Re: How do you potty train an older iguana?

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Posted by Tricia Power on October 14, 1999 at 18:09:31:

In Reply to: How do you potty train an older iguana? posted by Ziggy's Mom on October 13, 1999 at 20:14:12:

If you want to try to tub train your iguana, put the ig in the tub with lukewarm water up to its chest level every day after it has eaten. Most animals will defecate shortly after eating so this is a good time to try it. The iguana will not like the bath at first and will likely try to get out ASAP ... but supervise the iguana and leave the ig in until it defecates. Ig's have been known to drown in the bathtub- so please take care not to fill the tub to any more than the ig's chest level and DO supervise your iguana. You might want to put some thing in the water - a rock, a log or branch, a floating scrub brush- something the ig can hang onto in the water, so that he doesn't feel as threatened by suddenly being thrust in this huge area of water. Eventually your iguana will get used to pooping in the tub and you can alter the time of pooping to something that suites both of you better perhaps.

I use some bleach in my tub after Napoleons bath to disinfect the tub. To disinfect the tub I use a capful of bleach solution in a water filled spray bottle and then I mist the tub thoroughly. I leave this solution on the tub for no less than 10 minutes, then I rinse the tub liberally with clean water.

If you don't like the idea of tub training your iguana and would prefer that it goes in a certain spot in a room or in it's enclosure I have heard of people water, newspaper and even litter training their iguanas. Luckily Napoleon took to water defecation right away and it was easy to train him for the tub.

If your iguana is in an enclosure and generally goes in the same spot, you can try putting newspaper or a large container of chest deep water in the enclosure in the place that the ig goes most often. Once the ig starts going on the material of choice (water, newspaper, litter box etc) you can slowly move the substrate of choice over to the place that YOU want the ig to defecate. This method should also work for free roaming iguana's as well.

Napoleon the Iguanas home page

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: : If you want to try to tub train your iguana, put the ig in the tub with lukewarm water up to its chest level every day after it has eaten. Most animals will defecate shortly after eating so this is a good time to try it. The iguana will not like the bath at first and will likely try to get out ASAP ... but supervise the iguana and leave the ig in until it defecates. Ig's have been known to drown in the bathtub- so please take care not to fill the tub to any more than the ig's chest level and DO supervise your iguana. You might want to put some thing in the water - a rock, a log or branch, a floating scrub brush- something the ig can hang onto in the water, so that he doesn't feel as threatened by suddenly being thrust in this huge area of water. Eventually your iguana will get used to pooping in the tub and you can alter the time of pooping to something that suites both of you better perhaps. : I use some bleach in my tub after Napoleons bath to disinfect the tub. To disinfect the tub I use a capful of bleach solution in a water filled spray bottle and then I mist the tub thoroughly. I leave this solution on the tub for no less than 10 minutes, then I rinse the tub liberally with clean water. : If you don't like the idea of tub training your iguana and would prefer that it goes in a certain spot in a room or in it's enclosure I have heard of people water, newspaper and even litter training their iguanas. Luckily Napoleon took to water defecation right away and it was easy to train him for the tub. : If your iguana is in an enclosure and generally goes in the same spot, you can try putting newspaper or a large container of chest deep water in the enclosure in the place that the ig goes most often. Once the ig starts going on the material of choice (water, newspaper, litter box etc) you can slowly move the substrate of choice over to the place that YOU want the ig to defecate. This method should also work for free roaming iguana's as well.

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