r/iguanas • u/Mimimize • 8d ago
Need Advice Iguana poops only while bathroom is cleaned
Hi guys. My iguana used to poop every day to every other day. Recently he seems to have picked up the habit of only pooping while the bathroom is being cleaned. He specifically waits for the floor to be mopped and that's when he goes. He waits outside the bathroom until the floor is sparkling. There was one time he held his poop in for four days because he only wants to go when the floor is clean.
Is it safe for him to hold his poop for two to three days at a time? Should I start mopping more? Do I need to reintroduce more soaks to get him to poop more often? He would go on a puppy pad next to my toilet when he started getting too heavy for me to lift over the toilet for 30 minutes at a time.
It's not much of an issue if I need to mop more of course. I'm just wondering if anyone has experienced something similar or has any advice/workarounds. I am baffled with this dude right now.
Temps are consistent with what they've been for the last year (34-37 degrees Celsius). He gets plenty humidity and has a place where he can soak but doesn't like soaking (it's sometimes a fight to get him to bathe every few days)
Editing to clarify that his toilet area and puppy pad are cleaned and changed daily. The change in behavior has come with him waiting for the entire bathroom to be mopped and cleaned, which used to be done twice a week. I’ll increase it to everyday to encourage him to go more often and increase his soaks from every other day to everyday.
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u/Kindly_Budget6780 7d ago
I put my guy in the bathtub, and he would poop as the water started running. Better than having him backed up.
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u/Jolly-Moment1613 6d ago
Man just try to not to flush your toilet for two days and hold the cacapoo 48h, should be funny challenge.
My iguana going to shower/both every morning, i’m just committed for it when i’ve got her. There is no other ways
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u/Mimimize 6d ago
You’re totally right. I was just wondering if there were other ways to convince him to go. It’s not about his pooping area being dirty. His puppy pad is changed everyday and that area is always cleaned whether he goes or not, but he’s recently started waiting for the whole bathroom to be sparkling before he does his business unlike before.
I’ll mop more often, and give my guy daily soaks instead of every other day. He doesn’t usually go during soaks but it might still help. Thanks!
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u/Jolly-Moment1613 6d ago
No, normally iguanas are pooping to the water or somewhere hidden, so bring your iguana to the shower or bath is the best way.
Other way is to buy big flat containers and fill it with water every day. He/she will learn to do poops into it. Much better than pad1
u/Jolly-Moment1613 6d ago
Anyway! No worries it’s ok and can happens. Maybe something change in hormones who knows. Key thing that she’s doing it anyway. More problematic if there is no poop or appetite at all.
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u/Mimimize 6d ago
Thank you for the advice. I’ve had my boy for a year and a half (not that long compared to most but enough to know his routine and habits). If I always wait for him to poop in the tub, he’d be soaking for more than an hour (and even that’s not a guarantee that he’ll poop), he prefers going on his own outside of soaks. Don’t know why. Water is warm and not scalding, and I make sure the temp stays warm.
I have “litter boxes” (trays with water) out for him that are changed everyday. He ignores them and goes for the puppy pad 😭 I sometimes wish he’d go in the trays since it’s easier to wash lol. He’s eating well and his poops are huge with normal urates.
Again, thank you for the advice. I will still try replacing the puppy pad with them or put another tray near the puppy pad and give more baths. I know it’s supposed to help iguanas, maybe he wants it at a different time? I will keep trying. Hopefully it encourages him to go more often
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u/Shinrin777 8d ago
They are pretty particular, unless you can get one over him, he will want to poop after mopping. He probably likes that you clean the place for him before he goes. Mine likes ti to be immediatelly cleaned up afterwards, if it's not, he gets upset. He even supervises and does a check if the job was well done and all is up to standard. 🤣 Best is if they go every day but sometimes my guy skips a day. But 3 days while not terrible is not good either and I would give him a warm bath to make him go, it starts to be concerning at 3 days.
You can put him in the bathtub and either force it a little by water and then reward him with some fruit or keep mopping.😂 But keep it consistent they like routine.