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I have 2 turtles and they are about 9 months old and both of them are starting to get really long nails, is there anything i can do to help them and make sure they don't get too long. should i try and cut them or just let them grow as long as they get.

thanks for any input.

NO!!!! Don't cut them. it will hurt them and you can probably injure them. there males so you'll have to separate them

Congratulations - you've got a pair of males. Probably the easiest way to tell a male from a female is the male's looooong front toenails. They won't hurt anything but will be great conversation starters.

Just because you have two males doesn't necessarily mean you'll have to separate them. However as your turtles are growing up, it will be important to make sure you have enough tank space to accommodate both of them. A good rule of thumb is ~10 gallons per inch of turtle shell. Aggression issues can arise when you house two turtles together regardless of the sex combo so keep in mind that the turtles may require two tanks to keep them safe if problems do arise.
Also, don't try to trim the nails, you can easily cut the quick, which will bleed and can easily get infected. Like spotsmama said, the nails won't hurt anything, their real purpose is to help the male grasp the females shell.

Getting really long nails at 9 months... How big are the turtles (shell lengths without the curves)? Perhaps they're really a bit older than 9 months...

Don't cut the nails regardless. Males, if that's what you have, get really long spiky ones and it's one of their secondary sexual characteristics. My male RES will sometimes stand with his folded under his paws. If you cut them, you could cut a vein and you'd have a bloody mess on your hands. Leave them alone---at some point they will not grow further.

ok, like you heard before and above :

DON'T CUT THE NAILS ,

when can you tell? what age? I have a 5 month old and a 1 month old the 5 month old has long nails, I think

Its usauly when they reach 4 inches
But that can depend on some factors

But here
http://www.redearslider.com/determining_sex.html

See if your turtle has any of these

Congratulations! You have 2 boy turtles. No need to cut.....long nails are just a sign of them being boys. Even though they are getting long, they only get a certain length & stop growing. They will never need cutting.