# how long should a rabbits nails be



## kendal

my brother is staying at his girlfriends mum and dads while they are away to look after the their dog and rabbit, he invited me over to meet the rabbit who is a lovely docile lion head very cute and very calm. but i think her nails are too long not sure about the front but the back ones definitely look too long. im planning to go over tomorrow with my clippers to trim them down but i dont want to do it unless i know how long they should be. (iv only ever had dogs, cats, rats, hammies and fish) i know nothing about rabbits. she lies on her back and lets me play with her feet so i think she will let me clip them easily. 

iv looked on google but cant find photos of the normal length for back and front feet, i should have taken photos of them when i was over but forgot. 

could anyone show me how long they should be please, thanks


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## Emmiiee

if the nails are 'seathrough' it should be easily to tell, u can see the pink bit of i think its skin/nerve inside the nail, leave about 5mm from the pink inside then cut, this is how i do it anyway not sure about others x


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## kendal

so is it the same as dogs then, they should be cut just before the quick?

i wasnt sure if they were ment to have more length for digging or something.


thanks


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## Kammie

Have a watch of this for an idea of how to do it. Remember rabbits are natural burrowers so their nails are longer than a cat or dog. Have a close look at the bunny and you can just make out roughly how long the nail should be after cutting. As Em said if the bunny is a light colour his nails will be white/clear so you can easily see the quick.

YouTube - Bobtails Rescue: How to clip your bunny's nails


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## Emmiiee

it depends if u want them to dig i spose, i like to keep mine short tho  x


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## kendal

thanks will look ad the video after i post this. 

Laura(my brothers girlfriend) moved out about 6 months ago and said she thought its nail were to long a couple of months ago as her sister who's rabbit it is is hitting her teens and i think isn't spending as much time the the rabbit as she used to(boys,friends, makeup and computer becoming more of a priority) she is going to have a word with her when she comes back from holiday. the rabbit seems in good health, coat is nice and soft not matted, ears are clean and the teeth are nice, short and white(rabbits teeth are meant to be White aren't they, i remember some one telling me once they are meant to be yellow) its just the nails i feel need more attention. 


thanks for you advice.


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## hazyreality

Yeh rabbits teeth should be white 

Cut just before the quick, you may find the quick will be far down the nail as they havent been cut much(or maybe at all) before! If thats the case, you will need to cut them then leave them a week or 2 for the quick to recede and do them again, same with dogs  If they are black obviously cut a small ammount, give it a week, cut another small ammount and so on  

*Heidi*


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## kendal

she is a buff colour so i can see the quick whick is another reason why i thught they were looking a bit long as there is a good bit of nail before the quick. the front ones have a pint on them, the back ones ar more flad like the have been cut but dont know when as they quite long 

thanks again for all you advice, im going over tomorrow and will clip them back, and lausa will have a word with her sister when they get home in a fortnight.


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## kendal

clipped her nails this morning and she was a wee darling about it, didn't put up a fuss. they were a bit longer that i had originally thought. but the quick wasn't that far down them, im going to go over next week to have a look at them. 
i gave he a carrot for being so good which she devoured, she then tried to nibble on my jeans and got the skin on my leg which was soar but she didn't mean it. 


thanks for all your advice.


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