Curious Paws - Circuit Board Treat Puzzle

Give your pet a dose of mental stimulation with this slider puzzle inspired by a 74HC08 AND gate circuit. When the “gates” are misaligned from the terminals, the treats are hidden beneath them. Your pet will have to sniff out the reward and slide the gates into place to uncover their snack.

Some light assembly is required and while it should stay together on it's own, two spots for bolts have been included in case you have a particularly energetic pet. It is designed so that it can be disassembled and cleaned without damage, I don't recommend adding a snap connection.

The base is interchangeable and locks in with other designs in the series, such as molecular structures or the nautilus shell, so you can mix and match your setup for a customizable enrichment system.

While coating isn’t strictly required, if you plan to use these regularly for food, I recommend sealing the prints with a food-safe resin to reduce bacterial growth in the natural pores of FDM prints. I typically apply a thin coat with a disposable brush and whichever food-safe resin is most affordable at the time of purchase.

For printing, supports are required on the AND gates, but the remaining components do not need them. The uploaded print profile includes a programmed pause on the top circuit board layer so you can swap filament colors for the uppermost details and achieve a multi-color finish.

Other designs in the series.