Ramps

[Nathan]

I've read a lot of information on guinea pigs using ramps. Some of the information says that guinea pigs enjoy them and are good for exercise, but i've also read that ramps can cause back problems as they aren't natural climbers.. Help!

 

[piggyfan]

Some people on here use them. Personally I am afraid of them and like a one level cage.

 

[BossHogg]

My hutch has a ramp, it's an old piece of guttering with carpet tile glued to the bottom to give grip. My 3 have no problems whatsoever and are up and down the ramp all day long with no issues.

 

[Nathan]

My hutch has a ramp, it's an old piece of guttering with carpet tile glued to the bottom to give grip. My 3 have no problems whatsoever and are up and down the ramp all day long with no issues.

Oh Wow, that's really smart

 

[VickiA]

I've tried all sorts of ramps with covers over, tunnels over, you name it I've tried it and my two will NOT go up or down, so I've given up and they've gone back to bungalow style accommodation!

 

[Stewybus]

Mine don't mind ramps especially if there's food at the other end. In my runs the ramps are made of wood with another piece of wood attached to the side for safety. I then use carpet tiles or similar to give the piggies some grip. It's best to keep the gradient as easy as possible for them eg 30 to 40 degrees & definitely no steeper than 45 degrees.

 

[the boys]

I took my ramp out of their indoor cage and leaned it against the wall, I put nibbles on it which encouraged them to climb it then increased the gradient. I put it back in the cage but would they go up it...no
so I glued carpet hessian side up (regular checks to make sure its ok) still no
so I took fudge out and put him on the first floor...after a few minutes I went back and he was down so I did the same with hutch...same again
then I noticed they started going up. they run up and down it now lol

 

[AbiS]

Mine are in a 2 level hutch with a ramp. They manage it absolutely fine although I did have to put carpet on it.

 

[Nathan]

I've tried all sorts of ramps with covers over, tunnels over, you name it I've tried it and my two will NOT go up or down, so I've given up and they've gone back to bungalow style accommodation!

Mine don't mind ramps especially if there's food at the other end. In my runs the ramps are made of wood with another piece of wood attached to the side for safety. I then use carpet tiles or similar to give the piggies some grip. It's best to keep the gradient as easy as possible for them eg 30 to 40 degrees & definitely no steeper than 45 degrees.

Well this is day one of my boys having a ramp and they just aren't taking to it, so might have to go back to bungalow style accommodation too! Maybe it will just take more time?

I've tried putting their favourite veg at the top but that doesn't seem to entice them, i'll try and make it less steep and see if that helps

 

[Nathan]

I took my ramp out of their indoor cage and leaned it against the wall, I put nibbles on it which encouraged them to climb it then increased the gradient. I put it back in the cage but would they go up it...no
so I glued carpet hessian side up (regular checks to make sure its ok) still no
so I took fudge out and put him on the first floor...after a few minutes I went back and he was down so I did the same with hutch...same again
then I noticed they started going up. they run up and down it now lol

This makes me feel more hopeful

 

[Nathan]

Mine are in a 2 level hutch with a ramp. They manage it absolutely fine although I did have to put carpet on it.

Carpet seems to be doing the trick for a lot of people. Might look into that

 

[the boys]

This makes me feel more hopeful

I thought id never use it
the ramp was the reason I bought the cage so they could have more space.
they went a couple of months without using it

 

[BossHogg]

This is the shape of the guttering I use so it's safe for my piggies.

 

[Jess]

My shed has a long ramp - I think they use it for the second level access but I tend to use it when I'm putting the piggies back into the pen.

Although the ramp does provide shelter for the piggies

 

[VickiA]

Carpet seems to be doing the trick for a lot of people. Might look into that

I tried everything patiently, decreased gradients, put fleece on, put carpet on, treats on, covers over, higher sides - you name it I tried it, but I have one of the stroppiest middle aged sows you can imagine and a highly cautious neutered boar, so perhaps it's just the personalities of the piggies that determines it. I hope it works for you - loads of people on here have piggies who go up and down ramps daily. look forward to seeing pictures

 

[Nathan]

My shed has a long ramp - I think they use it for the second level access but I tend to use it when I'm putting the piggies back into the pen.

Although the ramp does provide shelter for the piggies

Even though they have a hut and tubes in their cage, they are using the ramp as shelter too lol

 

[Nicola_]

I have 3 ramps in my cage and the boys run up and down them no bother! I was careful to make sure the gradient wasn't too steep and so 2 of the ramps are split in half with a little landing each (nightmare to clean but the boys love them!) They're alao lined with carpet for grip

 

[Nathan]

I have 3 ramps in my cage and the boys run up and down them no bother! I was careful to make sure the gradient wasn't too steep and so 2 of the ramps are split in half with a little landing each (nightmare to clean but the boys love them!) They're alao lined with carpet for grip

That's great to hear! How long did it take them to get used to the ramps?

 

[Hermes]

I think sometimes we are a little over-anxious about our pigs, just because they aren't natural climbers doesn't mean they can't walk uphill!

I wouldn't go for a ladder or a tight wrought iron spiral staircase but as others have mentioned a ramp of suitable width, grip and gradient with sides or covered with a tunnel will be perfectly safe for them.

My two run up and down their ramp quite happily and figured it out in all of 10 minutes with the persuasion of veggies but they also leap on and off things in their cage, no one told them guinea pigs aren't supposed to do things like that!

 

[Maddykins]

We've had our two boars for a week and a half now and by maybe the third day they occasionally went up the ramp. It's just a square grid (like what the rest of the c+c cage is made out of), with corrugated plastic fixed on top and it's all tied up safely with cable ties to the cage and then I have a puppy pad on top so they can grip it otherwise they would slide. It's not very high but they still tend to run up and down it. I put most of their hay on the loft so they go up sometimes to sit there and munch on the hay, I hide some bits of veggies in it too which they seem to enjoy. The last two days or so I notice that they've both just jumped straight up the loft without using the ramp though! I didn't know guinea pigs could jump that high! Also like someone else said the ramp helps to provide a sheltered space, both of them mainly sleep underneath the loft because it's sheltered and cosy for them.

 

[Nicola_]

That's great to hear! How long did it take them to get used to the ramps?

Not long at all - they have 3 loft areas all attached via bridges so when I put in the ramps (it was a staged build!) they were inquisitive but too nervous to go up even though I could see they'd manage it. So, I picked them up and placed them upstairs - they had a little run around the 'the turrets' and eventually found a ramp back down - before I knew it they were up and down in a flash! When I eventually installed the 3rd ramp (to the basement) they were so used to the others it didn't phase them (it did phase them though when I tried to block it off once!)

Good luck trying to convince your piggies to use the ramp - if you do go with the technique of putting them at the top make sure to stay with them in case they can't get back down!

 

[AbiS]

When I got mine at 8weeks old I made sure they had access to water, food, hay and hideys on both levels just in case they got stuck and couldn't go between the 2 levels. I initially put them in the bedroom area of the hutch and after about 3 days they hadn't left it other than to nip out for food and then go back in. Eventually I took them out and put them at the bottom of the hutch and they figured it out quite quickly after that.

I did have one little incident when I put Toby back in the top of the hutch when he was still extremely skittish - I meant to point him in the direction of the bedroom but it went a bit wrong and he scarpered in the opposite direction and fell straight down the ramp. He looked terrified and I felt awful!

Oh, and it turns out that peeing and pooing right at the bottom of ramps is a very normal thing to do!

 

[Superpiggies]

We've had a ramp for 3 years now, absolutely no problem. But I think the part with the dangers are if there is no proper grip and maybe they slip and injure their spine. Also, they shouldn't be too steep, partly because they might not even dare go up/down and it can cause injuries.

 

[Nathan]

Thanks for all your information, has been really helpful!