Nail care

[flower pot]

Hi,
I noticed yesterday, that Ludvik nails on his rear paws are overgrown.
At the moment they are about 4mm long and start to curl.

He seems to be healthy. Loves burrowing in wood shavings, has a couple weeden toys and wooden cabin in his cage, sand bath, wheel. He climbs a lot, like to slide down the sofa, arms or clothing fabrics when he wants to explore. His nils don't seem to bother him at the moment.

I would like to know, what should we do to keep hamsters nails healthy?

Should I take him to the vet to have it trimmed?

[Ria P]

You can trim them yourself if you feel confident to do so otherwise you'll have to take him to a vet. Nails that curl can make walking uncomfortable.

I use very small clippers designed for babies and swaddle my hamsters in a towel or scruff them which sounds bad but doesn't hurt them if done right. I find it's the quickest way to trim a couple of nails. I don't do them all in one go because i'm not efficient enough.

Some people put their hamsters in a sieve with a treat and then trim the nails while they eat and the toes appear through the holes of the sieve. Didn't work for mine but worth a try.