Snakes During College?

Alright, so I have three reptiles at the moment, two snakes and a leo. Mom says no more until after college because my parents will have to take care of them during college. I understand that but...I can't see myself waiting six years to get another one. So, my question is, is there any way you can think of to convince mom otherwise? Or is it possible to sustain yourself and a snake during college? If it is I'm willing to either get one during college or bring one of them to college with me.

Easy, I didn't have any pets during college, other than fish. And I went above and beyond with my fish. I kept a 10 gallon with a single betta, a 20 long with five wild type mouthbrooding bettas (B. Simplex which can live together peacefully, males and females), and that was that. They were my kids, since non aquatic pets were not allowed in the dorms. My university requires dorm living for the first two years, no exceptions unless your parents live less than ten miles away. It is how they make their money.

Anyhoo, as soon as summer of junior year hit, I moved into a house with friends. Landlady was OK with pets (furred pets like cats required a pet deposit), and the rest is history. Plus, freshmen year, at least the first semester, is usually crazy. Maybe it was because I was taking 21 credits and was in Army ROTC, but I was glad I didn't have to worry about a pet other than my fish. I guess if your housing situation allows it, it could work. But also, if your parents are paying the bills, you really should do as they say. You may be a young adult, but as long as they are shelling out the shekels, they can make some ground rules. Also, will you have a car? Can you get life or f/t prey on a regular basis if needed?

It'll suck, but do not break rules in the dorms. You will regret it.

Talk to the RAs and Admin office. Where i went to college i explained what i have and they advised i could keep them as long as i had my own apt on campus or my own dorm room. Which i did and i continued to have snakes shipped on campus with no problems.

How big is the snakes you have?
Do you know your roommate?
My roommate and i have known each other for years
My roommate bought 2 snakes during the school year and had no problem keeping them in the dorm, they were "not allowed" but no one is allowed to just walk in your room and look around.
He just kept them in tupperware. We had friends come in our room all the time and no one ever noticed or thought anything of the tupperware.
Its not hard to do at all and then you dont need to pay for running the heat pad and etc.
So its easy... u should bring them or one of them with.

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Originally Posted by mgklug11

How big is the snakes you have?
Do you know your roommate?
My roommate and i have known each other for years
My roommate bought 2 snakes during the school year and had no problem keeping them in the dorm, they were "not allowed" but no one is allowed to just walk in your room and look around.
He just kept them in tupperware. We had friends come in our room all the time and no one ever noticed or thought anything of the tupperware.
Its not hard to do at all and then you dont need to pay for running the heat pad and etc.
So its easy... u should bring them or one of them with.

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Might want to re-read your living contract you signed when you registered for the semester. They are allowed inspections of the dorms to be sure theres no violations. They can either enter or leave notice on door

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Might want to re-read your living contract you signed when you registered for the semester. They are allowed inspections of the dorms to be sure theres no violations.

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Indeed, the dorm is University's property, you are merely a guest who is paying a pretty penny to stay there. In the dorm, you have practically no rights. If they even suspect there is a mL of alcohol is in the dorm, they can rip apart your entire room to find it.

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Originally Posted by Stacykins

Indeed, the dorm is their property, you are merely a guest who is paying a pretty penny to stay their. In the dorm, you have practically no rights. If they even suspect there is a mL of alcohol is in the dorm, they can rip apart your entire room to find it.

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Alcohol is actually permitted on most colleges campus as long as all living roommates are 21+.

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

Alcohol is actually permitted on most colleges campus as long as all living roommates are 21+.

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I am assuming the OP is not over 21, as most freshmen aren't.

They cant randomly search, you have to give them a reason to, and if you are dumb enough to leave your snake there over winter break, then you should get caught...

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Originally Posted by mgklug11

They cant randomly search, you have to give them a reason to, and if you are dumb enough to leave your snake there over winter break, then you should get caught...

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Yes they CAN randomly search your rooms, thats how they Catch you doing things in violation. They dont need a reason or suspect something to raid your room. I was an RA in college and we raided rooms once a week to once a month to keep the younger under 21s in check.

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Originally Posted by mgklug11

They cant randomly search, you have to give them a reason to, and if you are dumb enough to leave your snake there over winter break, then you should get caught...

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Not gonna derail any further than this, but college dorms do not work in a tenant/landlord sort way, where they need to give you notice before entering. It is more of a parent/child relationship, and any suspicion, even a pissy or vindictive neighbor who wants to say there was drugs, alcohol or a knife in there, whatever, can lead to total search. I had a friend get booted from the dorm because they found her millipede in its tupperware housing in her closet during a search for that very reason. And guess what? No alcohol was found, which was the reasoning for the search.

Well im glad i didnt go to your school.
The RA's are not allowed to do that where I go to school.
So it works out dandy.

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Originally Posted by Stacykins

Easy, I didn't have any pets during college, other than fish. And I went above and beyond with my fish. I kept a 10 gallon with a single betta, a 20 long with five wild type mouthbrooding bettas (B. Simplex which can live together peacefully, males and females), and that was that. They were my kids, since non aquatic pets were not allowed in the dorms. My university requires dorm living for the first two years, no exceptions unless your parents live less than ten miles away. It is how they make their money.

Anyhoo, as soon as summer of junior year hit, I moved into a house with friends. Landlady was OK with pets (furred pets like cats required a pet deposit), and the rest is history. Plus, freshmen year, at least the first semester, is usually crazy. Maybe it was because I was taking 21 credits and was in Army ROTC, but I was glad I didn't have to worry about a pet other than my fish. I guess if your housing situation allows it, it could work. But also, if your parents are paying the bills, you really should do as they say. You may be a young adult, but as long as they are shelling out the shekels, they can make some ground rules. Also, will you have a car? Can you get life or f/t prey on a regular basis if needed?

It'll suck, but do not break rules in the dorms. You will regret it.

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Yeah, I'm not going to fight it too much until I graduate high school. I may or may not have a car, since I plan on going to school in Philly so a lot of things are within walking distance. I can get f/t food online if there are no pet stores nearby. What's more expensive, fish or snakes? My dad takes care of our fish so I really have no idea.

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Originally Posted by mgklug11

How big is the snakes you have?
Do you know your roommate?
My roommate and i have known each other for years
My roommate bought 2 snakes during the school year and had no problem keeping them in the dorm, they were "not allowed" but no one is allowed to just walk in your room and look around.
He just kept them in tupperware. We had friends come in our room all the time and no one ever noticed or thought anything of the tupperware.
Its not hard to do at all and then you dont need to pay for running the heat pad and etc.
So its easy... u should bring them or one of them with.

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By the time I move to college, my ball python will be full grown and my rat snake will be pretty close. So 5 ft and about 6 ft. I don't know my roommate(s) yet because I'm about to start my junior year of high school, so most of us don't know what college we're going to yet. The school I WANT to go to doesn't have dorms, but they help to pay for nearby apartments. So I just have to find one okay with snakes, I guess.

I was an RA for two years. Where I went to school, every building ran things differently; some buildings had very vigilant RA's who were instructed to find violations and deal with them, while others were laid back and had a "deal with it if you can see it, smell it, or hear it" kind of attitude. I can't speak for all colleges/universities, but mine for sure had the right to kick you out for pets/offenses (which are all listed in the housing contract which you are required to sign before moving in). I don't want to break any bp.net rules by saying you should bring pets to campus (if there is a rule against saying such things), but I can advise you that you could get lucky with an RA who doesn't care or get unlucky with someone who is out to get you. You could get kicked out (no refund) and are forced to get an apartment mid-semester, which would screw up your life for a week or two while you balance eviction, finding a new place, and still getting good grades. You just have to weigh the pros and cons and decide for yourself. The other thing to consider is how to get food - easy, difficult? At my college, the pet store was a 30 min. busride each way, and this was in a large city. If you have a car, then it's a different story. I would definitely advise against breeding your own food - you run a much higher risk of being caught. Lastly, it is important to note that while I was an RA, we had the right to decide whether or not to call the police for offenses. If this happened to you and you got some repto-phobe (not a word, I know) that answered the call, what could become of your animals? Food for thought.

This is true...
good point

Well I'm not going to sneak my snakes in no matter what. I'll contact the dean or something beforehand and ask about bringing them in. If they won't allow it, they won't allow it and I'll look for an apartment that will allow them. And if that's not possible, then I'll just have to suck it up I guess....somehow.

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Originally Posted by SpartaDog

Well I'm not going to sneak my snakes in no matter what. I'll contact the dean or something beforehand and ask about bringing them in. If they won't allow it, they won't allow it and I'll look for an apartment that will allow them. And if that's not possible, then I'll just have to suck it up I guess....somehow.

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Im in college now and fortunately dont have to stay on campus so I have my own apartment. I have 6 ball pythons, a kingsnake, 7 geckos, a bearded dragon, a tortoise, and a retic. O and roaches lol. Every apartment complex I went to I asked if there was a fee or restrictions for my pets (all of them posted that a pet fee was charged). I told them I had reptiles and they said that they dont even consider them pets and that I didnt even have to write them down on my application. So if you do live off campus you shouldnt have a problem housing a few snakes without any extra fees. I went to over 10 apt complexes and they all said the same thing "reptiles arent counted as pets". I recommend living off campus! Most colleges overcharge anyway, I have a two bedroom apt all to myself for less than a dorm would be on campus :)

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Originally Posted by cstruthers

Im in college now and fortunately dont have to stay on campus so I have my own apartment. I have 6 ball pythons, a kingsnake, 7 geckos, a bearded dragon, a tortoise, and a retic. O and roaches lol. Every apartment complex I went to I asked if there was a fee or restrictions for my pets (all of them posted that a pet fee was charged). I told them I had reptiles and they said that they dont even consider them pets and that I didnt even have to write them down on my application. So if you do live off campus you shouldnt have a problem housing a few snakes without any extra fees. I went to over 10 apt complexes and they all said the same thing "reptiles arent counted as pets". I recommend living off campus! Most colleges overcharge anyway, I have a two bedroom apt all to myself for less than a dorm would be on campus :)

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First off at cstruthers: whoah hey! is that another Savannah, GA college student with reptiles I see?

Also I totally second finding a place off campus! I was lucky enough to have some friends who let me rent a room in their house and keep all my reptiles there and it has been an absolute life-saver and is going to save me lots of money in the long run.

If you're going to have them with you while in college, either in an apartment or wherever you can find that works, my recommendation would be to start saving up on supplies and extra money for feeders and such now.
College is expensive, between textbooks and everyday supplies (even more so for me being an art student, good lord, the paper alone is going to make me broke), it can add up really quick. Having a good reserve of money/supplies for buying new substrate or feeders will make things a lot easier during your transition to college life, and will let you focus more on making those good grades.

And snakes are super easy to care for anyways :) I think it should be a piece of cake!

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Originally Posted by Caskin

College is expensive, between textbooks and everyday supplies (even more so for me being an art student, good lord, the paper alone is going to make me broke), it can add up really quick.

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XD I'll be an art student too....oh boy, should be interesting.

As a college student, I'd say it all depends on your situation. I'm just going to keep it to two balls until I know I can support more. You have to remember that on top of text books and tuition and living expenses you'll have to pay for food and vet bills. Thankfully, snakes don't really get expensive until they're sick. I'd consider them one of the lower maintenance pets as far as I'm concerned. At least they're less work than my fancy goldfish were xD Geckos require more room, so I'm not so sure about that. But hey, live off campus and cheaply, you should be fine

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Originally Posted by Valentine Pirate

As a college student, I'd say it all depends on your situation. I'm just going to keep it to two balls until I know I can support more. You have to remember that on top of text books and tuition and living expenses you'll have to pay for food and vet bills. Thankfully, snakes don't really get expensive until they're sick. I'd consider them one of the lower maintenance pets as far as I'm concerned. At least they're less work than my fancy goldfish were xD Geckos require more room, so I'm not so sure about that. But hey, live off campus and cheaply, you should be fine

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Well I'm looking to trade the leo for another snake anyway, so I don't really need to worry about geckos. And my other snake should be feeding on smaller rodents than the ball anyway, I don't think it'll be too much of a problem. Maybe I'll take one up, then if I feel comfortable I'll swing back and pick up the other.

I go to WVU, and all I can say is make sure you're out of the dorms and in an apartment before getting another animal. One of my friends was actually kicked out of our dorm because of her ball python being found when maitenence was "cleaning her bathroom". How they were able to find a snake in a tub in her closed dresser drawer while cleaning the bathroom, well, I guess we'll never know. Anyways, it's easier to just wait until you're out of the dorm and either in an apartment that allows animals or one with a lax landlord. Our landlord doesn't know I'm living there (and not on the lease) let alone the 3 snakes we have in tubs under the bed because he's NEVER around.

Anyways.... If you're going to dorm, wait to get another snake, if it's not required and you can find an apartment, I would say go for it. As for money, I feel our snakes are alot cheaper than paying for a dog/cat. Buy some f/t rodents at an expo and you're set for a few months.

College and snakes can/does work out. Steve and I are even going to Japan for a year through school and are still able to have our snakes because we've made arrangements for someone to watch them and have bought enough f/t to last that entire year. They don't have to worry about paying for food, they just have to feed and clean every once in a while. (Perhaps this could be another option for you if you're required to be in a dorm room a certain amount of time.)

The girls across the hall from me sophomore year had two ferrets, which they kept in their closet when the RA would come in for inspection. Kind of a crappy thing to do to any animal, and they did eventually get caught. Then what happens to the animal?

Be thankful your parents are allowing you to have the reptiles you have. I wasn't allowed ANY reptiles growing up, and didn't get my first until 2005 when I was 23 years old, and that was a mere horned frog. My first snakes didn't come until I moved into my own house in 2006.

Why don't you try to get a job working for a pet store with a good-sized herp section while you get through college? You'll earn money and get to play with lots of unusual herps, and it will give you good ideas for once you do graduate and are on your own, with your own rules.

I go to TTU and now have 2 snakes with me. My family's the same...they don't really like snakes well enough to take care of them for me. I do agree with what was said earlier : you can't really get a snake in the dorms without someone finding it. If your dorm would allow snakes, I'd say go for it! But as far as I know, most don't...so just wait until you move out (it's cheaper anyway) of the dorms and then you can bring your lovely reptiles home with you!!!

You could try contacting any biology teachers in the school. You might be allowed to keep a few snakes in a classroom and stop by every few days for cage cleanings and feedings. Has anyone ever tried this?

im in college and i have 12 right now and plan on about 20 by breeding season. but i also have a house. its all about space and how much time/resources you have

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Originally Posted by SpartaDog

Alright, so I have three reptiles at the moment, two snakes and a leo. Mom says no more until after college because my parents will have to take care of them during college. I understand that but...I can't see myself waiting six years to get another one. So, my question is, is there any way you can think of to convince mom otherwise? Or is it possible to sustain yourself and a snake during college? If it is I'm willing to either get one during college or bring one of them to college with me.

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My advice is to pick a commuter-friendly school that allows its students [including freshmen] to live off campus. You then have all kinds of options between renting a place with some of your friends, or finding someone near by with a room to rent [especially the way the economy is a lot of people are trying to save on their bills by renting out their spare bedroom]. Just make sure any place you do pick is ok with snakes. You don't want to have to worry about eviction-type drama while you're in school.

Another option I would seriously consider is going to a school near where your parents live and live at home until you finish school. College is crazy expensive as it is, there's no real reason to increase your debt just for the shake of having a "college experience." Particularly since if you can't get a job within so many months after graduation that debt really becomes a burden fast. You can defer if you can't get a job right away, but with a lot of loans that just piles up more fees & interest to pay later. The less you need to take out the less stress you'll have after graduating.

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Originally Posted by SpartaDog

Alright, so I have three reptiles at the moment, two snakes and a leo. Mom says no more until after college because my parents will have to take care of them during college. I understand that but...I can't see myself waiting six years to get another one. So, my question is, is there any way you can think of to convince mom otherwise? Or is it possible to sustain yourself and a snake during college? If it is I'm willing to either get one during college or bring one of them to college with me.

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THANKFULLY I just recently had this experience. I actually got my first snake while in college, living in the dorms (not allowed haha). It was very easy to keep them in college (and I still am in college, just not a university anymore). Since they only cost roughly $4 or less a week to feed they made the perfect pets. My corn only costs a dollar a week. I bought my mice and rats from the breeder I got my corn, ball, and boa from so it was cheaper. Since you already have the equipment needed to care for them you should be fine. If you can't keep them in the dorms check to see if your roommate is cool with you stowing your little friend away. Either way, you'll be able to move to an apartment at some point and bring all your critters with you. I know my friends that still attend the university all have dogs, cats, sugar gliders, snakes, you name it. Reptiles (snakes especially) are easy to maintain while in school, which is why I ended up with my current small collection. :gj:

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Originally Posted by tiny_tiger60978

I go to TTU and now have 2 snakes with me. My family's the same...they don't really like snakes well enough to take care of them for me. I do agree with what was said earlier : you can't really get a snake in the dorms without someone finding it. If your dorm would allow snakes, I'd say go for it! But as far as I know, most don't...so just wait until you move out (it's cheaper anyway) of the dorms and then you can bring your lovely reptiles home with you!!!

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I had all four of my snakes in my dorms for a year and half and no one knew...
I had them in a rack under my bed (was raised). They had a light that I turned on in the mornings and off at night. I had some movable plastic shelves that were in front of the rack that I'd move if I needed to get to them. I was very good friends with the RD, ARD, and RAs and none knew that they were there. Even when my dorm had tons of people in it no one knew until I moved out and showed them. Not to mention that rooms were searched several times a semester. No one found them. ALSO, talk to your RA when you move up there. A lot of them have the "if I don't hear it or smell it and it doesn't get out, then you don't have it" attitude. At least at CSU it was like that. I had friends who had rats, mice, tarantulas, ferrets, rabbits, chinchillas, and hamsters in the dorms. At a no pet school... Now that I switched schools I can spoil my snakes (i got rid of the rack and bought them big cages). But it's up to you if you're willing to risk it. My parents were willing to care for them if I had gotten caught. I knew that if I was found that I would have serious consequences, but the "fish only" rule was killer. I couldn't relax with a gold fish after a stressful day ;)