Device and method of restricting animal litter movement

1. A device for a purpose of restricting movement of animal litter in an animal cage comprising:

walls, wherein the walls define three volumetric zones, each zone proximal to a floor in an animal cage:

an equipment zone,

an outside zone, and

a channel zone;

two or more baffles in the channel zone, wherein a height of the baffles is lower than a height of the walls;

one or more mechanical elements adapted to fit against an interior of animal age such that the device is constrained to a predetermined location in the cage;

wherein the channel zone connects the outside zone to the equipment zone free of walls;

wherein the three zones are open on top;

wherein the combination of sides of the animal cage and walls create a barrier around the equipment zone such that the only access, free of walls, between the equipment zone and the outside zone is via the channel zone.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

an equipment restraint in the equipment zone.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein:

the equipment restraint is adapted to hold a weighting scale.

4. The device of claim 2 further comprising:

a second equipment restraint in the outside zone configured to restrain in a predetermined cage location a piece of animal exercise equipment.

5. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

a weighting scale in the equipment zone.

6. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

at least one corner cut in a bottom portion of the device wherein the corner cut is adapted to fit against a curved interior corner of the animal cage.

7. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

an RFID reader in the channel zone.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein:

the channel zone is adapted to singulate animals passing through the zone.

9. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

a camera oriented to observe animals in the channel zone; and

animal identification software adapted to identify animals, responsive to an output from the camera, in the channel zone.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein:

the walls comprise a wall height adapted to permit an animal in the animal cage to climb over the top of the wall.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein:

all three zones are open on their bottom, when the device is free-standing outside the cage.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein:

the device is open on its top such that a camera suitably positioned at a top of the animal cage has a view of an animal in all three zones.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein:

the device is monolithic, and

wherein the device is adapted to manually lift in an out of the animal cage without the use of tools.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein:

the device is adapted such than all equipment restraints are adapted to removably accept suitable equipment without the use of tools.

15. The device of claim 1 wherein:

the device is sterilizable to a level of sterility appropriate for use in vivarium animal cages.

16. The device of claim 1 further comprising a vivarium, wherein a plurality of cages in the vivarium surround the device as limited by the elements in claim 1 .

17. The device of claim 1 wherein,

the device is in an animal cage in a vivarium.

18. A method of using the device of claim 1 in an animal cage comprising the steps:

placing the device in an animal cage;

placing litter in the animal cage, in the outside zone;

placing an animal in the animal cage.

19. The method of claim 18 comprising the additional step:

placing a scale in the animal cage, in the equipment zone;

weighing the animal.