Ramp Angle

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groovyloopylou

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There (as always) are so many conflicting answers out there regarding ramps, specifically the angle they should be for safe use.
My potato squad are 4, 5 and 6 years old so are all senior ladies.

I'm trying to plan out a ramp to get them down to the floor from their c&c cage which is 42cm high.
I love the idea of opening a door on their cage and they can get into their floor time zone themselves for some exploring & fun and go back to the cage when they have had enough.

I've been playing with regular grids and a shoe rack set of grids which gives me various options as a base for all of this.
We will either add some correx in the final design to make the base and sides or possibly use some guttering instead (is this one suitable?) but always keep a mid point platform to limit bounce over such a long length. We will of course add something underfoot for grip too.

So far I have a split ramp made from of 2 x 70cm ramps (each ramp is made from 35x17cm grids end to end with another grid bracing the middle join) with a mid point platform (22cm high) made from various grids.

Math says it is 18.3 and 16.6 degrees for each of the two ramps.
Is this okay for them being seniors? Can it be steeper and still okay?
Id rather check what wiggle room we have before we start cutting correx or buying and cutting guttering.

Thanks in advance for reading :luv:
 
I’ve added our guide below which explains ramps in more detail including the gradient.

You want a ramp to be as shallow as possible, particularly for older piggies with their stiffer joints.
The one you have designed sounds to be ok. Given they are older (have they used ramps before?) I would not make it any steeper.
(Piggies aren’t natural climbers - they can learn how to use a ramp but it can also be found that older piggies stop wanting to use them even if they used them in their younger years).

Hopefully they will enjoy having the freedom to choose to come out!
Let us know how things go!

Ramps in Cages and Hutches
 
We put in a temp loft (halfway up a grid) and all used the ramp. It was a human issue as to why we took it out (access for cleaning).
I think the angle was similar to what we have now so I am hopeful they will want to use it.

Thanks for the link - I shall try and remember to use the search function on the forums in future and not rely on google alone 🫣. There's some really helpful info there!

I appreciate the reply, Ill post some pics when we get finished - I have more science/wrangling grids to do to make sure it works best for everyone.
 
IMG_1591.webp

We make ramps with bent grids cable tied together and covering them with vet bed clipped to the ramp with bull dog clips for easy removal for washing. The higher the ramp needs to reach the more grids we join together. Some of my boars have loved ramps and lofts and others have totally ignored them. It was so sad when two boars were diagnosed with arthritis at the age of six and we were advised by a vet to remove their ramps as they loved them so much they were up and down getting exercise all day.

IMG_1588.webp
 
Update!
so its taken a month but we got there in the end.
(more grids had to be ordered, lots of grid wrangling and do-overs then honey had hay poke so we didn't want to change anything in the cage until she was well)

ramp.webp

we made a "door" at the end of the cage (half grids with Velcro cable ties for the hinge and fastener) and we braced the end of the cage on the underside with grids to keep the cage's shape.
The ramps have "flaps" on the ends which are cable tied at the top/cage side and mid platforms.

Its not as removable as id like but its sturdy which is the main thing at the moment.
We just cut up a bathmat for a temp surface to walk on but will probs make a fleece liner to fit when we land on a final design.
Floor covering - I guess fleece blankets for now but we will find something more permanent and settle on the general size of their new space.

raya (4) and honey (5) are zooming up and down the ramp and exploring which is making me so happy to see.
zoey (6) does love floor time so we put her in this setup manually. She will go up the ramp without a fuss when she wants to go back for naps but doesn't really want to go down when its just "open". We would always put her back in the cage when she's looking a bit worn out.

I think its worth building something with wood now (2 ramps and maybe the mid platform) and just hook the ramps on so we can remove it easily. We just wanted to trial them first, see if they would use it on their own and the angles were okay for them all :)

Will post any improvements we make to it.
 
Very impressive, lots of space, your piggies must be very happy 🥰
 
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