how do i teach my piggys to use the ramp

[Jenna1995]

hi, my guinea pigs lived in a double hutch but it was falling apart so i bought another double. this one has a slightly steeper ramp so i have put a log under, to make it less steep. they still wouldnt use it so i attached a cardboard tube with grip, still havent used it! anything else i can do?

 

[Mother Hubbard]

Put their favourite food leading up to the top each to encourage them to get used to stand on it at first. Be patient, takes time. So in essence, bride, bride and more bribery.
:p

 

[Dindypig]

Try putting a strip of carpet on it and a bannister if you think it might be a little exposed.

 

[Jenna1995]

yeah, i guess I'm just being impatient, i put grass in the entrance and it was gone, but i think they just ate it and turned back.

 

[Mr Audrey & Mr Marilyn]

I highly recommend ramp tunnels from cosy cavies; one of mine really struggled scrambling up and down, and the other one refused point blank (after a bad experience jumping off the edge (luckily unhurt)). We got this and they were immediately running up and down - they love it!
http://www.cosycavies.co.uk/

 

[car]

Hi I had the same problem unroll I bent a c&c grid that I had spare them made a tunnel now they use it all the time

 

[Mummylind]

Mr Audrey & Mr Marilyn has it exactly right....I also bought several fleece tunnels from Cosycavies, and they do the job fantastically. Velcro attached to the ramp, and the piggies are off up there like a rat up a drainpipe. The tunnels get a bit 'hairy' and 'poopy' at times, but a wash at 30 degrees sorts it all out. Guinea pigs love tunnels, so they work perfectly on ramps.

 

[Jenna1995]

I think I will wait and see if using the tube I already have will help them go up . I really don't understand as the setup looks nearly the same as the ramp they used in the old hutch! If they still don't use it I'll have a luck at the cosie cavies ones. :-)