PROJECT N°16
EASY CLEAN GUINEA PIG CAGE
Lorenzo De-Cesare, Oscar Williams
European School Varese
Via Montello, 118, 21100 Varese VA, Italy
S3 EN
Abstract
Key Words: conveyor belt, cleaning, guinea pig
As an owner of a guinea pig i can testify that they put out a lot of waste and it is very difficult to clean it
all, so this idea comes from home as an easy way to solve that problem.
Our idea is simple enough not taking too many rare materials or complicated ideas we hope by keeping it
simple there is less room for error. but at the same time we think whilst being quite simple it is still quite
innovative and helpful doing what machines were originally made to do, making life easier.
The basic workings of the idea is that there will be a conveyor belt on the floor of the cage wrapped in an
impermeable material so as not to be ruined. This conveyor belt using solar panels and a heat pump
working using the heat of the fermenting faeces down below will charge up and make one rotation every
hour, each rotation will be quite slow giving the guinea pig time to realize what is happening and react. On
the underside of the cage there will be a container for the poop easily accessible through the side of the
cage, a scraper that will be close to the side of the belt to get any poop that may have stuck as well as a
brush for anything that can squeeze past that. So as to have efficient and less stinky fermenting for the
heat pump when the conveyor belt makes a turn there will be a bar that essentially stirs the poop bringing
more of it up to be exposed to fresh air.
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1. Introduction
As an owner of a guinea pig i have first hand experience with the constant struggle that is, having to clean
their cage. Not only is it hard for the owner to remember and find the time to do it, but for every time
that the owner forgets the guinea pig is the one that has to take the fall having to live in an uncomfortable
and unhygienic cage.
So me and my friend decided to create a easy clean cage for mutual benefit of the owner and the guinea
pig.
We have done this by using a slow moving conveyor belt to move the faeces and pee into an easily
accessible container that can be removed easily in a matter of seconds. As well as this when the poop is
just sitting there it can be used as a small garden that will grow grass up for the guinea pig to eat.
This Guinea pig cage’s main piece is the conveyor belt powered through the means of a small solar panel.
2. Materials used
Engine:
A small engine used for moving blinds
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Conveyor belt:
The main piece that moves the poop from up top to down below
Wooden boards:
Used to assemble the main box
2 length 90cm height 30cm
2 length 60cm height 30cm
Pvc Sheet:
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This was used to make the poop slide down into a concentrated area that could easily have grass grown
out of it
9 volt Solar panel:
Used to power the motor
Screws & Hinges:
Used to assemble the boards
Copper wire:
Used to pass electricity from the solar panel to the engine
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Assembly
Steps:
1.Screw the boards together in a box shape
2.Put the pvc sheet along the bottom at a diagonal angle
3.Drill 4 holes in the side two on each side
4.Insert the motor into the box
5.Put the conveyor belt on the motor
6.Put the solar panel on the side
7.Put copper wires connecting the solar panel and the motor
3. Results
After finding the right amount of volts needed using a voltmeter and fiddling with the nonstick plastic
sheet which we decided to use a material of pvc. the cage worked fine and you could easily click the button
and it would dump the poop into the bottom half
4. Discussion
We originally had an idea for a circuit that would make the conveyor belt move with no assistance, but
decided to discard it for the more economic and less complicated approach of using a button. Also it is
not completely self moving because you have to use a box to move the poop but this could be fixed if the
pvc sheet after passing the garden would go straight to the garbage through a chute.
5. Conclusion
The guinea pig cage worked quite well and even though it is not automated it is leaps and bounds easier
than a normal guinea pig cage
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6. Acknowledgements
We would like to thank:
Science teacher, Simon Hiscock
Lorenzo De Cesare’s dad, Ricardo De cesare
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