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Nail clipping didn't go so well.... what now?

Posted By: CKC44

Nail clipping didn't go so well.... what now? - 02/18/20 04:47 AM

We just clipped a few of Tika's nails (not easy at all). We noticed after doing a few nails that she was bleeding. We immediately put the white powder on that we had in the emergency kit. No more blood but we felt soooooooo bad. It doesn't seem like it was the nail so we think maybe she clipped part of her hand on the edge of the clipper. :sorry:

What else should we do to make sure that spot doesn't get infected?

I think we're going to have the vet clip their nails.

Thank you for any and all advice!

P.S. Tika is doing better than we are right now. She seems like nothing has happened.
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Nail clipping didn't go so well.... what now? - 02/18/20 12:22 PM

Yep, I quicked Dot first... And I cried.... Vowed never to touch her nails again... But it's like riding a horse... Ya gotta get back on and pay closer attention... In my case grab the better reading glasses.. Then I nicked Fiona, and I got close on Stewie too...

What type of clippers do you use?
I use cuticle clippers that have a slant blade. A lot of people use baby clippers, but I'm terrified of the curved blade. I tried it, and I saw how close I got. Not for me...

There is a special pouch made from screen that their nails can get through and it protects their toes (not perfectly, but better).

If you think you cut a pad on her foot, watch and see how she treats it. If there is any swelling or discoloration, a vet visit is a good idea.

If I'm not mistaken, when you hit the pad of their toe it will bleed a lot. If you used the powder (which is corn starch btw) and it stopped bleeding what you may have seen was a bit of blood from the quick.

Please keep us posted... And don't give up...
Posted By: CKC44

Re: Nail clipping didn't go so well.... what now? - 02/18/20 02:52 PM

Thank you. thanks

I read a post in here from some years ago that said they use a glass file. I may feel better doing that. Would that be ok to try do you think?

Last night and this morning Tika seems fine. I don't see anything out of the ordinary on her little hands or feet. She is moving, playing tsk-ing & eating like usual. No signs of distress that I can see. Will keep an eye on her still for sure though.

These are the times that I wish I didn't have to go to work. But they have both been sleeping pretty much the whole time we're gone lately. And I have the glider cam. cool

Thank you for your reply. . .
:ghug:

P.S. We have tried the slanted ones we have, not sharp enough. Kept bending the nail instead. This was a few months ago. Then we got the Pet Glider type, the one they use in their video. Seems you would have more control. . . But last night it seemed kind of big for their little toes, especially when she's fighting you the whole time.
Posted By: KarenE

Re: Nail clipping didn't go so well.... what now? - 02/18/20 03:03 PM

Dawn mentioned the nail clipping pouch. Personally I think it is worth the investment at least until you are comfortable clipping their nails.

You can find it on Etsy. Below is the link. It does get good reviews.


sugar glider nail clipping pouch
Posted By: Ladymagyver

Re: Nail clipping didn't go so well.... what now? - 02/18/20 06:10 PM

Originally Posted by CKC44
Thank you. thanks

I read a post in here from some years ago that said they use a glass file. I may feel better doing that. Would that be ok to try do you think?
.


I've tried the glass file and Emory board. It works, but I worry about breaking a toe with the back and forth movements. And my gliders hate it. I also tried an electronic nail buffer with a sanding file on it. They went berzurk over the noise, let alone vibration. I never got past trying to desensitize then from the noise.

One note on the clipping pouch... You will want to clip nails shortly after they are in bed for the day, or potty/poo them before you put them in pouch. Otherwise you may be hanging on to a wet smelly mess... I'm willing to give it a try again, maybe someday... Oh and they can clean themselves up after. They won't need to be bathed.

My cuticle clippers do get dull and I have to replace them frequently.
Posted By: Xeno

Re: Nail clipping didn't go so well.... what now? - 02/27/20 03:36 AM

I have got away without having to do nail trimming. I tried a few times with no luck and my arms made me look like an enthusiastic serial cutter. A friend asked me what happened and I said it was my pets but they did not mean to as they just like to climb on me. She laughed and then solemnly said: “That is what all abusers say.”

I decided to try to get them down in other ways. I got new exercise wheels with a good grating and put some sand paper over part of them so it can rub them a little shorter but not too short. That helped some but not enough. I then got a fake tree made of cork, a cat tree made of glider safe wood (and no catnip), and put it outside the cage and let them have the run of the room at night after glider proofing it. This got three of their nails down from all the additional climbing on wood. Elric was still a problem and I watched him and he spent a lot of time on the inside and outside of the cage climbing around. I got some sandy bird branches and put them in places he could climb to a lot but was unlikely to jump to. I trained him that I would let him jump to me from off of them so he hung out on them a lot and started doing it when I was not there. I was worried about his paw pads so I inspected them every day but they were fine and his nails came down. None of their nails are short but they are shorter and less sharp (about comparable to gliders who need a trim in a week based on pictures and I no longer get scratches all over me and they are climbing just fine and I have never seen any of them get stuck so it is working so far. I have the clipping tools if it stops working and think I would do a better job now if I had to clip them.

Can not guarantee it will universally work for other gliders but worked for my four.
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