Rabbits are cute and fun to own, but cutting the nails is one of my least favorite parts of being a bunny dad (especially when the rabbit is nervous).
Not only do you need to know how to cut the bunny’s nails, but you also need to do so in a way that doesn’t traumatize them.
I researched and asked people with more experience than I to come up with a deep answer to the question of how to trim a rabbit’s nails without force.
Trimming a rabbit’s nails without force is possible if you prepare them to enjoy the nail cutting process by practicing holding their paws, rewarding them with treats, and petting them on their favorite spot. Even then, only trim for as long as they don’t get too wiggly.
It’s better to make multiple, shorter trims and keep the experience positive than it is to get it all done at once, come hell or high water.
Read on for our guide and answers to other commonly asked trimming questions.
Table of Contents
How To Cut Rabbit’s Nail At Home
Make sure you know the right way to cut a rabbit’s nails. Doing it in an unsafe or stressful way will make the rabbit scared.
They’ll learn to fear the process and fight against you in time.
This is when people feel like they need to force their pets to get their nails trimmed.
Let’s go back to basics and look at all the steps.
Get A Nice, But Simple, Pair Of Clippers
The first common mistake many people make is to use their human nail trimmers on their pets.
This isn’t good at all.
Our clippers tend to be more abrasive and sharp. If your pet squirms at the last moment, they’ll probably get hurt.
Use dedicated pet clippers (check price on Amazon). Cat and bird ones will do the job just fine without breaking the bank.
Pet Them Gently Down Their Whole Body
As you get ready to hold them for trimming, it’s important to pet the bunny down their back.
Treat this like a cuddling session to keep them feeling comfortable.
By stroking them from their head to their back, they’ll feel safer, and it’ll distract them from when you grab and clip their nails.
Put Them On A Towel
Put a towel or rug underneath them, especially if you’re doing this on a slippery surface.
The material will give their paws more traction and help them feel more secure.
If they move their feet at all to try and run and they slip around, it’ll cause even more panic and stress until they’ve bolted!
Hold Their Body Against You
Using one arm, press their body and hindquarters into your body.
Do so firmly, but not roughly.
Likely, at this point, they enjoy being cuddled, so they won’t notice a difference in what you’re doing.
But you know better. We want them restrained without feeling crushed. If they run, we want to ensure they don’t injure themselves.
Odds are, they’ll jump or wiggle a bit when getting trimmed. This is normal, but if they don’t feel restrained or feel like they can run, they will.
Note: The rabbit is still sitting with all four paws on the towel. We don’t flip it on its back.
Firmly Grab One Foot
With the same arm you’re holding them into you, reach forward and grab one of the front paws.
Hold it in place without trapping it or moving too far from its normal resting place.
Trim Each Nail On The Front Paw By Testing Before Cutting
Start with your first nail. Put the clipper on the nail, not too close to the paw itself.
It takes some experience to know how close is too close.
If you cut too far up, you’ll hit a vein, and the nail will start bleeding. This hurts the rabbit too.
Err on the side of caution, but if you test your cut beforehand, you’ll rarely draw blood or cause pain.
By testing, here’s what I mean. As you prepare to cut, don’t pinch all the way through quite yet. Press on it without cutting a couple of times.
Watch the rabbit’s reaction.
If it doesn’t move, you’re good to go. Cut through the nail.
If they tense, jump, or pull back, you’re too close, and they can feel the pressure. This may be too close.
Reposition and test again.
Repeat For The Four Front Nails And The One On The Side
Repeat the testing process for each of the four nails on the front of the paw and the one that’s on the side (almost like a thumb!).
Repeat On The Other Front Paw
Either switch positions and repeat with the front paw or lift the rabbit’s front end of the ground a little to get at the paw with the same hand.
Lift The Rabbit’s Front Up And Cut The Back Paws (With Them On The Ground)
Lift the rabbit’s front end up, but keep the back paws on the ground. Use your closer hand to do this if needed.
Now, reach over and hold the nails for each back paw in turn.
Pro-tip: If the hair is too long to see the nails, use a damp paper towel to press the hair back a bit.
Once you’ve done it all, congrats!
The process doesn’t have to be hard or terrifying!
Video On The Process
For those who are visual learners, this video helped me out a ton.
Rabbit Won’t Let Me Cut Nails: Tips For Nervous And Aggressive Rabbits
Even with a calm method for cutting rabbit nails (such as the one we described above), your bunny may still be stressed out.
Maybe it got hurt trimming nails before? Maybe it’s simply extra nervous?
Who knows?
Regardless, here are some proven tips to help you out:
- During your cuddles throughout the normal days, make sure to spend a little bit of time holding their paws to get them used to the feeling.
- Use treats during the process to make it more enjoyable!
- Use a low, slow talking voice to soothe them.
- Get another person to help if needed, one for holding and one for trimming.
- If you want to hold them on their back (scarier for the rabbits, easier for you), get them used to it by doing it for short periods leading up to the trimming.
- Trim when they’re tired, such as after a long playtime or time spent binkying around.
- Wear a long-sleeved shirt to prevent accidental scratches.
- Keep trimming regular, every 1-2 months.
- Trim off less of the nail the first few times you do it, even if it means trimming more often.
- If it’s not going well, stop and try again later.
- Keep yourself calm. Rabbits will pick up on your mood.
What Happens If Don’t Cut Rabbit’s Nails?
If you let your rabbit’s nails get too long, some funky and bad stuff can happen.
First, as the nails stay consistently longer, the veins in the nails go out farther.
This means you’ll never be able to trim the back without causing pain and bleeding.
As the nails get longer and stay longer, the angle of the nails forces the rabbit to change how it places its paws down.
The change takes it out of how its bones and joints are designed to work.
In the long run, this’ll cause pain in the joints (at best) and deformities (at worst).
In the wild, their nails stay naturally trimmed because of the scratching and digging they do.
As pets, this doesn’t happen as often, no matter how many toys you give them to scratch on.
Get used to the idea of nail trimming as a part of rabbit care.
Speaking of scratching, check out our article for why rabbits scratch the floor (or rug or wall…).
How Long Should Rabbit’s Nails Be?
Since rabbit breeds come in all sorts of different sizes with different styles of nails, the answer isn’t so clean-cut.
Instead, consider the timeline and the shape of the nails.
First, check the nails once per month. They should need trimming every 1-2 months, depending on the breed, diet, and environment.
Second, look at the shape of the nail.
A rabbit’s nail shouldn’t curve much at all.
If it does start to curve, it’s time to trim the nail back.
Straight nails are good nails for our furry friends.
Can I Cut Rabbit’s Nails With Human Clippers?
Don’t use human nail clippers to cut a rabbit’s nails unless you have to.
Rabbit nails are rounded, unlike our nails which are flatter. They don’t cut the same.
Often, human clippers will crack the bunny nails more and cause injury.
Pet clippers don’t cost a lot, so there’s no reason to use human ones unless yours broke AND the rabbit is in dire need of a cut.
Most rabbit clippers are advertised for another pet or work for multiple pets.
Cat, dog and bird clippers work just fine on rabbits, so stick with these.
How To Keep Rabbit’s Nail Short Without Cutting?
You’ll never be completely done with nail trimming and cutting, but there are a few workarounds to make the process less common. These include:
- Use a nail file instead of clippers.
- Give them a rough mat in their enclosure and toys to scratch on.
- Provide ample opportunity and space to run around.
- Let them be outside and dig in the dirt.
- Have them spend time on hard surfaces.
One Comment
[…] If you do want to trim with clippers, check out our guide for how to trim a rabbit’s nails without force. […]