How to trim a rat’s claws: step by step instructions

The need for nail trimming is understandable for domestic cats and dogs. Decorative rodents, despite their small size, have no less ability to scratch and leave puffs on clothes. Therefore, the question of how to cut the claws of a rat, is it safe for the animal, arises for every owner.

Do rats cut their claws?

Unlike large domestic animals, domestic rats climb a lot and actively use their paws to get food. Therefore, claws are a vital tool for animals, helping them to perform a variety of complex actions. But every owner is familiar with the delicate, painful scratches that can be obtained when trying to wash a rat or just letting it climb onto your shoulder. Overgrown sharp nails make communication with a pet rather unpleasant.

Trimming the nails is also necessary to maintain the health of the animal. The claws of the rat grow continuously, in natural conditions they wear down when moving on various hard surfaces. At home, such a natural method is not feasible, so they can grow strongly, even twist, causing injury to the animal itself. A common problem is the curvature of the fingers due to the fact that the animal cannot place the paw correctly. Also, because of the regrown sharp tips, the ornamental rat often combs its skin until it bleeds or inflicts wounds on other inhabitants of the cage.

IMPORTANT: An equally significant problem can be the daily walks of the animal – long claws easily cling to the fibers of any soft surfaces (carpet or bedspread). This often leads to the fact that the animal breaks off the claw while running, receiving a painful, dangerous injury.

How to cut a rat’s claws

For this procedure, you need to purchase a nail cutter or special nippers in the store. If the animal trusts you, trimming is quite easy, even if you have no experience. If possible, you should ask for help from your family – it will be much more convenient if the second person holds the animal. Then do the following:

• rat claws do not retract and are located at the ends of the fingers, so they are easy to grab into the tongs of the cutter;
• so as not to accidentally touch neighboring fingers, spread them apart by slightly pressing on the foot;
• cut should be the very tip where the blood vessel does not reach (usually easy to see, because most rats have transparent claws);
• if you cut off a piece that is not large enough, it is better to use a nail file and carefully bring it to the desired length;
• if the animal twitches and you make an unsuccessful incision, you need to stop the bleeding with a cotton swab dipped in hydrogen peroxide.

IMPORTANT: For cutting, manicure scissors, with which we are used to cutting nails, are also suitable. The claw of a rat is very thin at the end, so it is not difficult to cut it off with sharp blades. But if the scissors become dull, the risk of harming the animal or causing pain is very high.

Therefore, it is better to use a cutter – this tool allows you to make an incision instantly and very accurately, and the animal will not feel anything.