General Care Discussion :: nail trimming

[RESnTX]

Is trimming a males nails necessary at some point? Just curious if they stop growing or if you should eventually trim them. Buddy's are so long now and the last time the vet saw him she mentioned they may need trimming.

[SpotsMama]

Just let them grow. It's a symbol of manhood for them.

A vet once told me I should trim Spot's beautiful nails and I asked her why and she just said they'd "cause trouble". But I didn't and they never have.

[RESnTX]

Ok, thank you for your response. We are going back to the vet for his checkup tomorrow morning and I wasn't sure what to tell her if she mentioned his nails again. I am more worried about getting his infection cleared up all the way than I am about him having nail problems.

I also wouldn't want to be accused of taking away his "manhood", lol

[Doc_Moore_J]

manhood is pretty important to turtles from what I hear

I was wondering the same actually, but figured he liked them to use for climbing etc...

[hdaisog]

You do not need to have the nails trimmed. I've heard of vets saying this too, but it is usually vets that aren't very comfortable with RES. Long nails can cause lots of trouble for land turtles, but not RES.

[RESnTX]

Just back from the vet and I did NOT let anyone trim his nails. Unless they start doing weird things or get as long as his body I just don't see how it would be needed.

[RES4ever]

Good for you! Stand up to the wimp who doesn't want to deal with nails! Pfft!