How I Clip Bunny Nails

How I cut my bunnies' nails:

My basic theory here is that the top part of bunnies' nails are hard and wear down more slowly than the underparts. Therefore, I leave as much underpart intact as I can, figuring that it will wear down quickly when the hard supporting top layer is clipped off. The angle of the cut is the key here. Cutting at a sharp backward angle, as in the bottom two diagrams, keeps the blade away from the quick, and nips off enough hard stuff so that the nail will grind down to a dull point, with the quick sitll protected. I can't say whether this is medically true or not, only that it works well for me. Use at your own risk.

Here's my drawing of a typical bunny claw:

In my experience, here is a diagram showing the harder, more durable region, which takes longer to wear down, and the softer underpart which wears down quickly:

Here is a very conservative, safe cut:

Here is the same cut, further back - notice how close to the quick you get when cutting at this angle:

Here are two cuts that I like. The first one is a very conservative cut. It goes no closer to the quick than the first cut above, yet it cuts more of the hard stuff away. The soft stuff that remains will wear down over the next week or so, leaving a shorter nail and a healthy quick.

Here is the same cut but further toward the quick. This is as close as I personally would get. I don't like to cut close to the quick because of the chances of the nail splintering or cracking. Even if it doesn't bleed, it may be sore for the bunny.

Here's my drawing of a typical bunny claw:	In my experience, here is a diagram showing the harder, more durable region, which takes longer to wear down, and the softer underpart which wears down quickly:
Here is a very conservative, safe cut:	Here is the same cut, further back - notice how close to the quick you get when cutting at this angle:
Here are two cuts that I like. The first one is a very conservative cut. It goes no closer to the quick than the first cut above, yet it cuts more of the hard stuff away. The soft stuff that remains will wear down over the next week or so, leaving a shorter nail and a healthy quick.	Here is the same cut but further toward the quick. This is as close as I personally would get. I don't like to cut close to the quick because of the chances of the nail splintering or cracking. Even if it doesn't bleed, it may be sore for the bunny.