Is it Safe? Lining for my piggies new ramp - Guinea Pig Cages, Care, Store, Photos of Guinea Pigs and More Forum!

**Holliegh** · #1 07-05-09, 01:16 pm

I recently added an upstairs to my boys cage and am having trouble with the ramp.
For the next week; I'll have a "make do" ramp that is made out of bent grids but I obviously need to line it with something so that the piggies can actually climb it.
I tried towel and they seem to just slide down it when they try and climb it.

I told my mother and she went out and bought a rubber car mat (You know, the ones you put your feet on when you're in the car.)
I've cut it to size so it doesn't overlap and so it's hard for them to get hold of it and chew it.

I tested it earlier and Ralph had no interest in climbing it (I think it might be too steep, actually.) but he kept trying to eat the mat.

I took it out straight away. I didn't want to risk it, so I thought I'd ask here.

If either of them do, somehow, manage to get hold of it and chew it, since it's rubber, am I right in assuming that it's pretty dangerous?

Would I be better off buying a fabric mat or using some sort of carpeting?

Anything you guys suggest would be great.
I just want this ramp ready so that they can enjoy their new upstairs and even when my new ramp comes (My brother says he'll bring it sometime later in the week, maybe Friday or Saturday.) I'll still still need to line it with something.

Thank you.

I ask way too many questions. Sorry x.x

**luvmycavies** · #2 07-05-09, 01:45 pm

Questions are how you learn....

I have 2 bent grids for my ramp lined with coroplast and then I glued down a fitted piece of rubber shelf liner. It is easy to clean, makes the pigs able to climb and was inexpensive. I hot glued it to the coroplast that I ziptied to the grids.
One thing I would do is make sure the ramp isn't too steep and maybe put a brick or too underneath it. I also found that by covering my ramp with fleece it gave my girls more security to run up it.

**Holliegh** · #3 07-05-09, 03:36 pm

Thank you!

It seems I made the ramp a bit too narrow, though! Arnold went to venture up it and it was too narrow for him, it looked so awkward and not enjoyable for him at all. He only made it halfway up before he had to go in reverse to get off it.

I'll try and make it wider for them.

**Holliegh** · #4 07-09-09, 07:23 am

Okay. So the ramp is in place. This is a plastic piece of drain piping. My brother uses this for his cage and his piggies are fine but for me, it's not so fine.

My Piggies stare at it but won't climb it.
I tried putting them on the top level and they just stared down it but refused to go down themselves.

This must mean that's too steep but I'm stumped.
I have a brick underneath it and still nothing. I put a dish rag on it and they rip at it from the bottom but don't attempt to climb it.

I have no idea what to do.

Anyone have any ideas?

**PiggieMom** · #5 07-09-09, 10:28 am

Have you tried lining it with veggies and hay to tempt them up it? It took my first pair several days to even try the ramp doing this, but after a week or so they got the hang of it.

**Holliegh** · #6 07-09-09, 03:24 pm

I did try veggies but hay might actually be a way better idea.
Thank you.

So I shouldn't worry. If I keep trying, you think that eventually they should be fine getting up it?
They're getting a bit bigger and the extra space will do them good. Since I can't extend outwards, I thought upwards was a good idea.

**PiggieMom** · #7 07-09-09, 03:35 pm

I think it depends on the pig, but I'd keep trying. It takes many pigs a long time to try new things. I had a senior girl who never went up on the top of my bunkbed like hidey houses and after two years of having them (for the other pigs who would use them) she randomly started using them one day.

**CavyLuver516** · #8 07-09-09, 05:35 pm

You could binder-clip a towel (or any other kind of fabric) to the ramp since your pigs seem to go up the ramp when a towel is used to cover it. This should keep the fabric from slipping. Hope this works for you!

**Holliegh** · #9 07-10-09, 06:14 pm

I tried the dish towel on the ramp and then put hay all the way to the top.
They seem to have eaten the hay but still won't venture up the ramp but I put Arnold at the top of the ramp earlier and he ran down it on his own!

When I did that last time, he just stared down the ramp and then looked at me and then at the ramp again: As if to say: "What you doing?"
But he charged down it on his own earlier, so that's a slight improvement.

Ralph seems to be have a slight rivalry with Arnold, so I think that if Arnold can do it, Ralph will follow suit.
Ralph is the brave one and Arnold likes to follow but in this case, it seems like it'll be the other way around.