my Bearded Dragon is about 7 months old. in the past 2 weeks I have noticed that her nails are getting long. When I look under the nail I can see that there is the part near the base that is alive and has veins in it. A little past there the nail is clear and past the clear part it is just the nail with nothing under it. I understand it is kind of hard to tell by my description but do you think they needed to be trimmed. If they do how far back should I cut them, what should I do if I cut them back too far and the nail bleeds and lastly, do I need special nail trimmers for reptiles or can I use ones that I would use?

Thank You!!!!

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Bill
0.0.3 painted turtles
0.1.0 bearded dragons (Sandy)

You should cut just the very tip of the nail, the part that hangs over, where no vein is present (i hope this description is accurate enough so that you know which part i'm talking about - i think I am referring to what you referred to as the clear part with nothing under it). If you cut the nail too far then you risk cutting the vein and causing heavy bleeding and pain. We just use human nail clippers, as specially bought ones are just the same and a waste of money IMO.

You may also find it helpful to wrap the dragon in a blanket, and hold her firmly but gently, to keep her still as you cut her nails. A second person to help would be beneficial, esp. the first time, until you get used to cutting the nails.

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"If you know everything you may as well blow your brains out because the reason for existence is to learn more everyday." - Mark O'Shea, 2004

thanks for the help. if I were to cut the vein is there anything I could do to stop the pain and bleeding?

Thank You

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Bill
0.0.3 painted turtles
0.1.0 bearded dragons (Sandy)

They can be trimmed with a nail clipper (not scissors) just like people use. Have a blood clotting agent available in case you get a bleeder. Products like we use for razor cuts work for Bearded Dragons too and are available at most pet stores.

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Bennett Greenberg
www.beardiedragon.com
home of the Florida Orange

A little dab of regular cornstarch will stop the bleeding.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

I have a question,
does this happen to them in the wild

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MY PALS
0.1.0 BALL PYTHON-JERRI
0.1.0 AMEL. CORN-BAYBE
1.0.0 GHOST CORN-BOSS
0.0.1 BLUE TONGUED SKINK-DOUGLAS
2.1.0 CATS-POJO, CHEDDAR, SAMMIE

What? Get their nails done? LOL!
In the wild their activity level with scrambling around on rocky surfaces, climbing etc. will keep their nails worn down.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!