Guinea pigs are generally quite healthy animals that shouldn't really need a great deal of veterinary input throughout their lives - they don't even require any routine vaccinations!
One area of health however, that is commonly overlooked, is that of guinea pig foot care, particularly nail/claw trimming.
Why trim a guinea pig's nails?
Different breeds of guinea pig require different amounts of care in relation to grooming and the general care of their coats, particularly in relation to the long haired breeds of guinea pig but one thing that they all have in common is the need to have their nails trimmed from time to time.
A little like their human owners, guinea pigs nails just keep on growing. Left unchecked, the nails can become very long, distorted, infected, painful or even embed themselves into their foot pads resulting in serious mobility problems. Unattended claws can also cause the small bones in the guinea pigs feet to fracture, especially if they get trapped in hay or bedding material.
It is a common misconception to assume that a guinea pig that is housed outside and has access to some concrete flooring for example, will naturally wear down their claws. Whilst this may be true to some extent, all guinea pigs will need attention to their claws at some stage regardless of the type of guinea pig housing. For the indoor guinea pig, monthly inspections are advised.
For some, the prospect of trimming a guinea pigs nails is greeted with trepidation. Fear of hurting your guinea pig or causing unnecessary anxiety is enough to prevent the job being done at all. Whilst it is a fairly straightforward procedure, it may be that you feel more comfortable leaving this area of health care to your vet. For some, a quick tutorial from your vet or an experienced guinea pig owner, might be all you need to overcome any concerns.
What equipment do you need to trim a guinea pig's nails?
There's no need to buy any expensive equipment to trim a guinea pig's nails, for the job - a small pair of nail clippers is usually the best tool, although some people prefer specially designed clippers/scissors that you can get from pet stores. It's important to try and keep your guinea pig nice and calm, which, understandably might be easier said than done - especially if you’re not feeling very calm about the whole thing yourself!
A helper may come in useful here but if you haven’t got that extra pair of hands, you could try gently securing your guinea pig in a towel with its leg poking out! Just be careful not to secure the towel too tightly!
So how do you trim a guinea pig's nails?
A basic knowledge of the anatomy of a guinea pig's claw is important - you are aiming to remove the sharp tip at the end of the nail. Too much and you risk cutting the quick, which is where the blood vessels are stored.
This will hurt your guinea pig, make his claw bleed and probably put you off having a go again! If this does happen, don't panic, just apply a little pressure to the tip and wait until you are sure the bleeding has properly stopped before putting your guinea pig back in his cage.
In guinea pigs with translucent nails, it is fairly easy to see where the quick ends as it has a pink coloration. However, if your guinea pig has dark claws, you really just need to make an educated guess. It's better to remove little and often rather than risk injuring your guinea pig. In fact, it is well recognised that regular claw trimming actually causes the quick to recede and so, in the long run, the whole job just gets easier and easier.
Neglected claws get longer and more difficult to trim. The quick will advance ever nearer the tip of the claw and you will find that, what essentially should be a normal, fairly simple and routine part of your guinea pigs health care routine suddenly becomes a very daunting task, and one that is unnecessarily unpleasant for your guinea pig. So make sure you pay regular attention to your guinea pigs nails to keep both of you happy!
Here is a short video of us trimming our guinea pig's nails and you can find out more about it and discuss it with ourselves and other guinea pig keepers on our guinea pig discussion forum.
So we hope that you can see that there isn't too much to trimming a guinea pig's nails as long as you are careful and gentle and that this has given you the confidence to trim your guinea pig's nails.
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It is a common misconception to assume that a guinea pig that is housed outside and has access to some concrete flooring for example, will naturally wear down their claws. Whilst this may be true to some extent, all guinea pigs will need attention to their claws at some stage regardless of the type of 
A basic knowledge of the anatomy of a guinea pig's claw is important - you are aiming to remove the sharp tip at the end of the nail. Too much and you risk cutting the quick, which is where the blood vessels are stored.
