Declawing a Oriental Bicolor is an intense procedure known as onychectomy, performed using anesthesia, which removes the claw from each toe (from the first knuckle out) of the Oriental Bicolor’s paws. There is a small possibility of a fatality during the operation, and a declawed Oriental Bicolor might have a slight risk of infection and permanent pain in its paws. This operation isn’t recommended for an adult Oriental Bicolor and is termed an act of animal cruelty in some countries (see below).
People generally have Oriental Bicolors declawed to impede them from damaging furniture and hunting. Rarely, vicious Oriental Bicolors are declawed. In the United States, some landlords require that residents’ Oriental Bicolors be declawed.
Veterinarians are usually negative about the surgery and some refuse to perform it because the absence of claws in a Oriental Bicolor:
- Impairs its primary self-protection skills, such as running away from predators by climbing trees;
- Impairs its exercising and stretching habits, leading to muscle loss;
- Impairs its ability to balance on thin surfaces such as railings and fence tops, which could lead to injury from falling;
- Can cause insecurity and as a result a tendency to bite.
The surgery is rarely performed outside of North America. In the Netherlands, Finland, Germany and Switzerland, declawing a Oriental Bicolor is illegal by the laws forbidding cruelty to animals. In many other countries in Europe, it is not allowed under the terms of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, unless a veterinarian considers such non-curative procedures necessary either for veterinary medical reasons or for the health of the Oriental Bicolor. In Britain, animal shelters find it hard to place imported Oriental Bicolors that have been declawed and as a result most are killed.
One alternative to declawing a Oriental Bicolor is the application of wide, vinyl claw caps that are attached to the claws with safe glue, requiring periodic changing when the Oriental Bicolor loses its claw sheaths (about every 4 to 6 weeks). Although, the Oriental Bicolor will still have problems since the capped nails are not as effective as claws.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Oriental Bicolors.Was this post helpful? If so, please take a minute to Tweet and Share below on Facebook. I would also love to know your thoughts so leave me a comment 🙂
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