NAIL CLIPPING:
The following was told to me a couple of years ago by Buck Jones.
"Sometimes, if you cradle your bun backside down in the cook of yourarm, he may 'trance', or become very calm. If not, at the very least,you can cradle him tightly, holding him in a stationary position withhis feet in the air, and the more readily accessible for nail cutting.
I usually perform this maneuver outside, over the picnic table, so Ican lay my arm, the one holding him, upon the table for additionalsupport. From that location/position, I can usually grasp one or two ofthe rabbit's feet with the hand of the arm that is immobilizing it,leaving my other hand free to clip with a guillotine type cat/dogclipper. Being outside enables me to use direct sunlight in search ofthe "quick" (blood vessel), and in some instances, makes it possible tojust faintly see the quick in the darker nails as well.
If all else fails, one can wrap the entire bunny up in a towel, muchlike a "burrito", and extract one foot at a time in order to clip thenails. You may have to re-wrap for each foot, but it is another way todeal with a recalcitrant bunny.
Talking in a soothing, high-pitched voice, such as "coo-cooing" from awoman, seems to calm most buns down a bit also. None of my buns enjoythe nail clipping, and they become quite agitated, jumpy, and squirmyduring the experience. I have to frequently reposition them to mysatisfaction, and do it firmly and quickly in order to establish mydominance over them, as the "alpha rabbit", if you will. My message tothem is, "I know you don't like it, but YOU ARE going to get your nailscut NOW!" More often than not, they do finally accept the inevitableand will calm down appreciably.
Styptic powder, which is available in many pet stores, I wouldrecommend having on hand and ready to use when you cut the nails. Forme, that means having Q-tip, pre-dipped in water, at hand, and thestyptic powder container nearby, opened and ready to be dipped into bythe moistened Q-tip. You don't want the powder so close that it istumbled over inadvertently by you or the bunny's struggles.
Having this all ready to go shortens the time between making too closeof a cut and stemming the resultant blood flow. If you're not used toit, or get upset at the sight of blood, the flow often seems much worsethan it is. Most of us have done it at one time or another, and whilethe buns often react reflexively to too close of a cut, they seem toweather the experience pretty well and demonstrate no long lastingtrauma from it.
Having cut the nails, I usually take the time to record the currentweight of the bun and to note any unusual physical or medicalconditions by close inspection of the entire body. This monthly writtenrecord enables me to recognize if, and when, potential health problemsseem to be developing.
The session is closed with a long grooming session with hard and softbrushes, combs, and hands in order to end upon a positive note. Whenthe bun starts chattering its teeth with pleasure, I know everythingI've done is forgiven, and all's well that ends well.
Buck Jones"
