Ramp/Doggy Door

[janiedough]

So I have a sulcata, and I have an enclosure for him setup inside my utility room which has a doggy door on it (a hole in the wall basically).

I have made him a ramp, and then I tried step like things...the door is only like three inches above the floor.

I can't get Percy to go out. I have tried tempting him with food, putting him on it and leaving him there to see what he does (backs up into his enclosure).

I just can't get him to figure out how to go in and out, and I am SURE he is just as tired as I am of me having to go drag him out of his dog house and picking him up to put him in and out...

Any advice? And once I get all this figured out, dare I put plastic over the opening like on a real doggy door? Or will that off put Percy even more??

 

[Yvonne G]

I've never had that problem. Once my piggys smell the food outside their doggy door, they charge right out. I can see where it might be a problem, but I don't know what to suggest, sorry.

Yvonne

 

[janiedough]

I've never had that problem. Once my piggys smell the food outside their doggy door, they charge right out. I can see where it might be a problem, but I don't know what to suggest, sorry.

Yvonne

lol - thanks though yvonne...

you know i even tempted him with STRAWBERRYS! and he LOVES them!

I have tried his favorite hibiscus flowers, aloe, wandering jew, plain old grass - everything!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

It was strawberrie's that got Bob using his doggie door. I was outside and he was in and I just kept waving the berry and calling him. It took a bit but he caught on, then I added the plastic strips and that wasn't so easy getting him to go thru them...but Bob would walk thru fire for a strawberry. I'm really sorry I don't know what to tell you when a strawberry fails to work.
Are you sure you didn't just lose patience and stop? It took some doing but Bob got it in just a few minutes, maybe 30 minutes. I stayed outside on the ramp waving that berry and calling him. That worked...I seriously don't know what to tell you when a berry fails...
Keep us posted, I'm interested in what finally works with him...

 

[janiedough]

It was strawberrie's that got Bob using his doggie door. I was outside and he was in and I just kept waving the berry and calling him. It took a bit but he caught on, then I added the plastic strips and that wasn't so easy getting him to go thru them...but Bob would walk thru fire for a strawberry. I'm really sorry I don't know what to tell you when a strawberry fails to work.
Are you sure you didn't just lose patience and stop? It took some doing but Bob got it in just a few minutes, maybe 30 minutes. I stayed outside on the ramp waving that berry and calling him. That worked...I seriously don't know what to tell you when a berry fails...
Keep us posted, I'm interested in what finally works with him...

yeah it has only been a week or so trying every other day. i probably just need to try more.

it will be my goal to do it this weekend. i'll let yall know

but what do you guys use as a ramp or whatever? I tried a tile as a ramp, but he didn't like it - I don't think he liked looking down at it - so I tried like a paver as a step because I KNOW he will get up on those.

any ideas about that?

Thanks Maggie!

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I used an old wooden door for Bob's ramp. Then we nailed strips of wood across the door to kinda make steps. Basically just giving his feet something to push against. None of it is pretty...but it works and that's what's important...

 

[katesgoey]

Hi Janie,

Will he go up the ramp to go inside but just not come back out? I would think it works the opposite of when I showed Tank how to go inside his shed. I kept putting him in there and his food, of course, outside so he eventually got it. You might also try putting him outside, then placing parts of the strawberry along the ramp - if he goes "up" to get it, maybe he'll learn he should also use the ramp to come back out and get more (or vice versa, just a suggestion).

 

[janiedough]

i've been doing all that you guys have graciously suggested, but I still don't think he gets it all the way

BUT! I took some wandering jew, put him infront of the step, let him eat a few bites, then threw the wandering jew a few inches back, so he put his front legs up on the step, and i let him get a few bites, so then i threw it even farther back and he got up all the way on the step. so then i threw the wandering jew all the way into the enclosure.

That's where he stopped. he literally turned around and was about to step off. I kept him on the step and kind of pushed him to go in the enclosure. But I had to almost push him in all the way. Then he couldn't figure out how to turn around and come back out so he went all in, and he ran in when he saw his light.

So i thought he had it, so i left him in there without food for two days thinking he would get the idea and come back out, but he didn't - he just sat in there without food!!!

Not sure how long is safe to not feed him anything. I think he's just being lazy.

 

[janiedough]

OK! So it has gotten down to the 40's here. and Percy FINALLY decided to get in his "room" at night.

The little **** knew how to all along - he just didn't want to! When it got too cold at night, I got sick of it and took up his burrow that was outside and then he started getting in his closet.

I was scared to do this at first because I was scared that he would start sleeping elsewhere. I check on him every night and I like knowing where he is!

Well as soon as I picked up his other shelter he went right in his closet. That ****!

He even comes out and eats and goes back in several times a day! Just like that!


Now I need some more heat, and I am going to try to add the plastic. The wandering jew and banana leaves I left leading from outside the room to inside the room through the doggy door definitely helped!

---

Hi Janie,

Will he go up the ramp to go inside but just not come back out? I would think it works the opposite of when I showed Tank how to go inside his shed. I kept putting him in there and his food, of course, outside so he eventually got it. You might also try putting him outside, then placing parts of the strawberry along the ramp - if he goes "up" to get it, maybe he'll learn he should also use the ramp to come back out and get more (or vice versa, just a suggestion).

sorry I didn't see this earlier! I am not using a ramp. I was scared he would fall off the side or the dogs would knock it down, etc. I just put a cement paver that is almost as tall as the doorway outside of the door and he uses it as a step!

 

[sammi]

How funny. I wonder what took him so long to "like" his new room?

 

[Nay]

Reading this produces such nice visuals!! Wheres the photos to go along with??!

 

[janiedough]

lol sorry! here are some:

I have since had to put cinder blocks by his house so he doesn't go behind it. Lovely sulcatas.

This doesn't show, but I put a paver here that goes almost all the way up to the "stoop." I had a tile there to keep him in there for the first few days so he would feel secure and get used to it.