Hi I'm a newbie

You should be fine!! I am a guinea pig mum of 3 sows, all under the age of 6 months. Here is my routine for a day:
7:00am - 7:30am = Breakfast
Unlimited hay and a good plain pellet

I then pick at least 3 vegetables of the following list:
Red capsicum/bell peppers
Parsley
Red curly leaf lettuce
Baby carrot and leaves
Bok Choy
Baby Spinach (causes gas in some guinea pigs)

Occasional treats include
Strawberry tops (you can eat the strawberry yourself, just give the guinea pigs the leaves)
Apple Slices
Banana Slices
Orange Slices

4:00pm to 5:00pm = Floor time
Guinea pigs need at least 1 hour of floor time in a piggy safe room

5:00pm to 5:30pm = Cuddles
This does not happen every day though.

7:00pm to 7:30pm = Dinner
Guinea pigs need fresh produce twice a day, I feed them slightly less at night. Keep in mind that guinea pigs can not make their own vitamin c so you will have to provide it for them, at least 10mg per guinea pig, this can be done through a tablet supplement, drops or purely through the different vegetables that you give the guinea pigs. This site should help:

Guinea Lynx :: Vitamin C Chart

Every 5 days or so (it depends on the bedding you use) I clean out their cage, I usually do this whilst they are having floor time.

For a first time owner I would recommend a short haired variety as they do not need as much grooming care. A good cage is also needed, 7.5sq ft for 1, guinea pigs are herd animals by nature thus why they do better in pairs, please consider getting 2, 2 guinea pigs need a 10.5sq ft cage. You probably already know all of this!! Please adopt, many guinea pigs are looking for a new home and a new mummy.

Thank you so much for your fast response, thats very helpful everything you have told me. Yes I am looking through shelters and papers for any unwanted GP's but nothing has come up yet. Pet store is my last option.

So for dinner I give them another handful of lettuce and leafy greens and more veg?

Katie x

Yes, lettuce (not ice-berg), parsley and other leafy greens. For dinner I usually give them quite a few pieces (this is because I have 3 guinea pigs, use less if you are only getting 1) of lettuce or bok choy and some times capsicum compared to breakfast which usually consists of quite a few pieces of lettuce or bok choy, some capsicum, a baby carrot and the leaves off the carrot per piggy and sometimes parsley. Celery is also another great vegetable that I forgot to include on my list, with celery you have to cut the celery into small pieces as the stringy bits cause digestive tract problems, you can feed the whole thing (not at once) as the leaves and the stalk are safe.lol

Please - don't buy from a petstore. It would be supporting breeders and adding to the cavy overpopulation problem. When you purchase a pig (s) that only opens up a spot for another poor pig to take its place. If you keep your eyes peeled I'm sure some piggies that need a good home will come to your attention. I had to wait almost 2 months before I found my girls Remmy and Winny at a shelter 2 hours from me - and it was worth the wait. How far are you willing to travel to get the pigs? In many cases shelters are willing to meet you somewhere between you and the shelter.

I totally agree with you. I've had rabbits, hamsters, dogs etc all in the past, petstore is my last option. I still feel sorry for the GP's who end up inthe pet store as well as why shoudl they be punished just so another GP doesn't go there. No matter what happens, petstores will never loose the right to sell them. No matter how many people stop buying from them, there is always goignto be someone who will buy. I am totally with you though and I udnerstand where you are coming from.

Thanks again for all your advice and help, its certainly put me on the right track

Please see the top of this forum and look for a post called Newbies-Read me first and then visit our wonderful Diet and Nutrition forum section. We have charts to what veggies can be fed and how often (color coded) and we also have sample menus.

I still feel sorry for the GP's who end up inthe pet store as well as why shoudl they be punished just so another GP doesn't go there.

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We all feel sorry for them, but does that mean we should buy them? No. I think you might want to read our kitchen forum to find out the BIG picture behind petstores and why we push adoption so hard.