How often do you have to clip your rabbit's toenails. Mine HATES to have his cut, but they get too sharp if I do not cut them often.

Any easier way?

James, I'm a rabbit expert but I have one rabbit that has never had his nails cut or trimmed. I've had him over 4 years. They either get trimmed by themselves in the cage or they just don't grow. I had a small grey rabbit however that needed a manicure about every 6 months. I always had a vet do it because they were so dark, I couldn't tell where the blood line was.

I guess I'm fortunate....I trim my bunny's toenails about once every 4 to 6 weeks. I handle him so much, he is very comfortable with the trim job which takes about a minute or two. He's also so comfortable I now bathe him once every week or two to make sure his bum is fresh prior to going out to a show. He allows me to hold his "parts" under running water and wash with a soft soapy wash rag. He allows me to lay him on his back while I dry him off. I find that frequent handling makes maintenance like bathing and nail trimming so much easier. I use the special nail trimmers found at the pet store especially for dogs and cats....works very well. No substitute for frequent out of the cage handling in all sorts of positions......mine will lie on his back with feet in the air withoug flailing around now....such a joy to handle. He's about three years old, a Netherland Dwarf and I've had him since about 4 to 6 months of age, and he lives alone and has not been "fixed". I count myself as fortunate to have such a docile bunny. I just last week debuted him in an adult show where he chooses a spectators previously chosen card (returned and lost into the deck) from the deck by "sniffing" the cards and pulling the right one out....evey time. It's going over VERY WELL. I learned how to do that from Chris Capehart at last years KIDabra convention....it's a lot easier than you might think! A couple of hours practice and the routine went into a show! Thanks for the insights, Chris!!

I agree . . . I trim my rabbit's nails every two months or so (when she starts scratching my young daughter). When I let kids pet her at shows, I tuck her head under my arm and have them just pat her backside. That way there's no risk of scratching from the front legs (back legs are much less often used and do not "lash back" if kids hands touch Mocha's back from above).

I used to use a nail clipper to trim my rabbit's nails. There is a better tool inside of pet stores that cuts beter.

Chris Capehart trained my bunny too when he came to Michigan. He did not bring his, so he trained mine for the show we were in together.

On average, it's about every 3 months or so for my bunnies.

Regan

Ahh...clipping the bunnies nails....there is no real easy way to do it to be honest. At first, they have no idea what you are doing until the first clip. Then its like trying to get a child to sit still and get a haircut. *haha* If they get too long, then I would recommend going to a pet shop and having them do it. If you start from the beginning and clip them, they will get used to it. They may not like it, but they know it won't hurt them. Another good way to keep the nails down on the rabbit is to put in a scratching block in the cage or even a light grit sandpaper on the bottom of one side of the cage. They will scratch at it and keep their own nails trim (more of a sanding block because paper they will eat). They still may get long, but not as fast as rabbits like to dig some. On the same token, watch the teeth too! They need "naw sticks" because their teeth can get too long and cause them to starve for obvious reasons.

Isn't animal magic just fun? *smile*

-Alpha

Although not directly on topic, since we're talking about bunny's here, I thought this might be a good place to plug a photo/graphics package I just picked up a week or so ago from the Theatrix-Magic Bricks people. Previously, I purchased the Magic Bricks photo and graphics package, and since I was on their mailing list, I was sent a link to some really cool bunny and dove photo's available at a very reasonable price. I put the pics to use right away in some promotional materials I was working on. Perhaps those of you who work with doves and/or bunny's could benefit as well. Check out: http://www.theatrix-int.com/store/cart.p......ail&p=26 for the dove and bunny package. You can see the actual pics before you purchase them for a reasonable $20 or so. I also highly reccomend the regular "Magic Bricks" package with other magic related photo's and graphics which are available on the site. I am not affiliated with theatrix and have no financial benefit or interest in their products. I'm just a very happy customer and hope that others with bunny's and doves might gain some benefit from this information as well. Best of luck!!

I'm pretty lucky in that my sister in law works at pet-co in their grooming area.

I take all my rabbits there, as well as the poodle I use for stage shows...She cleans them and brushes them up and clips their nails for me, about every 3 months. The rabbits pretty much always look very nice thanks to her help. I get this service for free since she's related to me but I'm sure its not very expensive if you go there, I highly reccomend it.

I hate to say it, but I have seen magicians produce dirty and bad looking rabbits and I think that really reflects badly on the performer. I was once in an audience at a stageshow where the people next to me said something like "Look how dirty and nasty looking the rabbit is!" I took a lesson from that and always make sure my rabbits look good. Your rabbit should be clean and well groomed or don't bother bringing it to the show if you ask me.

Lvmagic, thanks for the link, good stuff.

Steven

Thanks everybody for the ideas. I want the rabbit to be attached to me so I will continue to work with him on the toenails. If it becomes a problem and he starts to associate something "bad" is about to happen when I approach then Petco may be the answer thus the "bad" action will not be associated with me.

Good luck James. There is very little danger of your bunny associating something bad with your clipping his nails if you do it right......and I'm sure you will. Just be gentle and careful not to get into the quick. Make sure you can see through the nail and always err on the side of caution. I never try ti trim them too close.

Hi James, Dave is right about cutting too close to the quick. On dark nails, your Vet is better able to trim as he does them all the time and knows how to stop any bleeding.

Regarding your rabbit being so "relaxed" when you put him on his back. This used to be called "hypothesizing" a rabbit and was done as a side show at carnival shows. It actually puts your rabbit into a catatonic shock at some risk.
When the rabbit is "under" the health risk is minimal, and in fact, many Vets use this technique to treat some rabbits. The problem is in how you "jolt" your bunny out of the shock. They have less than strong hearts and your vet will tell you to be gentle in turning him right-side-up.

Incidentally, it is the position of the head that determines the shock reaction. Cradling your rabbit between your legs is the best way to support the body and the less time you do this the better.

Bob