guineapiglover455
Tin Member
I is chewing quickly... ...You will steals my food!
Posts: 110
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Post by guineapiglover455 on Mar 13, 2010 17:13:35 GMT
Twinky is bitting his footsies when i pick him up!!! He is ripping the nails off! what is he doing?  |
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Post by misspiggy on Mar 13, 2010 18:13:56 GMT
oh wow ... sounds really serious. I have never heard of this before. Is he actually ripping each nail out of the nail bed, leaving him with no claws? Is this on his front or hind paws, or both?
How long are twinky's nails? Are they long and curly? They should be short and trimmed regularly. Unless, Twinky is a youngster and they havent grown long enough for a trim yet.
Does he only bite/rip his nails out when you hold him?
How are you holding him? If his nails are too long, they may be hurting him and holding him in an odd way, maybe applying pressure to his nails and feet is making it worse thus he is biting at them and as a result the nails are being ripped out.
Can you post a pic? Lets see what some other members say.
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Post by pickles on Mar 13, 2010 20:40:27 GMT
When Pickles' back nails get a little long he'll bite on them. He's not pulling his nail completely out though!If your piggy is just biting his/her nails the nails are probably too long! If you're worried about trimming them either take your piggy to vet or experienced groomer to trim piggy's nails. When I first trimmed Pickles nails I was terrified! Take your time and only take off the very tip and once you and piggy get used to trimming it will go smoother and faster!
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guineapiglover455
Tin Member
I is chewing quickly... ...You will steals my food!
Posts: 110
|
Post by guineapiglover455 on Mar 13, 2010 21:01:45 GMT
oh wow ... sounds really serious. I have never heard of this before. Is he actually ripping each nail out of the nail bed, leaving him with no claws? Is this on his front or hind paws, or both? How long are twinky's nails? Are they long and curly? They should be short and trimmed regularly. Unless, Twinky is a youngster and they havent grown long enough for a trim yet. Does he only bite/rip his nails out when you hold him? How are you holding him? If his nails are too long, they may be hurting him and holding him in an odd way, maybe applying pressure to his nails and feet is making it worse thus he is biting at them and as a result the nails are being ripped out. Can you post a pic? Lets see what some other members say. Well, he is trying to rip his nails off, not actually suceeding (good) And his nails are not long. I'll try to post a photo  |
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Post by misspiggy on Mar 13, 2010 21:34:14 GMT
Which feet is he biting, front or back?
You posted another thread about him biting/scratching his butt area .... maybe he has a fungal infection on his bottom half of the body that is causing him to itch. Did you inspect his skin under his fur closely?
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 13, 2010 21:47:40 GMT
Pigs chew their feet when they are upset, by pain or extreme frustration. When I first got Molly she had a skin fungus on her rump. If I touched her or moved the hair where it really bothered her, she would attack her left hand. If Twinkie is chewing his hand when you touch him, see where you're touching him when he does it.
If he's attacking his hind foot or his hand when you aren't touching him, then I would say he probably has mites or another parasite that is hurting him there. Either condition probably needs a vets diagnosis and treatment. Good luck!!!
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Post by misspiggy on Mar 13, 2010 23:06:58 GMT
this goes hand in hand with him biting his rear end too ... you need to get an apt at the vets to get it treated. Good luck! let us know how it goes!
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Post by Pigjes on Mar 14, 2010 8:22:08 GMT
Some pigs bite nails from stress, just like human nail biters. Some bite the nails to clean them, part of the grooming process. Kooky does it and I have seen the other pigs doe it too. Bibi bites her right foot's nails from stress when she gets carried around as she hates that.
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Post by newpig on Mar 14, 2010 9:40:47 GMT
I've seen mine clean round their feet but never seen them try to pull their nails out. You have posted quite a few threads about health concerns so putting them all together it does sound like he may have a skin issue and requires a vet check.
When you have several concerns such as those posted last night it may be easier if you out it all in one thread, instead of creating several, so that we can easily see the big picture.
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Post by 3piggles on Mar 14, 2010 13:01:51 GMT
If nothing else, a vet should be able to determine if there is anything physically wrong with him. If there isn't, then you need to figure out what is stressing him into chewing on his feet. Good luck!!!
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Post by winston2 on May 23, 2021 6:38:43 GMT
My name is jordan and i just joined looking for answers for my piggie winston. I have had him for about 3 months and he has also acted normal. Today when i went to pick him up to see him i noticed his nails were bleeding and very short. I recently clipped his nails so they arent long at all. In his cage there is nothing for his nails to get caught and ripped off. I think he may be biting his nails off. I've never seen him do this, this is a first. I am very worried because he is making himself bleed and there is a lot of blood in his cage. I'm not sure if this is very serious or normal please help. ![]()  |
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Post by 3piggles on May 23, 2021 17:34:48 GMT
Hello and welcome to Wheekers  Just based on the picture, and past experience, I think it's most likely he did catch his nail on something, and rip it. You'd be surprised what they can get into. No matter how much we try to make the cage safe, they can find a way to hurt themselves. Wash the nail with soap and water. Dry it, and give it a day of so to heal. If it doesn't heal, then he probably is chewing it, or at least bothering it a bit. Might be worth first, getting him checked by a vet. Animals often act out in ways that have nothing to do with what's bothering them, so it's best to have a vet check him over thoroughly. You can also buy a bitter apple liquid in pet stores, that might discourage him from bothering it. I've never used it, but have known people who did, with mixed results. If, when you wash it, it looks bad, definitely get him to a vet! Good luck, and please let us know how it turns out. |
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Post by Bean on May 24, 2021 7:25:56 GMT
How many of the nails is it? If it's a few then it seems less likely it got caught. Is there anything different in his behaviour to normal, how he's moving or lying or anything else to do with eating or being sociable that's different?
We fostered a pig who had some neurological condition affecting his movement and he would sometimes chew on his foot.
I'd probably wash it in a saline solution and if it all looked otherwise clean (no swelling, the skin being hot, any pus or it seeming very painful) I'd give it a day or two to see what happened. In the meantime you'll probably have observed if he is chewing it and causing it to bleed.
If there are any signs of infection of he's uncomfortable, see a good cavy vet who has the understanding that it may be a behaviour related to pain/ stress anywhere else in the body, and not necessarily just something to do with the foot.
Good luck and please let us know how he gets on.
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Just based on the picture, and past experience, I think it's most likely he did catch his nail on something, and rip it. You'd be surprised what they can get into. No matter how much we try to make the cage safe, they can find a way to hurt themselves. 
