JRT chewing her nails!

china

china

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my jack rat is chewing her nails so much that they are sharp and pointy like needles! she pulls at them so hard like shes trying to pull them out of her foot. they are trimmed regularly and as close to the quick as i can go but she still chews at them! any ideas??
 
its horrid, its makes her nails so sharp though, she is constantly scratching me with them.
 
Could you use that nail polish stuff that tastes bitter? You konw that you paint on kids nails to stop them biting? Or dunk her feet in chilli sauce or something!
 
Dogs commonly keep their own nails down, my rotti and akita both keep their own nails short by having a nibble every now and then, I have only caught them on a few occasions, to some dogs it's jsut a nice sensation to chew on nails, can you imagine them thinking what those hard things are on their feet:D:D it wont hurt her at all but you could distract her with a nice butchers bone instead or use a bitter lotion to deter her.
 
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Could be an allergy (carpet, grass/tree pollen, manky water, a household product) or could be just bored/obsessive behaviour that has become a habit - if the latter, not a good way to expend her energy - make an 'ah-ah' or similar noise when you catch her doing it and offer her an alternative like a bone or a Kong or distract her with a toy or a game.
If she is 12 months plus and fit, run the wee legs off her so she is too tired to do it!
 
could well be harvest mites at this time of year. does she have any little red eggs between the toes? size of a pin head? vets have a wash/dip for this, or it could be a bad habit!
 
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