Boy, all I can say is, "thanks for all of the good advice, peeps"! I have always taken them in to get their nails cut, but they hated it, because they hated anyone working on them except me. So, I bravely (or stupidly, should I say) tried it. I had the cute little guillotine looking things, and went for it. I just cut tiny tips off of each one, praying out loud for God to help guide me. And it's working! Whoo hooo! Now I am going to routinely do it once a week after their bath (figuring the water softens them so it's easier to cut), and they don't give me any trouble. Whoo hooo ...I am soooo excited!