How to cut bearded dragon nails like a pro?

If you have a bearded dragon or are thinking about getting one, one thing you have to do on occasion is to trim his nails. So in this blog about pets, I’m going to educate you on how to tell when your bearded dragon needs a nail cut, how to cut bearded dragon nails and how to prevent these nails from getting overgrown. Let’s dive into this article about cutting the nails of your beauty, beardie.

How to tell when your bearded dragon needs a nail cut?

There are a few ways to answer this question.

• If their nails are long enough that it pushes their toes sideways on a flat surface.
• If their nails are getting stuck in the substrate they used to walk. Or if they are walking on the floor and the floor is covered with a carpet, and their nails get stuck in the carpet and cause them to tug at their feet.
• If you are just simply holding your bearded dragon to be an enjoyable experience and their nails are sharp enough to cause scratches or cuts on your skin, leave behind a painful experience.

All these are visible signs that your bearded dragon needs a nail cut. Now let’s learn how to cut bearded dragon nails. 

Things you need to cut bearded dragon nails:

Nail clipper

The first thing you need is just of course just a normal nail clipper used for people. There is no need to get a special type of nail cutter to cut bearded dragon nails. However, assign a nail clipper separately to trim their nails.

Dremel tool

It is a tool specially made for pet nails. Nail trimming leaves behind sharp edges around the nails, you can use a dremel tool to round them.

Nail file

If you don’t want to use a nail clipper to cut the nails and your bearded dragon is a very patient one, you can use a nail file. You can hand-file down their nails which tends to take quite a while though and a bearded dragon is not usually too patient. So I recommend using a nail clipper to complete the task bit faster.

Septic powder

You will also need a quick stop or septic powder in the case when there is some emergency. This powder helps to stop any bleeding if you accidentally cut their nails a little bit too short. Set this powder aside and have it open and ready while cutting the nails of your pet bearded dragon.

How to hold a bearded dragon to cut its nails?

Method # 1: For tolerant ones

You can cut the nails of your beardie by yourself in case your bearded dragon is well-socialized and pretty tolerant.

Just hold them in your non-dominant hand while holding back one of their feet in between two of your fingers. Take your clipper in the other hand and trim the very tip of each nail. The thinnest part of the nail is the sharpest point. So clip that off. 

Method # 2: For the ones that are not much patient

If your bearded dragon is a little bit squirmy, two people are needed to complete the task of nail trimming. A person will hold them still while the other one does the job of trimming.

Method # 3: For naughty bearded dragons

If your naughty beardie is too squirmy, use a towel to hold him to calm them. It also gonna help you to avoid scratching and cutting your own skin with your nails. 

Simply wrap a towel around their head and give them a few seconds to calm down in the dark. The science behind wrapping is that the wild darkness indicates the time to go to sleep. That is why when you wrap them in a towel they calm down and you can do a lot more with them. Now you don’t need another person’s assistance. You can even set them on the surface and trim their nails.

How to round the edges of the nails?

You can use a nail file for this task. You can also leave the nail edges as they are, they will dull themselves after a day or two. However, using a Dremel tool to round the edges of the nails after complete clipping is the right way to do it.

How to use a Dremel tool?

The top part of the Dremel tool spins like a dental tool that a dentist uses to trim the cavities out of our teeth. Oh! Dreadful. The Dremel tool is quick at rounding out the nails by just applying a little bit of pressure from the nail. However, the Dremel tool is not a piece of the necessary equipment to trim bearded dragon nails. It’s optional.

How to treat accidental cuts while cutting nails?

If you accidentally clip the nail a little bit too far and you hit a bloodline to the nail, it will start bleeding. It will surely hurt your bearded dragon pet. However, it’s not a serious issue. Just reach into the container of septic powder with your index finger that you had placed open near you before starting to trim the nails. Scoop a small pinch out of the container and apply it on the cut with a little bit of pressure to stop bleeding. Take a slightly larger pinch, if the bleeding won’t stop. That’s it.

Tip to prevent overgrown nails

If you want your bearded dragon to prevent getting too long nails or just want to maintain a proper length. Use a rough textured slate tile where you feed your beauty to dull out bearded dragon nails and keep them trimmed for you. You can also use these 1×1 feet rough tiles in the entire enclosure (as substrate) of bearded dragons to help them grind their nails all day long.