How far have you gone to keep your balls?

I figured this would be a fun topic.
How far have you gone to keep your balls?
Well here is my story. I Moved out of a house into an apartment. I left a deposit and was moving in the following week. I asked about pets and they said birds and fish were okay, but no dogs or cats. I figured caged animals were okay and non caged animals were not. A guy i know lived there and owns a snake so i figured it was no big deal....He recommended the apt. to start with. I moved all my snakes into the spare bedroom (80 or so) where the AC access closet resided. A few weeks later I found out snakes are not allowed. Also every 3 months the apt. maintenance guys would service the ac unit where the access happened to be in my snake room. So here is what I did. I sprayed every tub jet back in the front, hid all the cords, and kept a radio on every time they would have to change out the air filter. I did this for a year and a half. On the seventh filter change one of the maintenance guys looked in a tub and saw a snake. Needless to say I got a letter asking to remove all snakes and that there would be a check up in 48 hours. Luckily my sister moved in 6 months prior to this in a building next to my complex. I put every snake in a bag, filled 6 totes, and moved it all to my sisters. The Apt. Manager came by, saw empty tubs, told me he does not care but its a corporation rule and left. I moved all the snakes back, finished my lease and moved into a house.

How About You?

Joe Ellis

Once I graduated from HS...lived in a Duplex for 5 years during my undergrad. My room was in the basement where all my animals were, luckily the landlord looked as if he were around his 80's. Being said, he moved very gingerly and never ventured downstairs...lucked out there.

I would then move to an 2 bedroom apartment with my fiance as I attended grad school...the snakes got their own room. I had privacy blinds that I would setup in front of the racks if maintenance ever came thru...they never questioned them. Our apartment got bought by another company midway thru our lease. One day about 4 inspectors form the "purchasing" franchise came thru our apartment. I had a very contemporary looking paintjob...this kept their attention most of the time. At one point, one of the inspectors set his clipboard on top of one of my racks as he went down to tie his shoe. Moved out with the management ever finding out.

My final two years of grad school, my now wife and I rented out a home. Kept the snakes in the downstairs/basement. The landloard was fairly young and would stop by every so often. I would have racks setup in closets where I could shut the doors when he came, along with areas of the basement where he really had no need to go to...

With all of this...hiding a lot of snakes can be stressful. I never wanted my hobby to get my wife and I in trouble...possibly evicted. So I would stress greatly if I knew management was coming.

Well, I graduated in May...thus we moved out of the home. About a week before moving, we had a final walk-thru with our landlord. I knew this would be the last time I would have to hide my animals in such a manner. So on that walkthru...with a smile on my face...I told my landlord not to freak-out...and I showed him my entire collection. He wasn't too upset, more or less interested in it. He acted like it was no big deal....but then again we were going to be gone within the week.

Soooo...that has been my past 8 years of hiding my hobby. :)

This has probably been one of my longest posts...and for that reason, I am not proofreading. Going to go take the wife out for dinner now.

Fin.

i told my gf at the time i already had the op done :P

How far do I go? I do an extensive search for apartment complexes that will allow pets. With that list, I call all of them and ask basic questions, including what types of pets they allow. With the new smaller list, I go to each complex to see the apartments and talk to the managers. During this talk, I determine if they see snakes and reptiles as acceptable pets. I show them pictures of my snakes and enclosures to show that the snakes are 'small' and the cages escape-proof (for the most part). Usually, if you are up front and honest with them, they will have no problems. Get the acceptance of the animals in writing on the lease and there you are. No need to hide the enclosures or be nervous about maintenance coming over unannounced.

Now, that's not to say that I haven't gone to lengths to keep my animals. When we were preparing to move from Denver to Seattle, I had to write to a lot of folks to make sure my snakes would be allowed in WA, then I had to talk my dad into letting me keep them in his house. :P THEN I had to travel 1300 miles with the snakes (and my skink) in boxes on our laps in a moving truck. So, I've done quite a bit for my beloved pets. :D

lol i keep grass cutting to afford the nicer snake, i take in other people problem animals, still single, hid my first snake for almost a year from mom before she found our (now she looks at morphs she wants me to get) kept my grand parents and other familyin the dark for years lol. i am the only one theat was not scared of snakes in my family until my niece was born she grew up playing with them. lol and mom grew to like them.

I also most gotten shot at by a cop over a snake remvals once ( this was how I supplied my snake hobby by removing them from other poeple's houses lol. and suggest the snake away to them.

I joined and support USARK...

at my first apartment i was told any pets were allowed with a pet deposit. I paid the stupid $500.. *sigh* Moved in and was there about 6 months before they started doing monthly inspections. I didnt trust the managers (creepy older couple) so i video taped them coming into my apartment...and i SO wish i still that video because i heard them come in, talk about "whats in these tanks" and then a loud scream and an old creepy lady turn run like hell. At that time I only had two garter snakes... lol. I was given a 30 day notice to remove the snakes or get out. So i moved back in with my mom =P

Today.. I am very thankful to own my house hehehe