Animal Husbandry and Claw Care
Animal Husbandry and Claw Care
Poor Alice Cooper was the victim of animal husbandry and claw care this morning. I aw this pet nail trimming harness on Instagram and I thought: It's precious and only has one use, but if it helps my rabbits, I will try it.
Overall it was a mixed bag. Look at the attitude I am getting in this photo. Alice Cooper is DEFINITELY NOT impressed with this current situation.
I almost called this blog post, "Silly Rabbit! Tricks are for Kids" but Then I knew I would not be able to quickly find it when I use it in my #VetTech Summer camp later in the season and next year. It does work (kind of) but it is even better to use to treat wounds, inseminate (does) and wash the animals.
I did get the claws trimmed but not without a one very painful clip of the quick. The harness does not keep the animal from bucking and it came with ZERO instructions on how to do this. The harness didn't come with any instructions either.
Modifications
The attachments for the straps to the harness is ridiculous. I have seen harnesses before; this one is poorly executed.
The other modification is that it needs to have a strap that goes around the rump to keep the animal from bucking. This is how the quick clip happened. This is designed for cats, but rabbit physiology is different from cats.
The last modifications have to do with the head of the animal. The part of the harness that supports the animal's neck and head is too broad, so I will have to fold that in. It also needs a head cover to keep the animal from panicking.
Try and Try Again
I will give this one more try. This time I will have H2O2 on hand and a bandage and styptic stick just in case. It has been forever since I trimmed rabbit claws. This is easier and as least they don't thrash in your arms, but I was lulled into a false sense of confidence.
I will do this again and post an update to this post. Wish me luck and don't feel too bad for Alice Cooper. He is fine and very well-loved.
Update:
Turns out rabbits HATE hanging with their legs dangling. So I took som advice from Temple Grandin and put the rabbit on its back, paws up. Success!
