[hocus pocus]

Yay!!! I am so happy for you!! I love piggies. I had them a lot as a kid but my last one died when I was fifteen. I had her for seven-ish years I think. It's been a while so I don't know if things have changed from what I know.

In my experience, guinea pigs like most fruit and vegetables but fruit should be more of a treat. Mine especially liked blueberries and pomegranates. I used to feed them to my last girl by hand. They like lettuce (like romaine). I think I also fed mine spinach and kale. Try to stay away from iceberg lettuce though because it doesn't have much nutritional value for them. And yeah, they love hay. Lots of it. I had a cute little holder that attached to the side of the cage for them to pull pieces out.

I used to get mine toys that take a while to play with, like the chewable sticks for hamsters and whatnot so they had some extra items for when I couldn't handle them.

Paper based bedding is good. Also the colors are fun. You can line the cage with newspaper or cardboard if you want, so there's an extra layer under the bedding. I did that all the time and it made cleaning easier.

Also: their water bottles are a pain or they used to be. There's one I had for my hamster that guinea pigs can use. I really recommend it and I'm going to see if I can find it and link it. Mine used to drip all the time and soil the bedding faster. I also recommend eventually getting some glass food bowls since they are so much easier to clean, at least for me.

If you have the space and if the weather is okay, they do like to spend time outside. I had a tiny playpen for mine and used to sit with them and let them eat some grass and clovers. I just never left them unattended because of hawks and stuff.

I'd say definitely talk to them the first few days, and maybe give them a bit of time before petting them. You can probably pet their noses through the cage before holding them. I had small fleece blankets just for my guinea pigs and used to put them on top of the blankets on my lap and they loved it.

For nail cutting it can be pretty easy depending on what color your guinea pig is. I had two as my first ones, a black one and then a fuzzy white one with red eyes. The nails are easier to clip if the piggy is a lighter color but don't be nervous! The more you do it, the easier it'll get. Also, I don't know if this has changed but I did use to bathe mine every six weeks or so when the weather was appropriate. I bathed them inside, of course, but not when the weather was cold because I didn't want them to get too cold.

I noticed each guinea pig is different but they talk, and some more than others. They squeak and squeal and it's really cute. Mine use to do it in response to any kind of plastic bag because they thought it was time to eat. Also some food for thought: be careful when purchasing females depending on where you get them from. I got a young female and she was pregnant. We didn't know until a few weeks later when there was a tiny little piggy in the cage. I of course thought that was the coolest thing but I was young then and now I know that can be an added expense.

They are going to have an awesome quality of life with you. I have no doubt about that. Also we need pictures and their names.