debilitating rat scratches and how to make sure your hands and arms no longer look like they’ve been through a meat grinder: a guide on how to trim your rats’ nails and save yourself from being fatally wounded.
do you have rats? do your rats have claws? do your rats’ claws scare you? are you at a complete loss? are you sick and tired of looking like you lost a fight with a very angry critter with terrible, bile-inducing talons? well look no further, i have a solution for you!
it’s called nail trimming, and it will save you from having to answer a lot of awkward questions from some unsavory rat-phobic people.
i’m going to easily outline the steps for you and i even have pictures to dazzle your eyeballs!
click the pictures to enlarge them!
step one: gather your supplies.
supplies include sharp baby sized nail clippers (smaller clippers are easier to handle and because they’re smaller, it’s easier to use them in relation to a rat’s tiny nails), some treats to bribe your rats with (my rats enjoy gerber baby puffs, which you can also find in other off brands in the baby aisle of most grocery stores), and a blanket or towel (depending on the rat and their ability to hold their pee, you might want to cover your lap up with a blanket or a towel).
other optional treats you can give include tiny bits of lunch meats, yogies, wet nose organic dog training stars, plain yogurt, or watered down peanut butter*.
*if you choose to use peanut butter, please water it down first to lesson the
chances of your rat choking.
step two: get a rat.
i used bub for this tutorial mostly because he’s very patient with the photo taking process. i suggest going over each of their nails and determining ahead of time which nails need trimmed, because sometimes, not all of them do need trimmed, and by figuring this out before you begin, you’ll be able to get right in on it so you don’t prolong the experience more than it has to be.
this is also a good time to remind you to always go at your pet’s pace. do not ever force them. if they are scared, they may bite, go to the bathroom, start breathing heavily, and will eventually start to associate this experience as something bad that scares them. you want them to at least tolerate this! if your critter needs to take a break, that’s okay, just come back to it in a few when they’ve calmed down again. speaking them in a soft and reassuring voice helps a lot too. if your voice is loud, they may become spooked. i also recommend doing this in a quiet place, away from loud noises, barking dogs, slamming doors, etc etc, because you do not want the rat to jerk their paws around as you are trimming their nails.
step three: assume first position.
for their front paws, i like to hold them like this. i wrap my hand around their upper body with my thumb coming under their arms (or over if your rat likes to shove at things with their paws). in order to cut their left front paw, i hold them as shown and hold their paw snuggly between my thumb and index finger. this allows for easy access to the nails.
step four: trimming the nails.
now, this may seem like a scary thing to do, because rats are so tiny and have very tiny parts. their nails are tiny and cute, but they hurt when they get too long. i recommend trimming nails in good, bright light. you must be careful to not cut too far down, because you will hit the quick and that will result in pain and sometimes bleeding. the quick in a rat’s nail is most times darker pink or red, so before you start hacking at some nails, get to know your little guy’s nails so you know how far to cut without injuring them. mistakes happen though, and sometimes we just get a little too eager and cut a little too far. this is why i suggest keeping either styptic powder or corn starch in your house to stop bleeding. just dab the injured toe in the powder and give them a rest.
your rats may also squeak at you. most often, they do this because they don’t like what you’re doing, but they may also squeak if you cut down too far. it’s important to start learning when they’re squeaking because they’re cranky as opposed to squeaking because you hurt them. i have a few cry baby rats that squeak if i look at them wrong, and if i always went by their squeaking, i’d never get to trim their nails!
step five: treat time!
the way i train my rats to tolerate nail trimmings is to give them a little treat after each paw is done. one after the front left, one after the front right, one after the back left, one after the back right!
step six: assume second position.
this position is nearly identical to what you do for the front left paw, only this time, they’re facing away from you. it helps if you cradle their body gently back against you and that you’re not dangling them. they feel more secure when their back feet are standing on something.
step seven: trimming the nails.
hold the right paw between your thumb and index finger, separating each finger to easily trim the nails. don’t forget to give a treat after!
step eight: assume the third position.
now, trimming the rat’s back feet can be done with one person. a lot of the time, it’s just me doing this, but sometimes, it’s easier and may be necessary for you to include another person in this. if you ask somebody to help you, make sure this person is comfortable with holding rats and have that person hold the rat snuggly against their chest (not too tight!), facing them. have them pet the rat gently and talk to them softly while you trim their back nails. however, if it’s just you, don’t fret! it can be done! for the back right foot, put your hand around their middle and turn them away from you. hold them so that their back feet are flat on your leg (or whatever surface you’re doing this on).
step nine: trimming the nails.
once they’ve settled in, get the clippers and start trimming! sometimes, they’ll sit still better if you give them a little treat to munch on during this. make sure their foot is flat and that their toes aren’t curled before you begin. this process is a little more time consuming, because they may not want to sit still, and generally, their back feet take more time for me. just remember to be patient and stop if your rat is showing signs of distress.
step ten: assume the fourth position.
for the left back foot, wrap your hand around them snuggly and turn them to face the right. i’ve found that holding their body against your chest or stomach like this makes it easier. then trim the nails!
step eleven: treat time!
again, don’t forget to give your rat a treat after, along with some scritches and praise. bub was terrified of getting his nails cut when i first got him in september, and now that i trim them at least once a week, he’s gotten used to it and doesn’t put up such a fight. i wish i could say the same for some of my other rattos!
if you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to ask them. my ask box is always open and proper care of rats is something i’m very passionate about. i’m always learning about these critters, and if you have a problem that needs a solution that i can’t immediately offer, i will help you research and come to the conclusion!
this tutorial has been a rat town production and no humans were harmed in the making of this.
