Help!!! My Hamster's nails are way too long!!

[HenriandHobieHammies]

My Roborovski Henri's nails are way too long! They curl around his paws and are definetly half moon shape by now. His cage is made of pretty rough plastic, I put little wood toys on the floor, and he runs his wheel all night but nothing seems to work. I am afraid to clip his nails because he is still young and hardly tame enough to let me hold him and I don't think it would be best to stress him out like that.
I tried to put a strip of cardboard under his wheel so whenever he gets on and off it wears down his nails, but even though it did make a difference he still has that half-moon shape. Please help! I've tried everything now and I really don't want to have to get his nails clipped, or worse, do it myself Thanks for all of your help!!!

[cypher]

If they're that long they will have to be clipped, best to get it done at the vet first time & they can show you how best to do it yourself if you're brave enough next time!
I have egg boxes in my dwarf hams cages with a couple of holes cut in which I line with very fine sand paper, I put some substrate in then hide some of their food in there so they have a good dig daily which can help.
Small terracotta flower pots in the cage for digging around in can also help but the nails will need to be trimmed first as it's really too late for preventative measures until that's been done.

[racinghamster]

Hi, nice to see you on the forum. Its strange you say your robo is still young but has curling nails? I`ve seen this in older robos personally but I imagine it can happen in younger animals if they tend to have claws that grow fast. There are two things you can do.

1. Ask your vet to clip them. Nothing major, they just hold him firm and clip each nail in turn.
2. Doing it yourself does sound stressful and claws should only be clipped where it tends to bend/curl around, as it`s better to leave the claw a little longer anyway. Just snipping off the curled part with human nail clippers.

Your right though, it`s not easy unless the robo is immobilised/held in a towel with the paws exposed one at a time so the procedure isn`t done all in one go. It`s better to clip a few claws and then release, to reduce any stress. Do you have a good vet nearby who you could call to ask about this and what their pricing is? It`s probably best if your not confident doing it yourself. x

[Lozz]

I've just had the same problem with mine, it is generally inexpensive to get them trimmed at the vets (it cost me £7) and is definitely the safest option. Robos can be quite fidgety and because they're so delicate I think the vets is your best bet. Like Cypher said, it's too late for preventative measures, but once they have been clipped you can buy scratching plates quite cheaply x

[racinghamster]

I`m not sure accessories help unless the hamster is very active and digs a lot. Once the nails `curve` around, they can also bend the toes, which can`t be comfortable, so a vet is your best option. x

[HenriandHobieHammies]

Thanks so much guys!! I am looking for vets near me who clip hamsters nails, (It's a bit harder than it sounds) and putting the egg boxes in really helped a lot! Even though his nails grow really fast, it seems they file down fast too!!!