I will first state that young iguanas and hatchlings tend to poo more frequently throughout the day than adults. From my experience hatchlings to a year old poo about 2-3 times a day if not more and after that it slows down to one poo a day when they get to about 3-4 years old, again this is from my experience.
First off, add a large water tray into your iguanas enclosure, something they can fit their body in, it doesn't have to be deep. You can provide a second smaller dish for drinking near where you place your iguana's food dish if you are not available to change the water frequently.
Some iguanas take to going in the water right away, as an owner this makes your training a lot easier as it is already completed; get your iguana to go in the water, but you can switch to the tub or toilet if you want.
For iguanas who don't take to the water right away....
Iguanas are creatures of habit, they get into a routine and they like to be fed at the same time and as they get older will most likely go to the bathroom around the same time of day. When you have it figured out what time your iguana normally goes at you can make it easier for you. You want to catch your iguana prior to going to the bathroom in the enclosure and place them in a warm bath in the tub, water should only be a couple of inches (or up to the side of the iguana, doesn't need to be deep) the water will stimulate the iguana to go to the bathroom, if he or she holds it in, put them back and try again later.
This is where the creature of habit comes in, continue to do this routine and try to get your iguana each time it has to go, this will get your iguana use to going in water. So when your iguana is in his or her enclosure and they have to go they will look for water to go in i.e the dish you have provided.
Some iguanas may take longer than others to master this skill but stick with it and they will come around.
If your iguana goes at random times of the day it can be tricky but still achievable. You just may have to put them in a bath more often throughout the day and be more vigilant, pick up on your iguana body signs and movements when it needs to go. Or if they are going in the same spot in the enclosure that's where you need to put the water dish.
When things change for iguana their habit may change also. When Sassy was free roaming in the apartment I used to live in I would put her on the toilet around 1 each day and she would poo there. When I moved to my house and she got her own room I wasn't doing that anymore as she had a very large water tub that she took to using well. However the last month or so she stopped using it (unknown reason) so I have started her training at the beginning again with putting her in the tub, she has been doing well with training so far. So don't be discouraged if things change... it happens just start training again and keep going.
Now some people might like the idea of the iguana going on the toilet, it is really handy but only use this with iguanas who are large enough to span the hole in the seat safety, or make something to cover half the hole if the iguana is smaller. This can be easily achieved if your iguana is used to going to the bathroom in the tub. Here are the steps....
When a iguana is about to poo they get into a distinct body position and will do funny little movements with their back end... first you need to figure out what those are and identify at what point your iguana is about to go.
Secondly when your iguana gets it that position gently lift them up and set them on the toilet, you can continue to hold them over it to start if they don't want to sit on it right away. You iguana may at that point hold in their poo, if your iguana does that simply place them back in the water and wait for them to get ready to go and try again. When your iguana has to go bad enough he or she will go while sitting on the toilet. When you do this consistently your iguana will then associate the toilet with going to the bathroom and you should be able to skip the tub and set them right up there.
Here is the link back to the YouTube video
I will say this again BE PATIENT!!!! Your iguana my not pick up on it right away but if you keep at it your iguana will get the hang of it.
Robin.
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