Ramps How long did it take for your piggies to go up the ramp?

Easefirst · May 31, 2015

I installed 2 by 2 loft (with one grid overhang, for easier cleaning.) yesterday, and neither of the girls wants to go up. Ramp is made from coroplast with 5 hanger wires inserted (3 in the run part and 2 on the handrails), and lined with fleece (with grit tape underneath to reduce sliding) and I used binder clips to secure it on top and bottom. I got impatient and put them up there -they ate their veggies up there, and braver one went down the ramp, but shy one just kept sitting in the hidey and wouldn't go down, so I put her down. I put their favorite veggies up there and close to the top of the ramp to encourage them, but in the morning I found all veggies still up there.
How long it is reasonable to wait before I get rid of the loft- a week or two? Anything else I can do to encourage them?

bpatters · May 31, 2015

They'll come down before they'll go up, and they'll do either one quicker if you drape something over the ramp so it isn't exposed.

Put them up top, put the veggies down the ramp, and encourage them down. If one will go down and the other won't, but the brave one down and the scared one up, put the fruits down, and very gently crowd her to the ramp. She'll get the idea.

Easefirst · May 31, 2015

Thank you, I could do that. They love tunnels, so that might help.

Wheekers135 · May 31, 2015

I had a loft for almost 3 months and only one pig would use it. Just this week I changed the ramp to a switchback style ramp and now both of them are going up and down all the time. So maybe if all else fails, change the style. My piggies are seniors so I think having this style makes it easier than running up one straight steep ramp

acissej · May 31, 2015

It took a little bit, maybe a week, of trails of treats going up the ramp. But as soon as they figured it out it was off to the races. They LOVE running up and down the ramp!

prettynyguen · Jun 1, 2015

I just put my piggies in the middle of the ramp, and they figured it out pretty quick. It was up for veggie treats or down for their little houses.

When I brought my new little baby piggie, Hercules, home he squealed at the bottom of the ramp because he wanted the veggies upstairs. My older pig, Jellybean, went down the ramp, and nudged him up from behind so he learnt how to use it. It was pretty darn cute. Now Hercules races up and down the ramp, and leaps off the bottom of it as he runs laps of his cage

Easefirst · Jun 1, 2015

Thank you, everyone. So it sounds like it might take a while. I covered the ramp with a fleece draped on, and I put pieces of bellpepper on, and lower ones got eaten, but not higher ones. Prettynyguen, that is cute, how older one helped the baby. I think in my case it might be in opposite -they are both at about the same age, but one is 3.5 pounds at 6 months (possibly cuy piggie), and is shy. She is the one who wouldn't even go down the ramp.

Easefirst · Jun 1, 2015

How did you make a switchback? Doyou have any photos?
My pigs do love the ramp, but they use it as a hidey and a pooping corner.

jade_14 · Jun 1, 2015

I don't have a ramp in my current cage, but with my previous guinea pig I had a loft, and it took her about a day or 2 to go up it. It was so cute because I had her cuddle cup up there, and she wasn't going up it at first, and one day I walked in my room and she was up the ramp curled up asleep in the cuddle cup.

prettynyguen · Jun 1, 2015

Easefirst said:
Thank you, everyone. So it sounds like it might take a while. I covered the ramp with a fleece draped on, and I put pieces of bellpepper on, and lower ones got eaten, but not higher ones. Prettynyguen, that is cute, how older one helped the baby. I think in my case it might be in opposite -they are both at about the same age, but one is 3.5 pounds at 6 months (possibly cuy piggie), and is shy. She is the one who wouldn't even go down the ramp.

perhaps you shy guinea pig will follow the other ones once they're comfortable with the ramp. 3.5 pounds is a big guinea pig! my biggest is 3 pounds and he's 4 1/2 years old. I hope it all works out for you and your piggies soon

Wheekers135 · Jun 4, 2015

Easefirst said:
How did you make a switchback? Doyou have any photos?
My pigs do love the ramp, but they use it as a hidey and a pooping corner.

I actually don't have any photos but will try to get some. I ended up switching from the switchback to an L shape to save on space. they still use it just as much.

it is against the side of the cage and I used one bent grid to make a ramp from the bottom of the cage up to the other bent grid which is a platform (about half a grid high) and then from the platform I have another bent grid going over to the loft.

so kind of like this --->

___ <--1st ramp
___ |
___ |
___ |
---------------------|||||||||||| | <---platform & ramp leading to loft

AnnikasMommy · Jun 4, 2015

Mine are pigs so where ever the food is they don't care how they have to get to it. LOL

Easefirst · Jun 4, 2015

Hmm, it is kind of hard to imagine this. I will wait for the photos.

Easefirst · Jun 4, 2015

Unfortunately mine are not, I put their favorites, and they didn't get them from top. Theinteresting thing is, that I found corn husk piece towards the top of the ramp this morning, which they had on the lower level, so someone was up on the ramp...

Easefirst · Jun 8, 2015

So I almost forgot about the loft, and then came this morning (8 days after I installed it), and I heard usual wheeking for veggies, but couldn't see, where it was coming from, and then I couldn't believe my eyes -Queenie was sitting upstairs! I was putting veggies downstairs, and she came down the ramp nicely. A minute later I was even for a bigger surprise - Lola, the shy one, also came down...So they were both there. The last few days I did add small plastic box upside down under the brick, which made ramp much less steep.

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Ramps How long did it take for your piggies to go up the ramp?

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