Hi Stephanie,
The first set of instructions is from me to another poster in the past,the second and more thorough notes are from Buck Jones to the poster.Good Luck!
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1) Cradle your bun as a baby, wrap in a towel 'burrito' style if you wish more control. I tend to elevate the back feet slightly as I'm holding my rabbit closely and firmly as a baby. Some people also chooseto do it on a table for more support.
2) Exposing one foot at a time, under the light of a flashlight or bright light (get help if you need to in order to have an extra set ofhands) flash the light into the rabbit's nail. You'll be able to identify the quick (the blood vessel in the nail) as the darker color (shadow) under the nail. You don't want to cut down to the quick, just in front of it.
3) Don't try to cut them too short. Trim a little, let a day go by so that the quick can fall back a little and then clip a little more.
4) Talking to and petting your rabbit will help keep it calmer as your doing this.
5) If you do cut into the blood vessel, be sure to have on hand some corn or a styptic powder found in pet supply stores to stop thebleeding.
6) Cat nail clippers work fine on my rabbit. The right clippers depends on the size of the rabbit and the thickness of the nails.
7) Don't forget the 'thumb nail'.
8) As you relax and practice this, your rabbit will too. Take your time, and just do a little bit of the nail at a time is what I recommend the most at first. Even today I still just do a little at a time. Your rabbit will sense your stress/fear and will react. It's important to just keep talking to the little one as you're doing it.
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Regarding nail clipping. There is no "right" type of clippers. Whatever works best for you. I've tried them all and prefer the guillotine type that you describe because it is easy to slide the nail through, has a bottom blade to judge my cut, and cutting is a single action process due to the spring in the clipper.
I generally do it outside at a picnic table, so I can utilize sunlight to better see the quick. The quick, in a white nail, appears like a tiny pink worm encased in translucent "ice." Cut above it.
In darker nails, in direct sunlight, it often has a slightly more pinkish cast than the "dead" end of the nail. Sometimes, it just appears more dense. If you can see it in one nail, it makes it easier to spot in other nails, sometimes. You can also nip a little bit off at a time. As you approach the quick more closely, bunny will often react with a knee-jerk motion. Sometimes, you can cut right to the quick, see the end of it, but not cause bleeding. In any case, I always have styptic powder, a Q-Tip, and water on hand to dampen the cotton on theQ-Tip, to staunch any blood flow that may accidentally occur. Flour, talc, corn starch, are viable alternatives. Most buns forgive the indignity in a short while, should you accidentally cut too close to the quick, so while not exactly painless, it is not a major injury. Those of us who cut our buns' nails have all done it at one time or another.
I grasp the bun and turn it upside down on its back, and cradle it in my right arm. I place its back on a towel cushioned picnic table top, with my arm still cradling it, and grasp its two rear feet in my righthand. With my left hand, I stroke its head and talk soothingly, in an effort to calm and "hypnotize" it into a relaxed state.
Having accomplished that, I use the thumb and forefinger of my righthand, which is still grasping the rear feet, to isolate one nail, and place in in the guillotine blade of the clipper being operated by my left hand. Sometimes, I use my right thumb as an index marker to NOT cut below, by placing it on line with the visible quick. Having completed the rear feet, I switch hands, and arms, and bunny's orientation to work on the front feet in a similar manner.
Buns will often wiggle and squirm out of my grasp. Some will "startle"out of their entranced state when I snip, or some noise grabs them. In any case, I simply, and swiftly, replace them in the position I desire, because I am, as Carolyn mentioned, the Alpha rabbit, the big Boss Rabbit, and the Big Kahuna Rabbit and they must recognize that fact to finally acquiesce and submit quietly.
Sometimes, buns will whimper and moan and sniffle, but rest assured,you are not killing them. Once the ordeal is over, they are treated to a long grooming session with brushes and combs, until they begin to"chatter" with pleasure. Then, I am sure all is forgiven.
Couple of pointers... Front nails, grow much more quickly than rear, because in Nature, they were used more frequently and formidably in digging borrows.
Don't forget the little dewclaw in the inside of the leg, an inch or two above the paw.
Yellow, commercially obtained from pet stores, styptic powder, mixed with bunny blood often stains clothing permanently, so don't wear good clothing.
Styptic pencils, that men may use shaving, are worthless for this application, in my estimation.
Usually, if you cannot see the quick in direct sunlight or with a powerful flashlight, you will cause no injury by cutting off the"hooked" portion of a nail.
Cutting nails every two to three months is adequate. I do our buns monthly, because I don't want them to lose a nail by hanging up on something, and I weigh, visually and manually inspect them, and record everything on a permanent, informal monthly record sheet.
Another holding technique is to wrap the bun up in a towel, burrito style, extracting each foot as necessary. You may have to re-wrap frequently.
Some people cradle buns on their backs between the manicurist's knees,and grab one leg at a time. Works best if your bun will "trance."
Some people enlist the aid of one, or two helpers, but I find that it is unnecessary, as one becomes more familiar and at ease with the process.
Buck
