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Tegu claws and nail clipping

Tegus have razor sharp claws and it can make handling them a painful experience, despite their tame disposition.

Unlike cats, tegus are very unlikely to scratch you on purpose (tail whipping now, that’s a different story!), but if you are keeping one around the house you’ll still want to regularly trim their nails so you don’t look like you’ve been mauled by a big feline every time it climbs over your lap.

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Tegu with very sharp nails
Tegus have claws like those of dragons.

Nail trimming

This is best done as a two-person job. Have someone else tightly hold the tegu, ideally while it’s asleep, and gently clip the very end of its claw, where the sharp tip is.

You can use a regular nail clipper, nail file or dremel for larger pets. If you don’t want to do it yourself, find a vet that offers mani/pedi services, they are usually not too expensive. 

Smoothing claws without clipping

Tegu owners often recommend letting your pet do its own nail trimming by letting it walk over sharp surfaces as it would in the wild.

You can achieve this by adding sandpaper sheets / cat scratchers and real slate stones to the enclosure.


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