Help With The Ramp!

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Cavy Lover

Cavy Lover

Adult Guinea Pig
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Hello,

For Christmas, I got a three story hutch for the pigs it is quite impressive:D. But the thing is my pigs don't know how to go up and down the ramps. I know that the pigs won't have known how to go up and down the ramps straight away, but I set up the hutch on St Stephens day or Boxing day for some of you guys and I started teaching them the 27th of December. Them wouldn't even go up or down when I but kale on the ramp which is their favourite veggie. Once they learn I was hopeing to have their food on the middle floor and two houses on the top and the bottom. but for the moment I have thier house and food and water on the middle floor because obviously I don't want them to starve if they can't use the ramp. Also the ramps aren't actually to steep either. Has this happened to any of you guys? And how long did it take you to teach your pigs to go up a ramp? If any of have any advice on teaching pigs to go up ramps, I would be very pleased if you shared with me.
Thanks Guys:tu:
 
I have read that some piggies don't and won't use ramps. I started mine by placing them on the next level every now and again and then once they got the idea I put their hay up there and they ways go up and down now. That's all four of them (2 I've only had a few days)
 
What I did when i first started with a ramp was to line it with a cut door mat so it has loads of grip, or a towel. Then every night i would pop them upstairs so they'd have to come back down (always supervise so they didn't get stuck) and after a few days of feeling confident then they wouldn't slip on the ramp they started using it as normal.
 
Thanks @Flutterby and @Galaxy&nibbles for the advice. The cut door mat or towel is a good idea. I was going to buy a sheet of that cat scratching stuff for scratching posts for grip. In the pet shop I go to they sell like sheets of the cat scratching post stuff. I think you can get 5 sheets for like €9 or €10. I have put their hay downstairs and kept them up stairs but they still don't seem to get the hint. Is the scratching stuff worth it?
 
Turning the ramp into a tunnel can really help too. Only 2 of our 4 would use an "open" ramp but when I put a fabric tunnel on it, all 4 used it straight away.
 
My Alfie was unsure about the ramp in his new hutch at first, but he followed his hutch mate Lola, who has lived in the hutch for 3 years, and was whizzing up and down the ramp in no time. ;)
 
Cavy Lover said:
@PiggySmitten I don't really understand about the tunnel. Can I have a bit more information on the tunnel please?
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I got mine from CandE cosies. I don't know if she would ship outside the UK though. If she doesn't you could have a go at making them yourself. They are held onto the ramp with Velcro which is sewed onto the underside of the tunnel. The tunnel has a fleece bottom with fabric sides/top so youd just sew some fabric onto fleece. To make it stand, it's done in segments with some sort of boning at the end of each segment. I am sure you'd be able to get it from a haberdashery type shop.

Alternatively, I've heard of people using lengths of plastic drainpipes as their ramp ("u" shaped not a full tube) You could put carpet tiles inside it to give grip and then just peg a towel or fabric over the top to turn it into a tunnel.

In this photo you can see the wooden ramp just - it's actually the ramp that came in a Ferplast commercial two tier cage.image.webp

image.webp
 
PiggySmitten said:
I got mine from CandE cosies. I don't know if she would ship outside the UK though. If she doesn't you could have a go at making them yourself. They are held onto the ramp with Velcro which is sewed onto the underside of the tunnel. The tunnel has a fleece bottom with fabric sides/top so youd just sew some fabric onto fleece. To make it stand, it's done in segments with some sort of boning at the end of each segment. I am sure you'd be able to get it from a haberdashery type shop.

Alternatively, I've heard of people using lengths of plastic drainpipes as their ramp ("you" shaped not a full tube) You could put carpet tiles inside it to give grip and then just peg a towel or fabric over the top to turn it into a tunnel.

In this photo you can see the wooden ramp just - it's actually the ramp that came in a Ferplast commercial two tier cage.View attachment 21030

View attachment 21031
Click to expand...
Thanks. Would you keep it like this after they have learnt?
 
My ramp is simply half hexagon guttering, it has a flat bottom with sides that slope out from the bottom, it has carpet tiles glued to the bottom to aid grip. It's only supposed to be for the piggies, but I found Betty bun had wiggled her fat butt up the ramp and was sat with Lola enjoying mutual grooming time, I now put a cover over it when the door is open so the gap is small enough for the pigs but not fat bunnies! :))
 
The carpet tiles are a good idea. My friend has carpet tiles on her stairs and her hamster can get good grip on those but i wouldn't trust my pigs running up the stairs!
 
Cavy Lover said:
Thanks. Would you keep it like this after they have learnt?
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Yes I have so that I don't have to worry about them falling off the ramp. Using this ramp in the c and c cage, the angle is less steep than it would be in the commercial cage but I still wouldn't fancy any of them falling off. I'd highly recommend sides whether or not you go for a tunnel.
 
Thanks I don't know which I will go for but I just thought that the tunnel was interesting. Which way is cheaper the tunnel or like building a barrier at the sides so that they don't fall off. I will have to go for the cheaper option as I saved up all my money to neuter my boar. And how much would the cheaper one cost? Sorry I'm asking so much questions but I have no idea. It is also harder to find stuff like this in Ireland.Thanks
 
I'm really sorry I haven't really got any idea which would be cheaper or what costs are to make. @BossHogg do you have any suggestions? I've seen B&Q here sometimes have baskets with free off cuts of wood that you can take that you could use to put on the sides of a wooden ramp - the cost then would just be the nails to attach them on (making sure to not leave any sharp bits sticking out of course).
The cost of a tunnel made for you by C and E cosies is £18 plus postage for outside the UK - free in the UK.
 
my guttering was free, it was in a skip, it cost me 50p for a carpet tile. ;)
 
PiggySmitten said:
I'm really sorry I haven't really got any idea which would be cheaper or what costs are to make. @BossHogg do you have any suggestions? I've seen B&Q here sometimes have baskets with free off cuts of wood that you can take that you could use to put on the sides of a wooden ramp - the cost then would just be the nails to attach them on (making sure to not leave any sharp bits sticking out of course).
The cost of a tunnel made for you by C and E cosies is £18 plus postage for outside the UK - free in the UK.
Click to expand...
BossHogg said:
my guttering was free, it was in a skip, it cost me 50p for a carpet tile. ;)
Click to expand...
Thanks, i will check B&Q as soon as possible or when we are passing by and i will take a look. Could I use off cuts of wood from my dad's work shed if I made sure there was no sharp bits? And where would I get the carpet tiles?
 
You can buy stick on carpet tiles in some pound shops but I've also seen some carpet shops sell their old square samples for next to nothing - they may even give you one free if you go in and ask. Then you'd just need glue or something to stick it on.

I hadn't really considered until recently the need to make sure the wood you use is safe for your piggies. I'm ok because I've only bought very widely used things but you might need to be choosy with which free wood you get from BandQ.

This thread gives a bit more info on woods on the 4th page and onwards
https://www.theguineapigforum.co.uk/threads/pets-at-home-hay-crates.122421/page-5#post-1664921
 
I got my carpet tile from my local carpet shop from an end of range bin. I stuck it to the guttering using double sided carpet tape. :tu:
 
To be perfectly honest, they dislodge snowflake from the upper level of the hutch and it covers the ramp, so I've never had a problem, as the snowflake is very absorbent. ;)
 
Hi- I used guttering with a flat bottom and sides then followed @PiggySmitten 's advice and put a fabric tunnel on it too. The guttering was only about £4 from B&Q and we used less than half. We drilled two holes at the top and fastened it with cable ties. Two of my girls used it straight away, but the one with the biggest bum won't, maybe she's afraid of getting stuck and the others making fun?!
 
My fattest pig (Angel) could make it up the ramp no problem if there were loads of juicy non noms at the top! :))
 
The plastic half pipe that goes underneath your roof to carry rainwater away.
 
I have a ferplast rabbit 120 double and at first my piggies wouldn't entertain the ramp even when I modified it so it was less steep.

I covered it with carpet and brought them a couple of ramp tunnels from C and E cosies. As soon as the tunnel was on, they started doing zoomies up and down it straight away.

They're not cheap but well worth the money as they keep my pigs save when using the ramp too.
 
Thanks guys. I might consider getting guttering as my dad could install it and we have some with no sharp end in the shed.
 
I've currently got the ramp closed off completely in my hutch. I'm planning in getting a ramp tunnel, but even when I do I'm worried they'll be too busy racing around the hutch that they just fall down the big hole!
 
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