You heard it right. It is important to trim turtle nails. Captive turtles can grow their nails too long, unlike wild ones. Overgrown nails can cause injury by breaking from the middle. The same goes for us.

In the wild, turtles must hunt for food. Their nails are used to dig for invertebrates and insects. This helps to keep their nails from getting too long and prevents them from becoming overgrown. But captive turtles don’t have to go through that much trouble looking for food.

They have long nails that need to be trimmed. This episode will show you how to trim turtle nails.

How To Trim Turtle Nails?

You will need to gather the necessary items, such as a razor, a towel and a first-aid kit. To prevent any sudden movements, wrap your turtle in a towel while you trim its nails. To prevent infection, dip your nail tips in a betadine solution after trimming.

Collect Necessary Items

You should gather certain items before trimming your turtle’s nails. You can also use nail clippers for dogs and cats to trim the turtle’s nails.

There are many types of nail clippers available. This is the gonicc clipper. I use them because they have the safety stop blade. This prevents me cutting too short my turtle’s nails.

A towel is another essential item before you can clip your turtle’s nails. To wrap my turtle, I use a towel. This helps to prevent it from moving abruptly when trimming its nails. My hands are also protected from being bitten by the towel.

Any towel can be used to wrap your turtle. Once the trimming is complete, wash the towel and keep it apart from your own towels. If you are using the same towel, turtles can carry the salmonella virus.

Make sure to have a first-aid kit with you before trimming the turtle’s nails. Accidents like bleeding from overcutting can sometimes happen. A first aid kit is a great tool to stop bleeding.

After trimming your turtle’s nails, you can also apply the betadine solution.

A proper first aid kit should be in every house. If you don’t already have one, you should get one from First Aid Only.

You will never run out of medication in this kit. The best part about this kit is that you can carry it in your backpack on camping trips, hiking, family picnics, and other outdoor activities.

Cutting Turtle’s Nails

Wrap A Towel Around Your Turtle

Wrap a towel around your turtle if it wiggles or fidgets when you are handling it. This will provide extra grip while also keeping your handling delicate.

Next, place your turtle on a table or on your lap. To stop the turtle from moving, use an extra hand if possible.

To ensure a better grip, only open the towel outlet at the end of the nail that you are trimming.

Ready The Clippers

The nails of most turtles are smaller than those of cats. A cat clipper is sufficient to trim the nails of a turtle.

Be Mindful While Clipping

You should avoid trimming the turtle’s quick nails. The quick is home to nerves and blood vessels, which can cause pain when the clippers are used.

You can see the quick within the nail if you look closely. These are the veins. If you happen to accidentally cut the quick, the turtle will bleed from the claw.

Once you have successfully trimmed the nails on the first limb, move on to the next nail and complete all four.

You can trim the quicks if they are too close to your body. They can be trimmed later.

What To Do If You Cut Into The Quick?

If you trim nails while cutting into your turtle’s quick, it will be painful.

You can prevent infection by using the betadine found in your first aid kit.

You can also use the antibacterial cream you have in your first-aid kit.

Cornstarch can be used to treat a quick nail bite. This also works well.

Some More Tips On Clipping A Turtle’s Nail

It can be difficult to trim your turtle for the first time. It is best to have someone else hold your turtle so it can be steady.

To prevent turtles from biting, wrap a towel around your turtle to give them a firm grip. Towels help turtles to calm down and make it easier to clip.

When you are handling turtles, they can become stressed. You might see them trying to pull their limbs back and hide inside the shell. You will need to tickle their limb-side plastrons and untuck their limbs.

If tickling isn’t working, gently poke your finger and push it on the opposite limb. The turtle will then pull out the limb you are trying trim.

You can trim the limb of the tree once you have it in your hands.

Do I Need To Trim My Turtle’s Nails?

Captive turtles are not like wild turtles. They don’t dig or climb on hard surfaces which can cause their nails to grow longer. You can trap longer nails in decors, filters, plants, and carpets. They can also inflict injuries when they force themselves to be free.

It is recommended to trim the nails of turtles if you have more than one in your tank.

While basking, turtles can stack on top each other. The one with the sharp claws can try to climb on the other turtle, injuring its tank mate.Turtles Stacking

Scratches from stacking can infect a turtle’s shell, and can lead to other serious illnesses such as shell rot.

If you feel confident enough to trim the turtle’s nails, it is possible. You should not rush, or you could endanger your turtle.

One school of thought among turtle owners is why trimming the turtle’s nails is not necessary. Let me tell you why.

Why Shouldn’t You Trim Your Turtles’ Nails?

Male turtles use their nails to show dominance and masculinity. This allows them to grip a female while they ride on her during mating. Turtles also love to stack and use their nails for crampons when climbing over each other’s shells. They need long nails.

Allow me to brief you.

Having Long Nails Is Natural For Turtles

Turtles prefer to spend their time in water than on the land. Their ability to swim is not affected by their long nails. Their performance is not affected by this. It actually helps them to injure their prey, by holding them while they eat.

Long Nails Are Sign Of Masculinity In Turtles

Male turtles consider long nails to be a badge of honor. Longer claws are preferred by females. You should not trim their nails. It will reduce their chances of mating.

Males use their claws for climbing over the shell of females. Longer nails are more stable and grippable during mating.

Trimming Can Injure Your Turtle

You could injure your turtle if you don’t know what you are doing. It’s better to not trim your turtles’ nails too long than to hurt them. If things don’t go your way, a novice can do more damage than good.

How To Naturally Wear Down Your Turtles’ Nails?

Use a little bit of concrete to make the basking area rough. This will allow your turtles to naturally file their nails as they climb up to the basking spot.

Keep plenty of plants and driftwoods in your tank. Turtles will file their nails naturally if they climb over driftwoods and plants. To help wear their nails down, you can take them on a walk on a firm surface once per week.

Final Words On How To Trim Turtle Nails

It is delicate to trim your turtle’s nails. If you don’t know what to do, you could injure your turtle. If you’re not confident, bring your turtle to the vet.

There are two schools of thought about trimming turtle nails. The first group recommends trimming only when absolutely necessary. The second group disagrees.

You can choose to have your turtle’s nails trimmed or long. Your turtle’s well-being is paramount, no matter what you do.