General General Care Advice Requested

[Digital_blink]

I’m new to this and any advice is appreciated.
I’ve done some research already, but I obviously don’t know enough. See, my dwarf hamster passed away and I think I’m ready for a new pet(s) now. I’ve narrowed it down that guinea pigs are a good choice for a new pet. I know I’d need to get two, and a cage needs to be large, so I was I’m planning on buying two of the Midwest cages and attaching them.
Some specific questions I have:
How much does one usually spend monthly on two guinea pigs, not including the initial investment?
Will any fleece work for lining the cage, and is any other bedding required?
What’s your method for cleaning a cage?
Can two pigs share one bowl for pellet food, and share a rack for hay?
One of my concerns is how long they live. I have expected previous pets to live much longer, but for example my dwarf hamster lived around 8 months due to genetic diabetes (pretty much unpreventable). So;
how long do guinea pigs live in YOUR experience, and are there any common illnesses that tend to take a lot of lives?

I know ‘answers’ to these could be found in articles but I prefer real people responding, so I know it’s been used and piggy approved.
(also any tips on using this site would be appreciated)

 

[bpatters]

There's tons of information in the stickies at the tops of each forum, and also here: https://www.guineapigcages.com/forum/threads/113176-Information-for-new-guinea-pig-owners

All the information is there has been used and is "piggy approved," and you're not asking people to take their time to answer, again, questions that have been asked over and over and over again on this forum.

 

[Digital_blink]

Ok, geez, sorry.