GPs. What do I need now?

[baddyface]

I have a cage! It's a c and c one and is 6 x 2 (so that's 221cm x 77cm).

What's next on my shopping list? (before I get the GPs).

I know they eat LOTS of hay and fresh fruit and veg, with some GP food.
What do I need for the cage though? What do you recommend for lining the cage with? Just newspaper and hay? Or do they need something like wood shavings down too? I'm just aware that they will get wet often and need changing a lot - so was wondering if there's a cheaper alternative. Also is that ok dust wise? We have gerbils and they burrow in wood shavings as I know saw dust is bad for them just like GPs.

I've seen pictures of them in cages lined with pet blankets. How does that work for cleaning them though? Not sure I want to put GP wee blankets in my washing machine!

A shopping list of stuff would be great too - houses, tunnels, etc.
Water - bowl or bottle (they always leak when I get them!).
Do they need a place to put the hay or can I just chuck it in?

Sorry for all the questions. I just want to get it all right for when we get the Guinea pigs.

Ah mine were petrified. But then I spoke to a lady who rescues them and she said to forget time to settle in. Handle as often as possible. So we did three times a day and now they are much better. Happy to sit and be stroked. Still a bit of a challenge to catch at times but nearly always manage it.
Good luck.

Also they are in a large c and c cage with no roof. But then as they are prey animals I decided that as well as having igloos and places to hide I would also peg a towel over the end of the cage. This way they might feel a bit safe without having to hide.

I use newspaper then sawdust in my guineapigs hutch
Change bedding twice a week
Then hay on top

Guinea shopping list -

Hay
Sawdust
Newspapers
Veg - I buy baby corn on the cob, carrots and lettuce
Water bottle
Toys

Oh and yes to igloo my guinea has a plastic igloo in his cage loves to sit in it

My guinea is a boar (boy pig)
Did have two had to separate them they fought
He has a great character very friendly and quirky also squeaks a lot
Loves having cuddles

They are gorgeous
Cage looks amazing

Hello again.

Thanks for all the advice. The boys are settling in well. They will happily sit on both dds knees and have a cuddle and are getting more confident in exploring.

The cage is pretty big and I think at the moment it's too big. But pegging towels on either end as extra cover seems to have really helped them feel safe.

At the moment I have newspaper with a sprinkling of wood shavings. They poo and wee a lot (obviously) and I change quite a lot of the wood shavings every day. Do I really need them? I'm already changing the newspaper as it's wet anyway so is there any point to the expense of wood shavings?

I've never bothered with wood shavings. Mine just have newspaper (I feel it keeps them well informed).

Glad they've settled in happily.

Great I think that's what I will do. It's money and mess every time we get them out.
I'm going to have to stop reading the papers online though!

I get my papers from family and friends and neighbours. They save them for me and the pigs send them a card at Christmas! If DH has been away, he sometimes brings them a financial times - that's very exciting as it makes the cage more colourful.

Oh I like the idea of the FT! Dh has it online. I might have to persuade him to be less environmentally friendly!