Last Updated on February 26, 2023 by Marjon Ramos
You can wear down your rabbit’s nails or claws by letting them walk and play outside or on rough surfaces every day.
If this is not an option for you, you can get a scratch pad and a digging box to mimic letting your rabbit play outside.
Finally, even if you’re doing any of this, you should still regularly check if your rabbit’s nails are the appropriate length. Wild rabbits are able to wear down their nails naturally by walking on rough surfaces all day.
So unless your rabbit is housed outside, you might need to still trim their nails regularly.
Now that I’ve given you the gist of the article, read on as I explain in more detail how you can wear down your rabbit’s claws:
Table of Contents
How to keep your rabbit’s nails short?
Keeping your rabbit’s nails short is an important responsibility when it comes to caring for a rabbit. Without our help, our rabbit’s nails would keep on growing until, eventually, it would be too painful for them to walk.
That’s why it is important that we maintain their nails to proper lengths. But what if you don’t have time to regularly do this? Is there an alternative?
Here are the different ways you can wear down your rabbit’s nails without cutting them:
Let your rabbit play on rough surfaces.
Rabbits in the wild don’t have the same problems as pet rabbits when it comes to their nails.
Unlike pet rabbits (who walk on tiles and soft surfaces), wild rabbits are able to file their nails naturally by walking on rough surfaces like rocks all day.
You can do the same with your rabbit and let them play outside regularly. Let your rabbit run and dig for a few hours every day.
But, you should still check if your rabbit’s nails are at an appropriate length even if you’re letting them play outside regularly.
The amount of nails that are going to be filed naturally would depend on how active your rabbit is and the type of land they are walking on.
This is especially true for older and neutered rabbits, who often have less energy.
As for the type of land, unless you are letting your rabbit play in rough cement or rocks all day, it is likely that you would still need to trim your rabbit’s nails.
Get a scratch pad.
Letting your rabbit play on a scratch pad is another great way to file down their nails without cutting them. Rabbits have a natural instinct to dig.
In fact, they are excellent diggers.
Just look at how fast rabbits dig:
By getting them a rough/scratch pad, we can use this digging instinct to file down their nails.
Get your rabbit a digging box.
Getting your rabbit a digging box is also a great way to help keep their nails filed down.
It may not be enough to file down your rabbit’s nails completely, so it’s best that you combine this method with a scratch pad to mimic letting your rabbit play outside.
Here’s a great video on how to make a simple digging box for your rabbit:
Why do you need to keep your rabbit’s nails short?
Pet rabbits depend on us, their owners, to do the clipping, unlike wild rabbits, who frequently use their nails to dig and stand on rocks to file them.
Another reason for cutting your rabbit’s nails is to avoid injuries.
Rabbit’s nails are sharp when unkempt. Your rabbit can accidentally scratch you and your other pets.
Finally, your rabbit’s nails should be cut because long nails make it difficult for your rabbits to walk around due to changes in the angle of their feet.
Conclusion
Keeping your rabbit’s nails short is an important responsibility when caring for a rabbit. The length of nails that are filed depends on the type of land they are walking on.
Rabbits have a natural instinct to dig, and we can use this instinct to file down their nails by getting them a rough/scratch pad or digging box.
You could also wear down your rabbit’s nails by letting them play on rough surfaces for a few hours every day.
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