How to trim curled nails?

[Theguineagods]

So I've been in the hospital for a month and had my friend care for my guinea pigs. I learned coming home yesterday she didn't trim there nails for a month even though I asked her too. So now two of my boars have curled pinky nails and there's poop stuck inside the curled part so Idk how to cut them without cutting the quick. Because of hospital bills I don't have the funds for the vet right now so I gotta do it myself. They have no trouble walking, running or jumping and no sign of infection and they don't have any signs of pain so it doesn't look like it bothers them at all. Any ideas on ways to trim them? Do you think I could use a dog nail drill or like file them? If I accidentally cut the quick when trimming will I hurt them bad? I don't want to do that at all but I'm afraid i will nick the quick if I just use clippers so I'm trying to find different ideas.

 

[Swissgreys]

The best way is to clip a very tiny part of the nail every few days.
Clippers really are best as with something like a dog nail drill is these can heat up very quickly and also catch fur.
Just make sure you shave the smallest amount off every few days, and although it will take a few weeks, you will get them back under control soon enough.

 

[Rubysue]

Buy nail clippers for cats and trim a tiny amount at a time. You can buy quick stop in case you nick the quick or use corn starch or flour in a pinch. If they are curled and touching the pad you can use a file to give you enough space between the foot and nail to get the clippers in to trim. If you are unsure or worried I would call around to a guinea pig shelter or animal shelter sometimes they will do it for you in exchange for a donation. Hope you are feeling better now?!

 

[Freela]

We have clippers for cats that look like little scissors with a hole in the blade to insert the nail. With these you can get the tip of the nail in and make a few trims to get them back to length. It makes it easier to see where you're cutting. If by some chance you do nick the quick of the nail, they'll be startled for sure but if you apply some gentle pressure it should stop bleeding quickly. One of my pigs actually ripped her own nail off where it met the foot (she got it caught in the cage door going in) and although it bled a lot she was none the worse for wear, and that was a lot worse than anything you would do with nail clippers! Hope this helps, and hope you feel better now!