Long nails

[Duffy]

My hamster, Duffy, is almost a year old and weighs 170g. I think the nails on his front paws are too long. I have attached some images, can someone tell me if they are normal or too long.


I watched a video about getting rocks so he can trim his nails but I failed to find rocks in my garden. Where can I buy rocks in England? (I can't find rocks for hamsters on Amazon)

[Drago]

His nails do look to be a bit on the long side! You can purchase smooth stones from gardening stores or even from the fish/reptile decoration section. Just make sure to disinfect them first! You can also get pumice as this is all natural and great for tooth health as well Other items that can help prevent nails from growing too long are, Cork bark, grapevine, rough bits of cardboard, and various other wooden huts/toys. Best wishes

[AmityvilleHams]

You really shouldn't be using rocks from outside anyways as that is extremely dangerous even once sterilized

Look for rocks from a pet store,for example in the reptile or fish section.Lava rock(true lava rock,not the smooth kind sometimes marketed for small animals and other pets)is wonderful.Smooth rocks won't do anything for the nails,while slightly rough(not sharp)rocks will actually trim nails.Even with pet store rocks you still need to at least rinse them thoroughly with hot water,and preferably freeze them for a minimum of two days,before using them.They're much safer than taking the unnecessary risk of using rocks from outdoors though,and rinsing is primarily to get rid of dust and debris from rocks getting broken up to be suitable for selling purposes

Keep in mind pumice is flat and won't distribute pressure in a good way.Flat surfaces being overused,while seemingly beneficial,are actually quite dangerous if the material is rough.This will result in sores or injury eventually,given the constant pressure applied to tiny hamster feet as would be done with sandpaper

[Cinnamon Bear]

If you can get somebody to hold your hamster and if your hammy cooperates you can clip them with nail clippers. If he is wiggly then you can always have the vets trim them for you

[cypher]

They do look a bit long, once they get overgrown then they need clipping, either do it yourself or go to the vet.
Smooth rocks aren't going to help so I wouldn't bother, for maintenance once they've been clipped rough but not sharp surfaces like wood, granite, a normal kitchen tile turned upside down, terracotta flower pots will help keep them down as will some wooden surfaces & digging in a sand bath.

[alpacassei]

Originally Posted by AmityvilleHams

You really shouldn't be using rocks from outside anyways as that is extremely dangerous even once sterilized

I thought they were fine to use as long as they had been properly sterilised first?

[alpacassei]

My Russians have terracota plant pots in their cages that help to keep their nails down. Francisco's nails had started to grow too long and he wouldn't let me trim them but they've worn down to almost the correct length in just a week of having a flower pot to play in.

For actual rocks, you could find some in the reptile or fish sections of pet stores

[cypher]

Originally Posted by alpacassei

I thought they were fine to use as long as they had been properly sterilised first?

They are

[AmityvilleHams]

Without sterilization anything from the outdoors is way too dangerous to take a chance on.You have no reason to use rocks from outdoors,especially when pet stores carry much safer choices.

While I understand the need to save money,there's a huge difference between saving money and taking a serious risk with the outcome being terrible.With any sort of porous material(as nail trimming rocks must be)you don't want it to come from the outdoors,and even then you're taking too big of a risk at so many different dangers that simple sterilization may not fix

[tomnjerry]

Must agree that home sterilization is very difficult.

Boiling water does not help at all.

If you put inside oven at very high temperature, the rocks might crack!

Often it's cheaper to buy! The energy cost required to sterilize is high.