Hey guys my wife and I rehomed two guinea pigs from a person we know. We received them last night and when we took a look their teeth are fine which I was glad to hear. However the previous owner didn’t cut their nails for so long their feet are completely crooked and one has a growth on one foot. They were given to us in a reptile terrarium with a piece of pvc pipe for them to go through a food dish and a tiny house that was too big for one let alone two. They told us they were 3 years old but when we got their nails cut the trimmer said they were much older than that. My wife and I bought a new cage and food etc. However it’s a two story cage with a ramp however the ramp is made out of cardboard and it has sandpaper grips and neither pig will go up it even though that’s the only place to place the food and water. So what I’m asking is, do I have a chance that they’ll learn to go up the ramp at that age or with us because they don’t know us yet and are very scared of their new environment.
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- Thread starter Gigaflare
- Start date
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DM030819
@Gigaflare They could learn to use the ramp but in the meantime I'd move their food and water downstairs.
Definitely will have to move their food and water downstairs for now. They need plenty of time to settle into their new home. Pigs aren’t climbers. Some pigs won’t use ramps, for others it’s just a matter of time. However, it is essential that the ramp isn’t too steep (sometimes the ones on store bought cages are) otherwise they willl never use it (they’ll be too scared). If it does appear to be too steep, You could try propping the ramp up on something to reduce its angle but make sure they can get up on whatever you prop it up with.
Betsy
Anniversary Herd
Piggies follow scent spores so take the ramp out for a week or so and pop it in the bottom of the cage and let them walk over it so that it gets their scent on it. Then take a bit of the cage substrate from the bottom of the cage to the top, put the ramp back and put their fave food on the ramp at intervals and they should learn how to use it. They may just to up the ramp to take the food and come back down again first of all but they will pluck up the courage to use it eventually. Has your ramp got sides to it? They will feel safer using it if it has sides attached. Mine has sides that are about 3-4" high.