Back to top. In the wild, guinea pigs will naturally wear their nails down, but in a cage guinea pigs don't have this opportunity. So you must trim them yourself when they grow too long. You can put a flat rock in the cage to help wear down the nails, but you will still have to trim them. You can trim the nails with human nail clippers, small dog clippers, or small cat clippers.
Most guinea pigs hate to have their nails trimmed.
You should trim the nails every other week so they don't get too long. Frequently trimming your guinea pig's nails will let your guinea pig be more comfortable with the procedure. If you can't or don't want to trim the nails, then ask a vet to. When trimming the nails you have to be careful not to cut the quick, which is a vein in the nail. You can see the vein in lighter colored nails and sometimes in black nails if you use a bright light.