How To Trim Rat Nails

Peri has worked in pet retail for over 10 years. She has owned betta fish, dogs, fancy mice, fancy rats, geckos, hamsters, and more.

Get advice on safe nail-trimming that's less stressful for your pet!

Image by Firelong from Pixabay

Do You Need to Trim Your Rat's Nails?

Are your pet rat's nails likewise sharp? If your pet rat is leaving long scratch marks on your hands and artillery, frequent nail trimming may be of benefit to y'all. Technically, clipping your pet rat'due south nails is not necessary unless they are hindering its motion; if your rat's nails are getting stuck as they romp around their cage or causing cuts and scabs on their skin during normal training, trimming their nails is a must. Nevertheless, most rat owners trim their rat'south nails for their ain comfort and the protection of their ain pare.

Trimming your pet rat's nails can seem like a daunting task—when I kickoff tried to clip my rat's nails, I was so nervous that I almost gave up! Rat nails are pocket-sized, and it is hard to spot where the quick is.

What Is the Quick?

The quick is a red vein that extends from the base of your rat'due south smash to around halfway downwardly the nail itself. Dogs, cats, rodents, and other animals all have this pocket-size vein in their nails. Cut into the quick causes the nail to drain excessively, and this can exist traumatizing to both you and your pet.

Patches takes care of her nails sometimes, but Gadget's are always long and sharp! — Patches takes care of her nails sometimes, but Gadget'southward are always long and sharp!

Jessica Marello

How to Safely Clip Your Rat's Nails

If you've decided to start trimming your pet rat's nails, it is best to start off slow; chances are that your rat won't be used to sitting still while your catch its picayune human foot and clip away. Try introducing the smash clipper to your rat by trimming one to ii toenails at a time. You lot'll experience less stress and less accidents this way. Remember to remain calm and have patience—over time, your pet rat volition become accustomed to the nail trimming routine.

Supply List

When trimming your pet rat'southward nails, yous will need:

nail clippers
styptic powder
bright light
rat treats

Clippers

You can use human nail clippers to trim your pet rat's nails; they are small enough, and easy to operate. They also sell small animal or true cat nail scissors in most pet stores. These clippers look similar a small pair of scissors and provide a sturdier grip than human nail clippers. Your decision relies on your preference—either pair of clippers will go the job done.

Styptic Powder

It is advised, however, to purchase some styptic powder in case of emergency. Styptic powder is an antiseptic clotting agent that stops bleeding from small wounds. Accidentally cutting into the quick of the nail tin result in an alarming corporeality of claret menstruum, making styptic powder a good solution to have on-hand.

Low-cal Source

Finding the quick in your rat'southward nails can be tough, especially in a dark or dimly lit room. When trimming your pet rat's nails, be sure to have plenty of light at your disposal. I employ a potent desk lamp to help me locate and avoid the vein when clipping my rat'southward nails. The person holding your pet rat can shield their eyes with their hand if your little friend finds the bright light bothersome. If you are still having trouble spotting the quick, you tin can try using a magnifying glass.

Treats

Keeping your rat occupied with their favorite treats is a good way to keep them notwithstanding while you lot search for the quick and trim their nails. Try giving them a treat that takes more than a few seconds to swallow to maximize the corporeality of time you lot accept. Are you lot ready to showtime trimming your rat's nails?

1. Go a Family Member or Friend to Concord Your Pet Rat

Trimming your rat's nails is preferably a two-person chore; pet rats are squirmy, energetic and unlikely to sit withal while y'all clip each and every one of their back nails. Having another person hold your rat while your trim ensures that your rat will stay put and that your can firmly grasp your rat's foot without incident. If the person seems nervous about information technology, explain that their job volition exist unproblematic - all they need to do is take a firm hold on the rat, property information technology shut to their torso while giving you access to one of the rat's dorsum feet.

A sleepy rat is much easier to handle than an awake and energetic rat!

Jessica Marello

2. Brand Certain Your Rat Is Tired or Likewise Lazy to Move

Trimming your rat's nails is easier to practice when your pet rat is sleepy or as well tired to put upwards a fight. Try waking up your rat during its normal sleeping hours, clipping its nails later on it has been running off its energy or after information technology has eaten breakfast or dinner. You'll know all-time what time your pet rat is at its laziest. If your rat is even so being likewise antsy, try clipping a couple of toenails at a time before giving your rat a break. You can wait a few minutes, a few hours or fifty-fifty a day. Try to gauge how stressed your pet rat is by the nail clipping and make up one's mind.

Hold your rat's foot firmly, but remember that their feet and toes are small and delicate. — Hold your rat'south foot firmly, merely remember that their feet and toes are small and delicate.

Jessica Marello

3. Grasp 1 of Your Rat's Toes up to the Boom

While your partner is property your pet rat close to their chest, take your rat's back foot between your thumb and arrow finger. The force per unit area should crusade your pet rat'southward toes to splay apart; scoot your fingers upward to get a skilful grasp on ane of the toes until simply the nail is showing. Holding your rat's toe this way will foreclose movement and adventitious harm to the toe. If your rat is pulling its foot away or wiggling its toes also much, try giving information technology a treat to distract it or getting a firmer grip. Don't clip your rat's nails unless it stops moving; when it does, make the process equally quick as possible.

This simple diagram shows where the quick is in the rat's nail and where to cut. — This simple diagram shows where the quick is in the rat'due south nail and where to cut.

Jessica Marello

4. Clip the Smash Just To a higher place the Quick (Cherry Vein)

Locate the quick inside the boom and use your gratis hand to clip the nail just above the vein. If it is your showtime time clipping your pet rat'due south nails, you may desire to give yourself more leeway and clip even further away from the quick. Once both you and your rat become used to the nail trimming process, it will be less stressful and much easier to perform. Until y'all feel comfortable that you can cut shut to the quick, steer clear. You can instead clip your rat'due south nails more ofttimes to go along them trimmed, such as iii to four times a calendar month (as opposed to once or twice). Repeating the process will but help both y'all and your rat become used to nail trimming!

Treats are a great distraction and reward for rats that are getting their nails trimmed! — Treats are a bang-up distraction and reward for rats that are getting their nails trimmed!

Jessica Marello

5. Reward Your Pet Rat With Praise and Treats

Remember to always give your pet rat plenty of praise and treats when y'all are done trimming its nails. Talking softly to your rat while clipping its nails volition help your rat to experience more at ease. The thought is to brand trimming your rat's nails a pleasant and rewarding feel. Who knows - your rat may even come to relish nail clipping time, fifty-fifty if only for the extra love and treats it receives!

Bricks dispersed around the cage can help file down your rat's nails for you. — Bricks dispersed effectually the cage can help file downwardly your rat'due south nails for you.

Jessica Marello

Alternatives to Smash-Trimming

If you don't experience comfy trimming your rat's nails, or tin can't seem to get your pet rat to cooperate, there are alternatives for you to endeavor. Giving your rats plenty of objects to scrape and climb forth in their cage can prevent the growth of long, sharp nails. If your cage is total of soft, plush fleece and bedding, there is lilliputian chance of naturally filing their claws downward. Some alternative solutions to trimming their nails include:

Using a nail file or emery lath to file down nails
Place a rough brick in a pop part of the muzzle
Place rocks throughout the cage for climbing
Place branches throughout the cage for climbing

Putting bricks, rocks and branches in your rat'south muzzle won't exist as constructive if your rats are less active or don't climb them. Placing a brick nether a oft visited area, such every bit the water bottle or nutrient dish, will ensure that your pet rat will use information technology more often.

How to File Your Pet'south Nails

However, none of these are guaranteed to file downward your rat'southward nails. If renovating your rat's cage this fashion produces no results, you can always file down your rat'due south nails yourself! As with boom trimming, be sure to have another person hold your rat while you gently scrape the nail on a blast file or the rough side of an emery board.

Take It Wearisome, and Good Luck!

Expert luck trimming your pet rat's nails! Remember to take information technology tedious and gradually increase the nail trimming session over time. Feel costless to exit whatsoever questions or suggestions in the annotate section beneath!

More Pet Rat Resources

The Humane Club
Few animals elicit such strong and contradictory reactions as rats. Learn what makes these animals unique.
Rat Gild
Links concerning rat care, health, diet, breeds, accessories and more!
Rat Guide
This guide contains in-depth articles on illnesses seen in pet rats, forth with signs, symptoms, example histories, and treatment modalities that your veterinarian may follow.

This article is accurate and true to the all-time of the author's knowledge. It is non meant to substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, or formal and individualized advice from a veterinarian medical professional. Animals exhibiting signs and symptoms of distress should be seen past a veterinarian immediately.

Zabreya on Apr 01, 2019:

Im but glad that im non the just rat lover :)

Jessica Peri (writer) from U.s. on August 17, 2018:

@dMartens47 I empathize. It's definitely possible, particularly with how small the nails are (and how fidgety rats tin can be).

dMartens47 on August 16, 2018:

I would exist hesitant to trim those modest nails knowing there's chance of cut it wrong.

Jessica Peri (author) from United States on October 25, 2016:

@michael It depends. A couple of my rats would regularly groom and keep their own nails adequately trimmed. Other rats I had didn't seem to do this, or had nails that grew very quickly. If they scratched me enough to hurt or got stuck in the carpet, I'd consider those too long.

michael on October 22, 2016:

how long are rat nails?

Jessica Peri (writer) from United States on October 22, 2013:

Thanks! When my rats determine they don't want to come up out they grip the muzzle bars and they are pretty strong. Usually I have no problem clipping nails, but lately Gadget (my younger girl) has decided she doesn't desire me to, and that no delicious treats volition fool her. What a brat.

CraftytotheCore on October 22, 2013:

Wow, that takes talent! I can't even trim my dog's nails without a lot of drama. LOL Your pets are so adorable. I worked in a small retail shop when I was a teenager. They sold rats, gerbils, hamsters, fish, etc. One day a lady came in with her son and wanted one of the pet rats. I tried to get it out of the drinking glass tank, only information technology got caught on something. I call up how irksome it was to try to remove information technology. But information technology was fine and went domicile to a loving family.

Jessica Peri (author) from United States on July 02, 2013:

Probably non, merely saying "care for" or "cookie" might really work! Giving them treats to make them sit down still works better!

Alison Graham from UK on July 02, 2013:

I couldn't resist posting back to enquire if you recall maxim 'cheese' when you lot photo them might get their attention!!

Jessica Peri (author) from United States on July 02, 2013:

Cheers so much! Getting practiced pictures of them is tough - they move and then fast!

Alison Graham from United kingdom on July 02, 2013:

I love the pictures of your rats, and then beautiful - very helpful information and very clearly explained. Voted upwards and pinned!

Jessica Peri (writer) from United states on May 30, 2013:

Thanks! They use their cuteness to their advantage, that's for sure. Glad you liked it!

Eric Prado from Denton, Texas on May thirty, 2013:

This is a really not bad hub! Very beautiful rats, also. Voted up, interesting, and useful. =)

Source: https://pethelpful.com/rodents/How-to-Trim-Your-Pet-Rats-Nails

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