Going away to college + my ball python

Haha, I had a dog in my dorm room when I was in college! My RA just pretended it was a big fish, which was allowed... You might want to keep your snake at home for a while and feel out the situation as you go... that's what I did, and I always got away with it. One word of advice..... do NOT shoot those little hard jelly beans out of your window with a sling shot across the courtyard into the windows of other dorm rooms, you WILL get into trouble for that....

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Originally Posted by Wallbanger

... One word of advice..... do NOT shoot those little hard jelly beans out of your window with a sling shot across the courtyard into the windows of other dorm rooms, you WILL get into trouble for that....

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Hahahaha....that's a good one! When I was in college, the dorm I lived in had a parking lot between the buildings, rather than a courtyard. Girls on one side, guys on the other. One day, some guys on the fourth floor decided to dispose of a bunch of very long flourescent tubes...by tossing them out the window. Very impressive explosive sounds and splatter patterns of glass! :P I'm assuming they got in trouble for that one, too! :colbert: ;)

I'm kind of in the same situation you are. Before I bought my snake, I called the college I'm going to and asked if I could have a snake in the dorm. The lady said it was ok and that people have reptiles and fish in the dorms a lot. Maybe try calling the school you're going to to find out what the rules are if you havn't already. I'm still kind of skeptical about what the lady said, but I guess I'll find out next fall:).

I took mine to college with me. Just get a bed skirt and keep it under the bed. Get to know your RA also so that way if you get caught, he may over look it. Mine did.

Yeah they aren't allowed to touch things in our rooms here either but if you are going to a school where they have problems they will look even when they aren't supposed. So many kids get kicked out of here after room searches for stuff that was hidden so just feel it out like someone else said and if it works for you then go for it.

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Originally Posted by Wallbanger

One word of advice..... do NOT shoot those little hard jelly beans out of your window with a sling shot across the courtyard into the windows of other dorm rooms, you WILL get into trouble for that....

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haha! now i miss living on campus. last year my RA who i despited set up those tiny 5-10 inch pumpkins outside all of our doors, and one night i kept on tripping on them so i decided "DEATH TO THE PUMPKINS!" and proceeded to gather them all up and throw them out my 12th floor window (no worries, it was 3-4 am, nobodys outside at that time except for hte smokers and they're on the other side of the building)

the next day we had a floor meeting to find out who did it. *whistling*

but as for the question on hand, i would recommend keeping it at home or living off campus.

There are several factors that you should consider before thinking about moving a BP (or any kind of 'illegal' animal) into your college dorm.

1. Is it allowed?
Like the other people in this thread have previously mentioned, it can't hurt if you call and ask. You can even block your number with *67 if you are paranoid.

2. Is your roommate okay with it?
Some people are deathly afraid of snakes. Others are not. If you have a roommate, then you need to make sure that your roommate is comfortable with it.

3. Can you (and possibly your roommate) keep a secret?
Although some RAs will turn a blind eye to certain activities (mine did), others may not. You will need to keep a secret at LEAST until you figure out what your RA is like, possibly longer if he/she is anal. I would definitely keep the secret from your hallmates until you get to know them better, and find out which ones are not likely to be snitches.

4. Do you have a backup plan?
You will want to think about a backup plan for your snake just in case you get found out, and they ask you to move the snake. I highly doubt that you will be forced to move out of the dorms... I'm not sure about a fine, though.


With all things considered, you probably won't want to use a 55 gallon tank. In a small dorm room, there is NO WAY you'll be able to conceal that thing. If you decide to take the snake to college after you considered all those factors, you might want to hold off for the first few weeks just to scout things out... but make sure you leave a good spot in the room for it.