Trimming Claws

[rambosmom]

Does anybody have any suggestions on trimming the claws of a squirrel that is a "keeper" due to blindness. She lives indoors and her claws have gotten quite long and needle sharp. Kita has some branches in her cage but, apparently, it hasn't been enough to keep her claws worn down some. I've got some ideas rolling around in my head to try to wear them (the claws) down in the future but those things need some serious trimming now before I'm totally shredded! My hubby and I did team up once one to hold her (yeah, right) while the other tried to clip. Kita did what any self-respecting squirrel would do...squirm and squeal and yank her little feeties out of our hands. Soooo...any tips, suggestions on clippers, methods, magical solutions, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

[cam]

I've got the exact same problem! my girl was totally blind and can now see a small amount through one eye! basically, i don't think she think's she's a squirrel! she has plenty of branches in her cage, but prefers to climb the bars and is out almost 24/7 anyways and she loves her creature comforts and sleeps in my bed and only really walks on carpet and occasionally wood floor, either way her claws get really long as she is not climbing trees all day long

I have managed to clip her claws a couple of times and although she didn't appreciate it, she did let me

does she allow you to touch her when she is sleeping?

what i do is when she's asleep, i give her a little tickle and then clip the claws a little, but i only take the tips off so i don't get scratched quite as much

[JLM27]

I think you have to make a squirrel burrito leaving one foot out and then unwrap and change feets. You need expert advice on this though because you can hurt AND DAMAGE HER IF YOU DO IT WRONG. Maybe Jackie in Tampa can give you advice.

[Jackie in Tampa]

Bach's Rescue Remedy....
put a dab on the sq, the hubby and you too!
about $8 at any health food store and some drug stores..I like the human kind over the animal one that can be bought at Pet stores...
The human form has alcohol in it, I believe it binds the essences better , therefore works better...I think!

also...I trim rear right and front left...then the following week I trim the opposites..
Sqs have a very hard time climbing and clinging if all are trimmed at the same time...
good luck!!!!!:rotfl :peace https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ_xH8sbL04hn9dhUaM-ytKT7GHSOFvM_dslnlLMXqyN5HsCWbI_A

[bcelisa]

I do the burrito thing and Dexter does well. . . . I'm gonna keep up with it so he stays used to it. . . I too am shredded NOT ANYMORE :D

[rambosmom]

Thank you all for your suggestions! I'll try them one by one until I find the one that works for us. I do spend some 'quiet time' with her at night when she's sleepy so that might be a good place to start. Thanks again! BTW, I'll post some pics of my little girl soon. She's so cute! Even though she is probably about 6 months old now, she is undersized and has never opened her eyes. I'm suspecting that she may have been exposed to pesticides (through her mother) in the park where she was born and improper development resulted. But, thank goodness, she was found and I took her in, fed her Fox Valley, and did the best I could under the circumstances. Today, she is a happy, well-adjusted, extremely active little character that doesn't let her lack of sight bother her in the least!
:thankyou

[niapet]

We used to get shredded all the time.. I had an issue where my co-workers thought I was cutting myself... >.>

These days we never seem to have scrapes or cuts.. I am not sure what changed though!? Either our skin got thicker or Imp has learned how to climb us without hurting us anymore?

Have you tried those pet claw sanders they advertise on tv that "doesn't cut the quick"?

[JLM27]

Best do do it when there is a beam of sunlight coming through the window, so you can hold up the claw and see the dark part inside when the light shines through that must not be touched. That is where the nerves and blood vessels are, and it would hurt him and risk infection besides.

[rambosmom]

It's been awhile since I uploaded a link for a video but I'm going to try it for my one and only (so far) clip of Kita. I just signed on with Photobucket so it's all new to me. If it works, this is the little stinker that took down over 350 lbs of humans trying to clip her claws.

http://s1167.photobucket.com/albums/q636/iluvfurballs/

[msriri]

What a sweetie.... LOVE the cat tree!!!!

[rambosmom]

Aw, thanks. She is such a little doll! As you can see, she never opened her eyes (they are either extremely underdeveloped or nonexistent). Possibly, a result of exposure to pesticides. Also, she is very small despite good nutrition once I got her. Believe it or not, I'm guesstimating her age at about 6 months now.

[Kristal]

Wow, that is really so cool the way that she spins around to orient herself. She is amazingly agile despite being totally blind. I can hardly believe that a blind squirrel can still do what they love most - climb! I bet she has a big memory map of your entire place and can even leap onto objects like short tables or curtains - things that don't get moved around regularly. This video shows some really interesting learning capacity because the behaviours she is showing are not plain, old, ordinary squirrel moves. They are invented adaptations that allow her to cope with the complete disability of her most important sense and still be very functional. That is really amazing :)

Edit: also, I love the name. Someone told me that kita-a means love in japanese, or else something similar to love.

Edit again: actually... it seems like it means come, which is well..... ya know ;)

[treeman]

WoW what a neat little squirrel!