Need help, landlord issue with my Ball Pythons

Can anybody give me some advice on a touchy situation? I received notice today from my landlord today that due to a complaint by another tenant, I might not be able to keep my two Ball Pythons. Last week when switching over a load of laundry, I had my 1 year old female BP around my neck. While I was about to leave, another tenant entered the basement and began loading the washer. At this time my BP decided to raise her head and my neighbor realized I had a snake on my neck. She seemed scared of the snake so I hurried upstairs and put the snake in its cage, then went back and apologized for startling her. I found out today that she made a complaint to the landlord about the incident and the husband and wife that own the property are discussing whether or not the snakes can stay. I disclosed my snake ownership when moving into the apartment, but my small caged pets (also have a parakeet) we're not specified in my lease since they did not require a pet deposit. I have assured my landlord that BPs are not dangerous, my enclosures are secure, and I will not have my snakes in any common areas in the future. I can't afford to move, nor do I want to lose any of my pets. Like many pet owners, my pets are family and I care for them greatly. If anybody knows of anything I might be able to do or say to convince my landlord that the snakes should stay please let me know.

Now you know why it is generally frowned upon to bring our animals into public places outside of an exhibit or show where the public are aware that snakes, etc. will be on display.

An act like the one you did, harmless as it seemed to you at the time, could have provoked a heart attack from a weak elderly person; it's that serious.

Hopefully this doesn't spread to the point where legislation is placed in your area... it has happened before.

Chris

well since small caged pets are allowed in the lease there isnt anything they can do about it since they dont make noise or a mess and pose no threat to anyone. I would make it a point to reply to your landlord that it is allowed by the lease and doesnt have ANY impact on any of the other people living there. Just dont take the snake outside of your apt.

now as an example it would be like you complaining about someone having fish.

thats just my 2cents

#1.) This is going to sound harsh... I do not mean to affend you... but it was pretty stupid to have the snake out in public like that. You certainly weren't doing the snake any favors, and you obviously didn't do yourself any favors either.

#2.) If caged pets are allowed, and the landlord was aware of you having the BP in the first place, you shouldn't have anything to worry about.

#3.) Don't let the landlord bully you. There are a lot of vacant apartments out there right now. They want your business. If they try to bully you by saying you must get rid of the snakes or move, then call their bluff. Tell them that you will not get rid of your pets that are allowable by the terms of the lease you agreed to, and that you refuse to move. The burden will then rest on their soldiers to attempt to evict you if they so choose. The odds are they aren't going to do it... and if they do, so be it. Like I stated previously, there are plenty of vacant apartments out there right now. So much so that you will likely get a free month or at least discounted when you move.... so it may not "cost" you anything to move.

im in the same boat as you dude....my landlord came round to view my snakes in there encloseres and said if i put a lock on the doors they can stay so theres no way they can escape and cause havock on the rest of the people around



invite them around show that there friendly and show that they are at no harm to any one else



hope you get it sorted mate

Chris, I don't think he was looking for a lecture from you. Heart attacks, really? lol...
Maybe they should ban dogs and cats and Harley Davidsons, as I'm sure many people are deathly afraid of them as well. He has already admitted he made a mistake, and said he would not do it again.
I think your landlord would have a hard time kicking you out, considering he knew of your animals prior to signing the lease. You may want to check your copy of the lease to see if there is a pet policy anyway.
You have done the right things, appologizing to your neighbor. If your landlord
continues to push forward with eviction plans, you can offer him a pet security deposit of a few hundred dollars. I don't think you should have to do this, as he already had you move in and sign a lease already. You may want to see if you can discuss this with a lawyer so you know your rights. Good luck!

Check your lease and see what is says specifically about the caged pets and if there's anything in there about snakes. If they agreed beforehand that you are allowed to have them (and it's in writing) then you should be okay: remind them that THEY agreed to let you house the snakes there.

If anything, you can always move and keep the snakes. There's always places available, and personally I would move in a heartbeat if it came down to "remove the snakes and you can stay" vs "if you keep them you'll need to move" (I rent as well).

Also since your landlord knew about the animals when you moved in your lease allows it. that lease is a binding contract. And until it is up can not be altered in anyways. The only way for things to go wrong is if it goes to court and you get a judge that disagrees with the pets snake hobby

Just to clear up a couple things.

I'm not facing eviction over the situation.

My landlord is concerned that my neighbor may escalate the issue because she doesn't want the snake in the same building as her.

I'm mostly looking for good advice on explaining to my landlord and neighbor that the snake is not a threat to anybody on the property.

I live in an apartment myself. I am allowed to have my snakes here where I live but I agreed to never bring my snakes outside and expose them to anyone. I truly hopes this works out in your favor.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Toddnkaya

If your landlord
continues to push forward with eviction plans, you can offer him a pet security deposit of a few hundred dollars. I don't think you should have to do this, as he already had you move in and sign a lease already. You may want to see if you can discuss this with a lawyer so you know your rights.

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The theory behind pet deposits is to protects landlords from the expense caused by destructive pets. I would absolutely NOT offer additional money for an animal that does not pose this threat, especially since the pets were mutually agreed-upon when you moved in.

I would ask the landlord what exactly was the woman's complaint - that the snake LOOKED AT her? Would she have made the same complaint if your parakeet was on your shoulder? You've already made the commitment to keep them in your private space from now on, any other action by the landlord would just be prejudice.

Thanks, after the talk with my landlord, I have assured her in the future that there will be zero future incidents of my snake being in any public areas.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ballpythonluvr

I live in an apartment myself. I am allowed to have my snakes here where I live but I agreed to never bring my snakes outside and expose them to anyone. I truly hopes this works out in your favor.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by ballpythonluvr

I live in an apartment myself. I am allowed to have my snakes here where I live but I agreed to never bring my snakes outside and expose them to anyone. I truly hopes this works out in your favor.

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I don't know whether this was deliberate, but I love how you phrased this! After all, the people they are exposed to pose a greater threat than the snakes! ;)

My vet just got back to me offering write a letter explaining the temperament and lack of danger involved with my snakes. I'm hoping that the professional opinion will help sway things in my favor.

That's a tough situation, but I think the law would be on your side. They knew about them before you moved in and if you have to you can fight it or at least drag it out long enough that you can save up to move.

I don't believe that keeping snakes should be a dirty little secret with everyone afraid to take them out in public. There are lots of people terrified of dogs, but I'm still allowed to walk my dog up and down the street if I want, so why can't I take my snakes out? :rolleyes:

Honestly, I would just explain again that they are harmless and see if you can talk to your neighbor and help her understand a little bit better.

Good luck!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kinra

That's a tough situation, but I think the law would be on your side. They knew about them before you moved in and if you have to you can fight it or at least drag it out long enough that you can save up to move.

I don't believe that keeping snakes should be a dirty little secret with everyone afraid to take them out in public. There are lots of people terrified of dogs, but I'm still allowed to walk my dog up and down the street if I want, so why can't I take my snakes out? :rolleyes:

Honestly, I would just explain again that they are harmless and see if you can talk to your neighbor and help her understand a little bit better.

Good luck!

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Technically I didn't even take the snake out "in public" but rather a shared basement with our coin-op laundry. My female BP, Ayida, is usually on my neck relaxing while I do housework, I just happened to have her when I was collecting laundry from my basement.

I have never understood peoples fear/hatered of snakes. I love them, yeah they might bite but dogs bite and cats will scratch the everliving piss out of you, and its typically your fault if you get bit. also even if your ball decided to attack anyone it wouldnt be that hard to pull it off, even though that isnt ever going to happen.

The neighbor has a legitimate complaint in her view. Even if you say you'll never bring the snake out around her, she can always point out that you already did so. That negates the "locking cages" since you removed the snake from the cage and brought it into the communial area.

I think if you continue to calmly reassure her and apologize for scaring her and remind her over and over that it's completely harmless, she'll eventually huff and puff and shut up.

Legally, if your lease is on your side, you got nothing to worry about. So relax and continue to act calm and rational and professional about it. Let her look like the crazy woman, and you look like a mature responsible pet owner who's mystified why someone would get so worked up over a "pet" that couldn't run her down, wasn't anywhere near her and made no offensive moves. There's never ever in the history of the United States been a single case of a ball python killing a person.

I'd fear a budgie on your shoulder more than a python. Little buggers have pinchy beaks.

im pretty sure that if a landlord wants you out, then your gone.. theres really no such thing as a "binding contract" anymore... even if you do try to fight it, youll need an atorney $$$$$$.... and then, theres always the time that comes when you got to renew the lease. then your really screwed.
all the suden i got this ugly picture in my mind of that movie "kingpin"....
you know how he settled the score:O.
spooky

Honestly, it sounds like you've done everything you could have as well as possible. If its only one woman complaining - and it sounds like this is probably the first complaint about you anyway - since you already covered the existence and safety precautions of your snakes, and have behaved totally rationally, I think you'll be fine as long as the woman doesn't raise a major fuss or your landlord is a jerk. Just keep doing what you've done, maybe even ask the woman if you could have a sit down so she can talk to you, hopefully maybe ease her mind about the snake a bit.

Good luck!

If things don't go your way simply keep the snake and don't bring it outside your apartment. Your neighbor will never know and your landlord has no right to go in your apartment without your consent. When you arrange a time for a walk through jut put your enclosure out of sight. Its not like your snakes going to bark giving you away.....

In the mean time you can look for another apartment at your leisure.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Toddnkaya

Chris, I don't think he was looking for a lecture from you. Heart attacks, really? lol...
Maybe they should ban dogs and cats and Harley Davidsons, as I'm sure many people are deathly afraid of them as well. He has already admitted he made a mistake, and said he would not do it again.
I think your landlord would have a hard time kicking you out, considering he knew of your animals prior to signing the lease. You may want to check your copy of the lease to see if there is a pet policy anyway.
You have done the right things, appologizing to your neighbor. If your landlord
continues to push forward with eviction plans, you can offer him a pet security deposit of a few hundred dollars. I don't think you should have to do this, as he already had you move in and sign a lease already. You may want to see if you can discuss this with a lawyer so you know your rights. Good luck!

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If my dad ever sees mine coiled around my neck, he'll have a heart attack.
[he's also jittery about the Dobermann and the Harley, too...he hasn't seen the tats yet but I'm sure they're on his "Stroke Out List", somewhere]

Some people are just like that.

Raising me was hard enough because of the things I'd regularly drag home.
[name it, it's been dragged home]...LOL

When I was supposed to be helping him bail hay, I was chasing and catching corn, rat and black snakes in the field and playing with them.

Frankly, I'm surprised he survived my youth.

:D

Thanks to everyone for the support, I was having a literal panic attack about the issue earlier. A few hours and a couple Xanax later I'm feeling better about the situation. I think my vet's recommendation will do a lot for calming the landlord and now I just have to hope that my neighbor isn't a big pain over this. I get along with my neighbors son (adult living with her) and plan on seeing if he can talk some sense into her if I can't.

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That's absolutely ridiculous. Like some others have already said, don't let people bully you on this issue, simply because they are afraid of as harmless of a creature as our ball pythons. We shouldn't have to treat them as some dirty secret. I for one hate dogs, but have to put up with people having them out in public... So I think I have the same rights.

I had a similar situation happen to me, and I own my house. A neighbor kept complaining to me and the HOA about the fact that I had snakes, and then threw an absolute fit when she saw me talking a walk through our subdivision's park with a snake around my neck. Animal control showed up, didn't do a thing of course, because I was doing absolutely nothing wrong. I fought fire with fire. The next time that she (yet again) had her worthless mutt out running around with no leash (which actually IS illegal,) I called animal control and had it picked up. So she had to pay a hefty fine to go get it out, and the dog is also on record now. She sure hasn't made a peep about my snakes since.

Call it petty of me, but crap like that makes me see red. Ignorant morons need to be taught lessons.

I think it's bullhooey that you even need a letter from a vet explaining the snake's temperment and nature. If your landlord is so concerned about it why haven't they taken the time to see the snakes in person? That'd probably show them all they need to know about how "dangerous" they are.

And no that's not petty of you, that's just showing a retard just how stupid they are.

My neighbor had a change of heart and everything is settled for me keeping my pets!

Congrats !!!!:gj::gj::gj:

Now that I've had another chance to talk to everyone, it turns out the entire situation goes back to a previous bad reptile owner in the complex. The neighbor that I startled is scared of snakes, but fine as long as she doesn't see them. She called the landlord because when she lived in another part of the complex another tenant had lizards that kept escaping. From now on I'm fine, just have to keep them in the apartment or covered when taking them somewhere. So glad my wife was out of town for this so she didn't have to stress out about possibly losing her snake.

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