My Buck Won’t Use His Cage Ladder, HELP!

[Rab&Bette]

Hi Everyone! I wonder if you guys can help me? I’ve got a recently bonded Doe and Buck pair and a two storey cage for them both. The lady who bonded them advised that I should keep them together on one level and gradually increase their space. I kept them on the bottom level for 4 days as advised and then opened up the storey above. My Doe was happy to go up but my Buck is scared. I then kept the both of them on the top storey for 24 hours whilst I cleaned the bottom. They made themselves at home etc and seemed okay. When I opened up the bottom again and put the ladder back in situ, both of them were cautious about going down again. They did eventually go down again (the Doe with a lot less encouragement than the Buck) but now only my Doe will go up. The Buck seems scared. I have tried putting food up there as an incentive but I am scared to leave all of the food/hay up there incase he doesn’t eat for hours on end. The Doe is happy to go up and down at her leisure.

Am I just being silly and should I just wait for him to get used to their surroundings? Or is there something I can do to get him to use both storeys and stop being scared to go up and down?

Thanks in advance ☺️

[Luna]

Would you be able to take her out of the cage for just a minute and try to see if he will go up to the second level for a treat? If he refuses, maybe it’s the ladder that he is not comfortable with instead of her. If he does go up there, then it might be that he does not want to invade her space. I would give them some time to get used to their cage, but definitely keep some food on both levels so that he has access to food if he does not want to go on the second level.

[Rab&Bette]

Hi Luna. Thanks for your reply. Happily, they’re are both now using the top storey, I think perhaps I just hadn’t given it enough time?

[Luna]

Good to hear

[Author]

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