Bunny not using cage ramp fix?

[awesomebunny]

Hey guys, I just bought my rabbit a brand new two story cage (in case you are wondering it is a customized bunny villa from KW cages <cost me more than $400> and is high quality and made of metal) and my rabbit is not using the ramp... She has gone up the ramp, but she sprints and jumps over the little ledge thing in which she hits the wire on the second floor (I will put a picture to give you a better idea of what it looks like). When she goes down the ramp she runs so fast that she hits the cage side and smacks into wire (I put a pet blanket as a bumper so she doesn't hurt herself).
What should I do? How can I train her to go up and down the ramp SLOWLY?
View attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1459490077.507808.jpg
Second floor opening

View attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1459490109.554635.jpg
Little ledge that she jumps to get to second floor

View attachment ImageUploadedByRabbit Forum1459490234.591767.jpg
The bottom of ramp

 

[Azerane]

Ramps are generally regarded as dangerous for rabbits. The have issues going down them safely because of the way their bodies are designed with the hind end being higher than the fore end, their hopping motion is also not conducive to going down ramps and so they find it very difficult. She may be hitting the wall of the cage on the way up because there may not be enough room after the ramp for her to jump up properly. She hits the wall on the way down because she can't slow herself down properly and she doesn't have the control to stop herself at the bottom and instead just runs into the wall.

The ramp is quite steep, and if it were me I would remove it completely, and replace it with two steps leading up to the opening and she should be able to jump up and down through the opening with relative ease (depending how big it is relative to her size). The boxes don't necessarily have to impeded the rest of the cage, they can have openings so then they act as a hideaway as well. The jump from the top level to the first platform should be only big enough to allow her room to do so (a shorter jump will make it easier to jump through a smaller opening), the jump down to the second platform, and from the second platform to the floor can be bigger.

Otherwise, you could add a secure step under the bottom of the ramp to raise it up. This makes the ramp less steep, and she'll have pedestal at the end of the ramp she can stop on before jumping the rest of the way down to the floor. However, reducing the angle of the ramp may not leave enough room for her at the top of the ramp unless you can extend the section with the hooks that makes it hang lower. In addition to that, adding some sort of square pad for traction at the bottom of the ramp instead of the slippery vinyl will also help.

 

[awesomebunny]

The whole cage is metal, including the ramp, so it can't be adjusted. It is possible to remove the entire ramp.
If I were to put steps.... how high off the ground should they be? And how do I make them? Keep in mind I am not a very handy person.

 

[Watermelons]

The whole cage is metal, including the ramp, so it can't be adjusted. It is possible to remove the entire ramp.
If I were to put steps.... how high off the ground should they be? And how do I make them? Keep in mind I am not a very handy person.

Ditch the ramp completely, and use a box. Hard to tell you how high of a step to use with out seeing the cage or knowing the measurements between levels.

 

[Azerane]

You don't have to be handy to make steps. Even something as simple as a plastic storage tub turned upside down can make a step, you can cut a hole in one side so that it can be used as a hideout too. Even a deep-sided cat litter tray turned upside down. The thing to make sure of is that the box grips the floor of the cage well (you could put some non slip stick-ons under it) because you don't want it sliding out from under your rabbit as they push off from it.

 

[Blue eyes]

yup! Just as the others have already stated. Even a cardboard box turned on its side can serve as a hidey, a step, and a chew toy! (Of course if it is chewed too much it will need to be replaced occasionally.)

The photo below isn't being used as a step, but perhaps you can envision how it could be.

 

[awesomebunny]

How do I get traction? The floor and box are very slippery. Also, how do I prevent my bunny from moving the box...

 

[Azerane]

The simplest solution is probably to use zip ties/cable ties to attach the box to the bars of the cage. For traction you can use a foam or rubber mat, carpet square or something similar. You may have to play around with options depending on what your rabbit is/isn't inclined to chew.

 

[Nancy McClelland]

We use cardboard boxes of varying size--our guys use them for steps and also for chew toys, but they are no cost and easy to replace.

 

[Preitler]

That ramp really doesn't look like designed for rabbits. Wow, I didn't know you can spend that money on a rabbit cage, my car was about 630$...

Steps are much easier for rabbits, I have floors seperated by about 12", no obstacle for 5-6 week old kits. I use a ramp to let them out of their hutches, not so steep as yours, normaly no problem when they are used to it, but I had one rabbit fall off it last week who walked it at least a hundred times without problem.

Some rabbits can do amazing things, my buck went down a almost vertical 10' wall to get to my doe, and also climbed the stone wall 3' high, but this is what he looks like on a ramp: