dont like cage

[bebegrl7]

dont like cage

yesterday i made a 2 story cage for my pigs our of c&c but they wont go upstairs....wut should i do?:lol:

 

[d0llm0uth]

.

Does your pig know that there is a place there? Trying showing him/her where it is, and make sure that they can climb up there.

 

[alilporkbun]

Going Up

I have also recently built an upstairs. But he won't go up. He is a big boy, a 3 pounder. I am not sure if he is just physically incapable to climbing up and down, afraid of heights, or like you said, unaware of an upstairs. If you have any more suggestions of how to get him up there, I would appreciate it.

 

[CavySpirit]

Re: Going Up

Make sure the ramp is not too steep. See this album for a good design: imageevent.com/cavyspirit...seasyramps

Different suggestions:

Even with that design to get them started, you can put an intermediate step up to the first level, like a low house or box or something.

Put a trail of food on the ramp.

Put them on the ramp.

Put them on the upper level. Help guide them back down after an hour or two if they just sit there. Put food up there with them.

Make sure there is hay and place to hide on the upper level.

Keep bribing them up or down with food over time.

You sometimes have to work with them quite a while to get it.

You may need to revisit your ramp design if it's too steep.

 

[alilporkbun]

Up, Up, and Away!

Thank you Teresa for your suggestions. I am so excited, I can hardly contain myself.

I can't wait to get home, diddle with my cage (stealing your design is alright with you, isnt it?), and working with him.

 

[CavySpirit]

Re: Up, Up, and Away!

That's what it's there for!

 

[bebegrl7]

Re: Up, Up, and Away!

no my ramp isnt too steep...i dunno what the problem is. i tried putting them up there then after 45 min i showed them the way down..i put hay and a toy and a box up there..the ramp comes down from the upstairs onto a big hidy box that they usualy LOVE jumping on and off ...i will try to bribe them.

 

[CavySpirit]

Re: Up, Up, and Away!

Bribe with food and just give it time. Have patience.

 

[fcarr]

Using a ramp

...I agree with Teresa, be patient. Once they get the hang of it, there'll be no stopping them. When I installed the second level of my cage, Squeaky took a couple of weeks before he felt comfortable going up and down. I had to coax with a food trail. What helped the most, however, was his young male guinea pig buddy (who ran up immediately, and has a tendency to jump off half way down - so I've added an extra layer of bedding to soften his landing). Once he'd seen the youngster handle the ramp, Squeaky was off and running.

 

[alilporkbun]

Vertically Mobile

That day I posted, I went home and worked with him for what seemed like forever. Now, he's vertically mobile. He loves it. He just runs up there, plops over, and sleeps. And then runs back down and does what he does and back up again. Thanks everyone.

 

[CavySpirit]

Re: Vertically Mobile

That's great. Thanks for the update.

 

[bebegrl7]

Re: dont like cage

i have a cage that is 3 by 2 grids and i want to make a new ramp..what should i use to make it other than grids that isnt expencive? i need suggestions so give me any idea you have! thanks

 

[pregasaurus]

Re: dont like cage

It took my Fred a little while to get used to the ramp as well. I did just as Teresa suggested. Put food upstairs and put Fred up there. Now we use the upper level as their dining room. They both have no problem getting up there. Patience is the key.

 

[alilporkbun]

A little too attached

Frank and Zoe both love their cages and are very attached them. In fact, I would say that they are a little too attached. They no longer enjoy running around the house any more during floor time. The moment I let one of them out, they run back into the cage. This is very strange. They used to love floor time and I could never get them to return to their cages. If any one has any ideas, let me know.

 

[tggdan3b]

Re: A little too attached

My pigs didn't like the second story at first, either, but I started putting the food and water up at the top so they had to go up there to eat and drink (besides, it's cleaner since they usually go to the bathroom down below). Now they spend a lot of time up near the top, and when I come by, they even stretch up to reach for me to say hello.