My rat's nails are overgrown do you have to file them?

Hi, my rat is over two years old now and she has a tumor but we have been told that she isn't in pain, she is eating, drinking, getting along with her three cage mates so she doesn't have to be put down.. But recently she has started to smell more so i suspected that she has stopped cleaning herself. I sometimes see her oldest cage mate and sister cleaning her. But today i got her out and there was some dried blood and scratch marks. Then i examined her nails and they have gotten a bit too long and are staring to curve and the end. All four my rats always groomed there nails and kept them tidy and short by them selves but now she has stopped that too. I have heard that you can file there nails with a speial file. If that is true then were can i get one ansd if it is not true what shall i do about it. They also had this stone thing that was suppose to trim there nails it was a pink swing but as they got older they stopped using it and they don't use the stones that just go on the floor. So if anyone had any advice for me please help me. Thankyou.My rat's nails are overgrown do you have to file them?
Hi!





If you aren't experienced in clipping ratties nails, I really really suggest you take her to the vets.





Ratties nails have blood vessels in them that start around half way down, at a very very specific spot - if you cut to that part, ratty will probably either bleed to death or be seriously ill and/or damaged.





Vets usually clip ratties nails for free so just give them a ring and organise an appointment - it'll probably be with a veterinary nurse. :)





Another quick note - ratties tend to smell when they aren't well. I'm not sure why - but when my ratties are ill, they start to have quite a pungent smell.





Good luck!My rat's nails are overgrown do you have to file them?
hi jessica. i just read your post about your little girl having a tumor :( i lost both of my little girls to tumors. the last one passed away about 3 weeks ago. for some reason the females are prone to mammary tumors because their estrogen levels are so high. generic tamoxifen mighthelp shrink it

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put sandpaper on the shelves, it will naturally keep the nail down, also, that pink swing thing, if you can, just put it on the ground where they walk most, or rig your swing to be close enough to the ground, and right under the water bottle.
You can trim her nails with a nail file, or you could put a brick in the cage. I keep a brick under the water bottle in my cage. That way, the girls have no choice but to use it, and it keeps their nails filed down quite nicely. Good luck with your senior citizen girly.
Take it to a vet and ask it to file your pet's nails for you. The vet should help.
Believe it or not there actually are rodent nail clippers at pet stores. That should solve the problem
take the rat to the vet they file animals teeth and nails
best thing i've found for my rats is to get REALLY fine grit sand paper, place it under their food dish and water bottle every time they walk on it they're filing their nails down a little at a time. you only need to keep it in there during feeding time. place the sand paper under their bowls when you go to refill them and leave it in there for about 1-2 hours afterwards take it out and repeat the next day :) you only need to do this for about 3 days and she'll be fine.
oh that's sad:( poor little girl.


you could try trimming her claws yourself but you have to be very careful you dont get the vein inside her claw. if you do, it could get infected. i usually have someone help me by feeding my rats their favorite treats and then i trim their claws. sometimes they wont sit still, sometimes they will. it will save you a trip to the vet but if you aren't comfortable with doing it yourself then i would definatly take your baby girl to the vet.





good luck!