Too fast.....?

[dave123791]

So as some of you know i took Jenny to the vet yesterday at 7pm to get her nails clipped. She was all packed up and ready. I arrived at the clinic 5 mins before 7. The receptionist said that the nurse is at break and will be back 10 past 7. That didn't annoy me much as i had the time to look through some dog magazines. Anyway skipping to the appointment. I went in and put Jenny in her travel box on the inspection table. The nurse looked at Jenny and said: "This ain't gonna be easy, first time i have a robo needing nails clipped". She opened the box and Jenny started running around the table- the nurse couldn't catch her so i got her. Then she said to put Jenny on the table back again. So i did. She ran straight for the edge of the table and fell to the floor landing on her back. She didn't move for about 2 secs then started running around the floor. I picked her up very annoyed at the nurse and put Jenny back in the travel box. The nurse said that Jenny is too fast and that she doesn't want to squish her or cut too much nail off. She said that i should put some sandpaper in her cage. I asked her if she is going to be ok after falling. The nurse replied that she isn't bleeding so she should be ok. I was/am very annoyed- i wasted an hour, Jenny fell from the table, she got stressed, I didn't go to work and didn't do my maths homework just to hear that i should use sandpaper. I couldn't go to the vet i took Sarah to as the guy that deals with exotics isn't working there anymore so i was forced to go there. My dad takes Twix here and he is very satisfied but i am not. Very poor service. I tried clipping her nails myself but that didn't work out very well. Anyone have any suggestions on what i should do? I will put sandpaper on her wheel.

Thanks

[Skeever]

A sandbath will wear down the nails some, as will a rock under the water, since she will have to walk on the rock to drink. Sandpaper is an iffy recommendation according to many, so if you used it think of using it a few times and remove it for normal wheel use....or playpen use. They have sensitive feetsies....

I really hope they didn't have the gall to charge anything for practically killing your ham and then telling you they can't do it?? Where was the actual doctor, or do they not do exotics at all? Sounds pretty shady for a vets office...to say the least.

[RedSky]

I would write a letter of complaint.
Did the vet nurse not expect her to fall off the table? She doesn't sound very knowledgeable about hamsters. And as for getting there to be told they couldn't do it, they should know that you were bringing in a robo hamster for nail cutting so shouldn't have been so unprepared that they are so small and fast.
I too hope they didn't charge for anything, and I really hope Jenny is okay.

[NiceCrocs]

Wow, what a horrible nurse! You'd think she'd have the brains to have a box or short bin to keep such a thing from happening.

I've actually heard that sandpaper is not good, as it cause too much friction on their feet, and potentially run them raw.

I find putting one or two flat stones with a slightly rough texture (basically anything except super-smooth river rocks) will keep my hamsters claws satisfactorily short. Putting them under the water bottle or in front of the food dish will ensure that your hamster uses it regularly. terracotta pots and dishes are also great. You can get flat, unglazed dishes from craft stores for less than $1. Using one as a food dish will make sure your hamster spends time in it.

[NiceCrocs]

Another thought: I would strongly consider issuing a complaint about this nurse. If they weren't willing to see a robo, they shouldn't have allowed you to make an appointment. Like the others mentioned, I hope you did not give them a dime

[dave123791]

Originally Posted by Skeever

A sandbath will wear down the nails some, as will a rock under the water, since she will have to walk on the rock to drink. Sandpaper is an iffy recommendation according to many, so if you used it think of using it a few times and remove it for normal wheel use....or playpen use. They have sensitive feetsies....

I have a sandbath and i put sandpaper at the bottom of the box/container. Both my hammies have flying saucers so i don't know how to put the sandpaper on.

I really hope they didn't have the gall to charge anything for practically killing your ham and then telling you they can't do it?? Where was the actual doctor, or do they not do exotics at all? Sounds pretty shady for a vets office...to say the least.

I went to the desk to say goodbye and the lady asked why am i not paying? So i explained the whole thing so she said "fine then".

Originally Posted by RedSky

I would write a letter of complaint.
Did the vet nurse not expect her to fall off the table? She doesn't sound very knowledgeable about hamsters. And as for getting there to be told they couldn't do it, they should know that you were bringing in a robo hamster for nail cutting so shouldn't have been so unprepared that they are so small and fast.
I too hope they didn't charge for anything, and I really hope Jenny is okay.

Jenny behaves normally so i hope nothing serious happened- I always make sure my hammies are safe from any dangers so this made me really angry. What if Jenny died? Or was seriously injured? Some people are just stupid.

Originally Posted by NiceCrocs

Wow, what a horrible nurse! You'd think she'd have the brains to have a box or short bin to keep such a thing from happening.

I've actually heard that sandpaper is not good, as it cause too much friction on their feet, and potentially run them raw.

I find putting one or two flat stones with a slightly rough texture (basically anything except super-smooth river rocks) will keep my hamsters claws satisfactorily short. Putting them under the water bottle or in front of the food dish will ensure that your hamster uses it regularly. terracotta pots and dishes are also great. You can get flat, unglazed dishes from craft stores for less than $1. Using one as a food dish will make sure your hamster spends time in it.

Thanks. I will look for terracotta pots.

The vet i took Sarah to put her in a sort of metal box with high sides. Offered her treats and slowly picked her up and cut her nails very fast. I really liked the guy- he knew what he was doing. Plus he always talked about his hammies. He breeds syrians. But unfortunately he left.

[Pebbles82]

She sounds totally inexperienced and inadequate for the task. If she had never done it before she should have been supervised by an experienced vet. I would definitely write a letter of complaint saying your animal should not have been subjected to a fall which could have killed her. You expect a vet to be experienced enough to either handle a hamster or have a box to put her in while the job is being done. I should also give the example you gave above about when Sarah's nails were clipped.

It must have been very upsetting and well done you for not paying and explaining why. That kind of thing isn't easy. It reminds me of when I was 10 and took a roll of film into the chemist to be developed. It was old style roll film and had to be kept in the dark before processing, so was wrapped up in its light proof wrapping paper. The girl behind the counter dropped it and the paper came open. She picked it up, handed it back and said - that's no good now, it has been exposed to light. Except a hammy is a living thing and more important than a roll of film. At 10 I didn't know what to say or how to handle it but have never forgotten the attitude.

I am sure she will be ok, but a good idea to keep an eye on her. As for stone - I have just bought one of these. It is from the Rodipet German website but it is quite cheap and the postage isn't much different to Uk postage. It is a square of rough granite about 6" square approximately. You could put that under her water bottle. The rough granite seems good for nails I reckon. It is 3.99 euros which is only about £2.75 I think. I used Google Translate to work out how to place an order!

Rodipet® +GRANiT Klima- & Pflegestein (Häuser) - Rodipet® Heimtierzubehör Shop

[dave123791]

Originally Posted by Serendipity7000

She sounds totally inexperienced and inadequate for the task. If she had never done it before she should have been supervised by an experienced vet. I would definitely write a letter of complaint saying your animal should not have been subjected to a fall which could have killed her. You expect a vet to be experienced enough to either handle a hamster or have a box to put her in while the job is being done. I should also give the example you gave above about when Sarah's nails were clipped.

It must have been very upsetting and well done you for not paying and explaining why. That kind of thing isn't easy. It reminds me of when I was 10 and took a roll of film into the chemist to be developed. It was old style roll film and had to be kept in the dark before processing, so was wrapped up in its light proof wrapping paper. The girl behind the counter dropped it and the paper came open. She picked it up, handed it back and said - that's no good now, it has been exposed to light. Except a hammy is a living thing and more important than a roll of film. At 10 I didn't know what to say or how to handle it but have never forgotten the attitude.

I am sure she will be ok, but a good idea to keep an eye on her. As for stone - I have just bought one of these. It is from the Rodipet German website but it is quite cheap and the postage isn't much different to Uk postage. It is a square of rough granite about 6" square approximately. You could put that under her water bottle. The rough granite seems good for nails I reckon. It is 3.99 euros which is only about £2.75 I think. I used Google Translate to work out how to place an order!

Rodipet® +GRANiT Klima- & Pflegestein (Häuser) - Rodipet® Heimtierzubehör Shop

Thanks. I will sure order this tomorrow

I'm also in the process of writing a letter to them. No way i would pay them for nearly killing Jenny. Not going back there again.

[Pebbles82]

Got the idea of using Google Translate from Cypher! I'm really pleased with mine - it's a nice solid bit of stone with a rough surface.

[cypher]

The granite slabs are good, I'm really pleased with them too, definitely worth a try in the battle against long nails.
If you need to get terracotta pots or dishes online Dave I've found this the best site
Terracotta Plates | Homecrafts
Terracotta Pots | Homecrafts
I'm also using some vivarium/aquarium things made of resin, a little gecko hide & an ornamental stone head both of which have a texture just like real rough stone so something like that might help too, only thing is they do tend to be quite heavy so you have to be a bit careful about little ones burrowing under them!