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Posted by IGUANA JOE on January 27, 2003 at 20:37:47:
In Reply to: Litter box training posted by LeopardGex on January 27, 2003 at 19:28:23:
Hey Tyler, welcome to the forum.
It is not too late to potty-train your iguana. After 2 or 3 years of age it may be more difficult, but since these are creatures of habit, it is almost never too late.
So, what steps to take? Though I've never litter trianed mine, (well, sort of) I can give you a few pointers.
- Iguanas often choose one or two places to defecate. Which means that once you figured out the spot most often soiled you can place the "litter box" (make it as short as possible, or the animal may choose to go somewhere else) and let his reptilian brain figure it out.
- Study your iguana's digestive behavior. Try to anticipate its "bathroom" schedule. Usually all animals poop in the morning. When iguanas (and other lizards too) have to defecate, they raise their tale, squat, and go *splat*. So as soon as you think he has to go, place him on the box, let it happen, and then praise him gently and reward with a treat.
- Some people use paper towels (like Bounty or Brawny) instead of litter boxes because all you gotta do is just throw them away. Much more hygenic and easy. Put a few layers and voila`!
- Iguanas, despite being lizards, can be intelligent to some extent. Therefore, it is not uncommon for some to recognize a litter box or a bunch of towles as the potty place. SO once it has become of habit for you iguana to defecate in any type of litter you create, chances are it will always use it.
Repetition, reward, and consistency. Do remember that they are not mammals, and so training may take longer than usual. However, I've seen cases of iguanas poop on command, on real human toilets (cool uh?) and almost always on a designated spot.
Just make sure the litter spot is at least a squared foot to give the animal ample space to poop, and not soil itself.
It is good to see that you wantto do this now at its early age, instead of later on. They are fantastic animals once the first few proprities are over with.
Let us know any progress!
Regards,
-IJ
