she surprised me enough that she managed to run out of my hand. She did this once more and I ended up grabbing a glove to hold her in while my other bare hand did the trimming. She stopped biting the glove after a few tries, as it was not getting any sort of reaction. The thing is, I know I'm not supposed to use gloves, but I also know reacting and her jumping out of my hands, no matter how safely is also bad. 

As childish as it sounds, I just really want her to like me. I'm fully aware this process could take months and I've only had her for a few weeks, but I'm afraid of doing something wrong. Are gloves the lesser evil in this situation? Are they ok to use next time, if she does it again? I'm not using gloves with bonding. I DID manage to cut her nails but it was stressful for us both. The glove definitely made it easier, even if I didn't like using it.

Ps She is not balling up or spiking her quills much at all when she bites. Mostly just her forehead. In fact sometimes they are flat. Does this mean anything? I wonder if she is biting because she is scared, but her quills almost tell a different story.


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## blacktallon (Jun 25, 2015)

Well.. no one has responded and that's ok. I will simply assume that since there was no outrage, the glove during nail trimming is not a great sin.  I hope I wont have to use it again however. My dear hedgie, knock on wood, has made improvements with not biting! For anyone happening to read, though I'm not handling her solely with bare hands yet, fleece and blankets really do help to break biting habits!


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## nikki (Aug 28, 2008)

Have you tried cutting them while she's having bath? Usually they're so distracted they don't even notice.


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## writergirlmel (May 16, 2015)

I'm sorry no one responded earlier.

Frankly, after our first foray into nail trimming this evening, I'm of the opinion "You do what you have to do" as long as it doesn't hurt the hedgie. Do what it takes to get it done, and work on making it better as your relationship progresses.


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## blacktallon (Jun 25, 2015)

nikki said:


> Have you tried cutting them while she's having bath? Usually they're so distracted they don't even notice.


 I haven't! But this is a great tip! Thank you! I may have to try it.

Also writer .. I think so too. Better a temper tantrum then an injured foot.


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## tana32 (Jul 21, 2015)

*tana32*



ร่วมเล่นสนุกๆไปกับพวกเรา ได้ที่นี่ คาสิโนออนไลน์


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## Slava (May 29, 2015)

it can help if someone holds the hog and another person can carefully place the nail clippers around the nails and trim them. just make sure its sharp and dont pull just cut and not too short cuz it will bleed.


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