WELCOM!
im pretty much a newb too. i started on july 21, 2012. 3 days ago. but in my time here i've learned alot!
for a keep-em-happy cage, there is alot of things you could do! I recomend a C7C cage.
(cubes and coroplast). If you havent heard of it then i will tell you right now what it is.
basicaly you make a cage out of cubes and coroplast.
coroplast is just like cardboard but is plastic and waterproof. its pretty much what politial signs and for rent/sale signs are made of. to find coroplast in your area, you have to find alot of signs shops. you can call them and say. "hi, im makeing a gunea pig cage, do you have sheets of coroplast?" if they say yes and the price is too high for you, ask if they have scrap. I know what your thinking. "scrap? why would i want used coroplast?" well its not really used. its coro that is dented, scratched, missprinted, cut the wrong size, or has some holes that can be fixed with duct tape. The price will be dramaticaly decreased, or even free! you will probably need to call maybe 4 or more shops to see which one has the best deal. then ask them to set it aside for you untill you get it.
Cubes. they are wire storage shelves, for dorm rooms, bathrooms, gaages ect. i have yet to find any that are in my area, but you could probably find some in yours! you use these cubes to make a cage any size/shape you want. you just have to be creative.
now the cubes come with connecters. you can use them, but if you do, i recomend useing zip ties too. you will probably nees about 200 of them for you cage. maybe even more.
i've seen alot of people put there cage on grids supports, like extra grids on the bottom to keep the cage up. you could make a ramp down to the floor, and the make a huge guinea pig play pen for floor time. so they can have floor time whenever they want. which means they wont get fat!
hope this helped
and like bpatters said, there are alot of pics and info on other cage ideas. but all of them are C&C cages.
