>

All animals do this… it’s literally their only option aside from constant ground contact having a small impact on their nails.
This is a friendly reminder to read our rules.
Remember, /r/Showerthoughts is for showerthoughts, not "thoughts had in the shower!"
(For an explanation of what a "showerthought" is, please read this page.)
Rule-breaking posts may result in bans. >

Pretty sure I have seen dogs "trimming" their nails by chewing them >

Dogs and cats both >

Yeah, cats' claws seem to grow from the inside out, and they use their teeth to  pull off the outermost layer (and leave claw husks on your bed) >

Or in your carpet/rug so you step on it. You thought legos were bad… >

So either you've never had a pet, or you don't know what mammals are. >

I've never seen a whale chew it's toenails >

Yeah but have seen a whale play the trumpet? >

Only once >

Down by the bay! >

my dog and cat trimmed their nails with their teeth.
probably ever other animal that can easily reach its appendages does this. >

My dentist once asked if I bit my nails because he noticed tooth damage. That was my motivation to stop biting my nails. >

Yup one time I was biting my nails and I noticed the impact of my teeth hitting eachother was starting to hurt. Stopped doing it ever since then >

What about all the other mammals with teeth and nails (claws, what have you,) and the right dexterity.  There's a lot of us! >

Right? You're not going to convince me gorillas don't do this. >

As an ex-compulsive-biter, you end up living with constant pain as teeth are imprecise instruments, leaving jagged edges (must be re-bitten!) and tending to tear nails to the quick or away from the corners. Ouch.
Non-compulsive-biters may have better luck. >

Out in the wild, animals could get rid of jagged edges by rubbing their nails against rocks and trees.  Sort of like a cat sharpening its claws. >

Off topic, but cats don't sharpen their claws by filing them to hone a new edge.
Cat nails grow in a series of thin layers, like those paper cone cups you see at water coolers.  When they "sharpen" their claws, they actually remove the outermost layer or two, exposing a fresh, new unused layer that's already perfectly sharp and ready to use.
That's why cat nails tend to look frayed when you trim them with clippers; you're cutting through a bunch of layers. >

Pretrt much all catlikes, from our housecats to tigers and lions, as well as canines, from dogs to wolfs, do this. So we are far from the only mammal with that ability, everyone who has a pet cat or dog has likely seen them trim their nails many times. >

Ewww take a pick and clean under your finger nails, then imagine putting that in your mouth. 🤮 >

There’s no dirt under my nails because I chew them and they’re too short. >

Humans are the only mammal with the advantage of trimming their fingernails with tools and opposable thumbs >

Trimming nails with your teeth isn't itself exactly a bad habit.  I'm not advocating for it (as it's unsanitary and bad for your teeth), though if a person were actually just trying to from their nails, it would at least not be as big of a deal, but the actual act of biting a nail for the purpose of trimming isn't what most people are doing.  They're doing as a nervous habit that they're not fully in control of.  Like a child sucking their thumb or pulling out their hair.  Doing a "bad" habit because of some psychological fixation is generally part of what makes it bad. >

It's true that humans are the only mammal with this ability, but I think it's better to just stick to regular nail clippers. Otherwise, you might end up with a mouth full of fingernails - not exactly the best look! >


humans are the only mammal with this ability

Nope, completely false. Thanks for playin. >

Scratches butt, bites nails, gets E-Coli, dies.
The advantage is a wild card. >

There's no reason that it's a "bad habit" other than it being unhygienic but imo if licking your finger kills you maybe you should die (unless your finger is covered in lava for example, then you're just asking for trouble) >

Cats do this. I’ve never trimmed my cats nails, because he grooms them himself with his teeth. He also dulls them himself with his scratching posts. He hardly ever makes me bleed, and is super good about grooming himself. >

Humans: let me fly to the moon 
Also humans: let me chew on my bacteria crusted nails with my bacteria filled mouth and get infections in my fingers >

I've literally never seen something that was actually factual on this subreddit. I don't know why reddit keeps recommending it. >

Is it concerning that I was doing exactly that when I came across this post >

First, we are not the only mammals to do it. Second, it's not an advantage. >

What makes it an advantage? Why is it better than using nail clippers? >

I think what op is trying to say is that out of all the mammals that can trim their nails by teeth we’re the only ones who consider it a bad habit.