Toenails
September 9th 2007 22:29
We did the alpacas’ toenails yesterday. Alpacas don’t have hooves but a padded foot, just like a camel and similar to a dog, but with just two toenails on each foot.
Their toenails grow just like ours and need to be trimmed occasionally. Most of the time this is straight-forward and painless for both alpacas and humans. If you are lucky enough to have super tame alpacas you can trim their nails by yourself, but normally, you'll need two people; one to hold the animal still and the other to do the trimming.
Here’s how:
Start with a nice sharp pair of foot rot shears or straight blade garden pruners, GENTLY put your hand around the alpaca’s ankle on the leg you will trim first. Be careful, alpacas can and do kick with their back legs. It's a reflex thing. We’ve got one who can kick forwards, so watch where you stand and keep a note of where your head is in relation to those back legs.
Gently lift up the foot and turn it towards you keeping in mind the natural direction of the ankle joint. You'll see the two sides of the padded foot and two toenails. The toenails may be straight or, in many cases have begun to curl a bit. The nails will most likely have some mud or dirt (sometimes small stones) in them and if you gently scrape the dirt out with your pruners you'll be able to see, and avoid cutting the quick.
Remember, that it is much easier to take the nail off, than to put it back on, so, trim a little off each side, cutting towards the front point of the nail. Some alpaca people like to snip across the front of the nail, others don't. I don't think it makes any difference.
Trimming alpaca toenails is a little like cutting a plastic bucket or ice cream container. Some alpacas have toenails which are quite thick and therefore take more effort to trim. Others have very weak nails which you probably won’t need to trim often (if at all) as they will simply wear them down themselves. I think this might be an hereditary trait.
You don't want to remove the entire toenail, just level it off so that the nail is not lower than the rest of the pad and is fairly straight.
An alpaca with curly nails may be a challenge and their nails may always grow that way. The idea here is to try to trim the nail to get it as straight as practicable, without cutting the quick.
Once both toenails on the foot are done, gently place the foot back on the ground and move onto foot number two. With practice, both you and your alpaca will get used to doing toenails and the whole procedure can take less than five minutes.
We do toenails every 3-4 months. The crias (babies) play up as this is a new experience for them. Even if they don’t need trimming, we still round up the crias and lift their feet and just rub their toes with the clippers (not the sharp part), to get them used to the procedure. That way, when their toenails are long enough, the “real” trim is not traumatic for them.
Alpaca toenails
Their toenails grow just like ours and need to be trimmed occasionally. Most of the time this is straight-forward and painless for both alpacas and humans. If you are lucky enough to have super tame alpacas you can trim their nails by yourself, but normally, you'll need two people; one to hold the animal still and the other to do the trimming.
Here’s how:
Start with a nice sharp pair of foot rot shears or straight blade garden pruners, GENTLY put your hand around the alpaca’s ankle on the leg you will trim first. Be careful, alpacas can and do kick with their back legs. It's a reflex thing. We’ve got one who can kick forwards, so watch where you stand and keep a note of where your head is in relation to those back legs.
Gently lift up the foot and turn it towards you keeping in mind the natural direction of the ankle joint. You'll see the two sides of the padded foot and two toenails. The toenails may be straight or, in many cases have begun to curl a bit. The nails will most likely have some mud or dirt (sometimes small stones) in them and if you gently scrape the dirt out with your pruners you'll be able to see, and avoid cutting the quick.
Remember, that it is much easier to take the nail off, than to put it back on, so, trim a little off each side, cutting towards the front point of the nail. Some alpaca people like to snip across the front of the nail, others don't. I don't think it makes any difference.
Trimming alpaca toenails is a little like cutting a plastic bucket or ice cream container. Some alpacas have toenails which are quite thick and therefore take more effort to trim. Others have very weak nails which you probably won’t need to trim often (if at all) as they will simply wear them down themselves. I think this might be an hereditary trait.
You don't want to remove the entire toenail, just level it off so that the nail is not lower than the rest of the pad and is fairly straight.
An alpaca with curly nails may be a challenge and their nails may always grow that way. The idea here is to try to trim the nail to get it as straight as practicable, without cutting the quick.
These nails need a trim, note the padded feet
Once both toenails on the foot are done, gently place the foot back on the ground and move onto foot number two. With practice, both you and your alpaca will get used to doing toenails and the whole procedure can take less than five minutes.
We do toenails every 3-4 months. The crias (babies) play up as this is a new experience for them. Even if they don’t need trimming, we still round up the crias and lift their feet and just rub their toes with the clippers (not the sharp part), to get them used to the procedure. That way, when their toenails are long enough, the “real” trim is not traumatic for them.
A cria's toenails
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Comment by Lilla
From The Home Front
Enviro Warrior
Dream Herald
Esoteric Bookshop
thanks for these instructions... good to have if I eventually realise my dream of owning a few of these delightful creatures...I like the idea that because they are soft soled they don't flatten the grass either.
Lilla ...