Alright, Scarlett had a minor freak out on my arm last night resulting in some nice scratches.
I've made the conscious decision to cut her nails....
But then I look at the actual teeny tiny nails and hesitate.
Are they like parakeet nails that bleed at the slightest poor cut? Do I need septic powder onhand just in case?
What's the best way to go about the actual cutting of the nails?
I've got some skills with the parakeets (I haven't had a bleeder in quite some time now)... but when its my own babies- I'm nervous.

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I am owned by:
2 dogs, a Hahn's macaw, 2 parrotlets, 2 parakeets, 1 bearded dragon, 1 cornsnake, 2 yellow belly sliders, 1 razorback musk, 30 gallon saltwater reef, 10 gallon planted tank, 5.5 gallon planted betta tank

when cutting any animals nails, not just a herps ive found its safest just to clip the very tip and leave the rest alone unless its a clear nail that you can actually see where the quick is. That being said its a really good idea to have styptic powder on hand when clipping the nail just incase you do clip the quick. If you just cut the very tip you really shouldn't have to worry about knicking the quick. Just as a question, what kind of nail clippers are you going to use, theres a particular type that works more like curved plyers that ive had the best luck with on smaller herps and birds and rodents. I wouldn't suggest large cat clippers or human nail clippers as they aren't the most precise of nail clippers either.

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ginko tutors in basic math just ask paris hilton

obsoleta lindheimeri(texas ratsnake)
varanus nilocticus(nile monitor)
Sternotherus odoratus(musk turtle)
pagona minor(2)(bearded dragons breeding pair)

You can easily cut just the tip of the nail off Joie, make sure you are in a well lit room and youll be able to see the rite part to clip just fine, I used human nail clippers on my Chinese Water Dragon..make sure you have someone to hold her still though...water dragons at a young age are not fond of having their nails clipped they kinda squirm!

yea Scarlett has these moments where she'll be perfectly still in your arms and then BAM!! She's wiggling and ready to jump!
I'm sooo scared I'm going to take off a toe!

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I am owned by:
2 dogs, a Hahn's macaw, 2 parrotlets, 2 parakeets, 1 bearded dragon, 1 cornsnake, 2 yellow belly sliders, 1 razorback musk, 30 gallon saltwater reef, 10 gallon planted tank, 5.5 gallon planted betta tank

I found the easiest way to do it, is to wrap them in a towel so that just the toes you are trimmin are exposed,,,this way, no wiggleing

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MARSHA

:D I'm smiling because I have no idea whats going on!

Or you could go the path of least resistance and just put a large rough peice of stone in the cage. Something like sandstone that will wear off the tips when they walk across it.

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

Hahahaa..Merlin we like to do it the hard way here

Slate works wonders on toenails...

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"If you're not falling, you're not trying." - Sonni Trotter

~*~Lacey~*~

My Photos

LOL! Tell ME! I use a dremel tool on an adult iguana!

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Merlin,
What's Life Without A Little Magic!

This was truly scary to read. Maybe it's just me, but, you have to wait until the right time of day for your reptile....when he is calm and the house is quiet and yes, a well-lit area and proper reptile nail cutters are necessary.

You need to hold their little foot or hand so they don't all of a sudden pull away (lost a whole nail that way) and never get too close to the vein because it will bleed and it is painful for the animal. It's like caring for a child.

Also, there is a powder or stick (available at the petstore) that will help with the pain and bleeding for that if it does happen. I've got mine down to a science and am usually pretty sucessful and rarely make my guy bleed. He seems to either trust me now or is completely unaware or not bothered when I am doing this.