Ramps - Need Help

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Ryli

Ryli

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Please can someone help me ?

I have a two storey hutch with a ramp down to the bottom. I decided after having Disney and Paris for nearly 7 weeks (and as they are getting bigger) I would open up the bottow for them, but they are refusing to use the ramp. Its a wooden ramp and I have tried twice now, today they have been down the bottom for hours but do not want to use the ramp to upstairs.

Any suggestions greatly received.
 
It will probably take them a long time to use the ramp but they will eventually. I have never had a guinea pig go straight up or down a ramp, some do it in a couple of days others have taken up to 2 weeks. You could put little bits of food on the ramp to tempt them but be patient, it will happen.
 
wind1 ... do you recommend trying them for a few hours everyday?
 
I would just leave the ramp open during the day with some food at the bottom (if they're at the top). Soon enough you will find one of them at the bottom and the food gone. You may have to then help them back up the ramp. They are quicker coming down than going up. Keep doing this daily and eventually one will follow the other.
 
wind1 said:
I would just leave the ramp open during the day with some food at the bottom (if they're at the top). Soon enough you will find one of them at the bottom and the food gone. You may have to then help them back up the ramp. They are quicker coming down than going up. Keep doing this daily and eventually one will follow the other.
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Thank you, I will give it a try :)
 
I got a rescue guinea on Mondayx) and I also have a two storey hutch, by Wednesday she was going up and down like a train:)p. I kept putting her on the ramp and gently moving her down (a very gentle push), when she was down I let her explore the bottom bit and then put her on the ramp at the bottom, I put one hand on the side so she wouldn't fall off and gently touched her bum until she went up, can't stop her now:)p
 
Shiltontwister said:
I got a rescue guinea on Mondayx) and I also have a two storey hutch, by Wednesday she was going up and down like a train:)p. I kept putting her on the ramp and gently moving her down (a very gentle push), when she was down I let her explore the bottom bit and then put her on the ramp at the bottom, I put one hand on the side so she wouldn't fall off and gently touched her bum until she went up, can't stop her now:)p
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I did try this with Paris and she hated it ...... she is giving me really dirty looks now and I think she is disgusted with me but will try again tomorrow mallethead
 
Is the ramp steep?
That will put them off. Maybe making it less steep, cutting the ramp into with a platform with railings on.

Also has the guinea pig got something to grip onto?

Just two things that may cause problems.

Hope your piggies use the ramp soon!
 
Its a fixed ramp with notches every so far for grip, but they are just not interested at all, tried them again today and they actually stayed in the sleeping area!

I am going to somehow fix a tunnel onto the ramp as people has suggested that this might help.

I wish they would use it, they would have so much more room :)
 
I'm getting a new 3 storey hutch for my birthday for my herd of 6 girls next week, I'm so excited! Really hope they use the ramps tho or I may have to confine them to the different levels in pairs to prevent overcrowding on just 1 floor!
 
daisyd said:
I'm getting a new 3 storey hutch for my birthday for my herd of 6 girls next week, I'm so excited! Really hope they use the ramps tho or I may have to confine them to the different levels in pairs to prevent overcrowding on just 1 floor!
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Let me know how your girls get on. I did think about confining them to one floor, then I could get another two piggies :)
 
Hey.... I recently got my Piggies an outdoor Primrose cottage hutch with a Ramp, they are used to using Ramps as my partner made one for their indoor C&C - which we glued vet bed too. When i put them in their hutch however they refused to use it! So we decided to glue vet bed to this aswell and they love it used it straight away! If they are on Vetbed, it may be worth trying this as it is something they are used to!
How far away are the notches? I find that some ramps have them quite wide apart.
Hope this helps! :)
 
I'm going to try vetbed on my piggies ramp as they refuse to use it so never go upstairs no matter how much I try to get them to. The rest of the cage has vetbed so they are used to it ;)
 
Treacle&Truffles said:
I cant believe it, just tried out the vetbed on ramp with a bit of food on it to tempt them and off they went up the ramp :(|):(|)
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Hey good news then! Thought it would work - They wont stop running up and down it now! Mine love x) a good run a round the cage and up and down the ramp, its great to watch! haha - Well done! :))
 
Sarahww said:
Hey.... I recently got my Piggies an outdoor Primrose cottage hutch with a Ramp, they are used to using Ramps as my partner made one for their indoor C&C - which we glued vet bed too. When i put them in their hutch however they refused to use it! So we decided to glue vet bed to this aswell and they love it used it straight away! If they are on Vetbed, it may be worth trying this as it is something they are used to!
How far away are the notches? I find that some ramps have them quite wide apart.
Hope this helps! :)
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for that bit of advice. I have a two storey hutch for two of my boys for summer, who love it, but I am boarding my daughter's two piggies in it at the mo whilst she is on holiday. They have been terrified to use it. There is the roofing felt stuff on it, so 'grip' wasn't an issue, they just didn't like the feel of it. Just put a length of rubber backed vet bed on it and whoopee doo, straight up and down. Thanks. x
 
Ryli said:
Let me know how your girls get on. I did think about confining them to one floor, then I could get another two piggies :)
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how big is you're hutch
i'd say let them enjoy the space rather than confining them to one floor just so you can have two more pigs, just because they don't take to the ramp straight away.
 
gracie said:
how big is you're hutch
i'd say let them enjoy the space rather than confining them to one floor just so you can have two more pigs, just because they don't take to the ramp straight away.
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I'm defo going to try the vet bed :(|)
 
Success at last

As you know the ramp in the hutch did not go down very well with Disney and Paris.

So I spoke to Helen and Cosy Cavies, the lady who made the Snuggle-oo and she makes tunnels too, so yes, I thought lets try a Snuggle-tunnel, I gave her all the measurements (and she kindly attached velcro to the tunnel, and I have attached to the ramp) and yipee it works, within minutes of putting it in Disney was up and down like a yo-yo, Paris is getting there, she is just a bit slower at the moment.

Here are some piccies, I am so pleased :))

DisneyandParis010-1.jpg


DisneyandParis012-1.jpg


DisneyandParis013.jpg


DisneyandParis014.jpg


DisneyandParis015.jpg


DisneyandParis016.jpg


DisneyandParis019.jpg
 
OH WOW.. look at your hutch.. I'm so jealous.. its nicer than my house.. :p

I love that .. its made it so much more fun just to up and down!
 
That looks amazing, I might do the same with mine! my guineas are going up and down ok since I added extra lats and a brick at the bottom of the ramp to make it less steep. But they don't exactly enjoy going up and down...
 
ScarletSox said:
OH WOW.. look at your hutch.. I'm so jealous.. its nicer than my house.. :p

I love that .. its made it so much more fun just to up and down!
Click to expand...

I'm jealous too, my house is full of males, so its nice to do something girlie!! Poor piggies!
 
daisyd said:
That looks amazing, I might do the same with mine! my guineas are going up and down ok since I added extra lats and a brick at the bottom of the ramp to make it less steep. But they don't exactly enjoy going up and down...
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I am so pleased, they are really enjoying it, they are hiding in it too!
 
I think you may have started a new trend here! Better than just sticking a bit of thin doormat down as I've done so far.
 
So the next question is, do I leave this open all night all close the bottom off, I have carpet and a hutch hugger that I put over at night but will they get cold :{
 
oh crumbs sounds like i am going to have fun when get mine my partner has made 2 storey with ramp from bedroom to bottom then slide back a door and ramp going down to grass like idea of putting tunnel might end up doing that my selve lol
 
"i leave it open all the time
mine get quite boisterous and tbh i'd feel cruel keeping them in just the upstairs part; as there's three of them they'd have hardly any space
but yours are babies and there's only two of them; i'd say if you feel happy securing them in one part overnight then go for it, but i'd keep the bottom half available at night when they get bigger and will need more space.
so right now it's up to you =] see how they go with it open for a while, they may love it and sleep in both parts like mine do."

a repeat of my answer to your last thread.
 
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