nails too long

[pebblethehamster]

hey!!

last night i was holding my hamster and letting her run around when i realised that her nails are starting to get sharper and i think they’re getting longer. i already have a sand bath that she digs in when there’s new sand in there, so she hasn’t been digging in it for a week or two.

i know you can put rocks in their cages but where would i find them? what else can i do to file them down?

[Tjibbe]

ErinsAimals has a video on cleaning rocks from your garden (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6jYAgAMTD0).
I personally use terracotta plant pots and dishes in my dwarf cage, because they're great for wearing down your hamster's nails. You can try it out with your own nails, it kinda works like a nail file. Putting a pot or dish in a spot they walk on frequently should do the trick.

[cypher]

The sand will only help to a certain extent, you need more rough surfaces in the cage really but nothing sharp, smooth stones are no use at all so don't bother with those & sanitising stones you collect from outdoors isn't easy so I wouldn't use those either.
You can use normal kitchen tiles upside down with the rougher ceramic side up or buy granite tiles from Rodipet if you put something like that under the water bottle or where she will walk on it frequently that will help, in addition things like natural wood will help a little.
You need a combination of things really but if they get too long they will need clipping, you can get this done at the vet & they can show you how to do it yourself, once clipped then those things in the cage will help to keep them short.

[hamsterbasil]

My hamster, Basil, is older now so I too have nail length problems as he doesn't wear them down as much anymore. Using things like tiles upside down and granite tiles helps, like cyper says.
I used to get his nails trimmed at the vets whenever they got too long, but now I do it, because that was getting expensive. Just make sure you get your vet to tell you how to do it, so you don't hit the quick or do something bad!