Hiding my ball python in a dorm?

Though I'm not going to for a few years, I've just been thinking about what I'm going to do with my animals if I decide to live in a dorm.

As an animal lover, I know I CAN'T live without my pets. And I know I probably won't be able to hide my dog, cat, ferrets, or rats. I could most likely leave those with my parents.
So that pretty much leaves me with my fish and my ball python. My mother definitely wont want to watch over my python. He's my baby. And they live for like 30 years, i'm really excited to have a pet that will be with me for such a large chunk of my life. I refuse to give him a new home or live in a lonely dorm with no pets.

So I was just wondering, how hard would it be to hide him? what could I do to hide him?
Just planning ahead, haha (:

It's good that you're thinking ahead, but it's definitely not an easy thing to do. I did it with 6 of my ball pythons. One was in a 15-gal tank, the others were in tubs. You really can't do it without the full consent of your roommate(s). I asked my roommates before I even bought my first snake 6 months before we moved in if they would be okay with it. And even then, after a year of living with my snakes, there were several times in which they threatened to have them removed while I was away. At that point, I moved out of my room and lived 20 minutes away at my friend's mom's house to protect my snakes. Not trying to scare you, but want you to really think about the fact that it's not an easy thing to do. On that note, they also got me through the toughest year of my life (I only had them during my senior year). There's nothing like taking a break from the hell of studying and just having a moment holding your snake. Best stress relief ever.

However, if your future school is like most schools in the country, you will not have a car for your first year (some places, like where I went, you wont be able to have a car until your junior year). How will you get to the nearest pet store easily when you run out of mice/rats? What if the snake ever got out? My school had cleaning ladies come into the rooms weekly along with monthly health and safety inspections - all times when I had to make sure everyone was hidden. There were times when things in the room broke and repair guys had to come in to fix them when I wasn't there - queue the frantic calls to the roommates to make sure my kiddos where out of sight or sprinting to the room between classes to do it myself.

In addition, it was absolutely critical to me that no one outside my roommates and one or two trusted friends knew my snakes existed. These animals' lives are in your hands, so it's up to you to make sure they wouldn't be caught and confiscated or whatever might happen (I don't have a clue - hopefully they'd just tell you to get them out and you'd take them right back home and pay your parents lol)

Anyway, I didn't mean for this to be a huge intimidating chunk of text, just want to get the gears going in your head. Very good thing you're starting to think about it now, but the fact that you are trying to "hide" something forbidden is an indicator that you know it's wrong :P And fish shouldn't be a problem. Most schools allow freshwater tanks 10 gal and under.

Very good advice!! I wouldn't recommend trying to hide it. We had a cat in our room and when we were living in off campus housing... Totally got busted. My roommate had to pay a huge fine and immediately arrange to have her cat taken home. I know cats are a bit more conspicuous than snakes, but trust me, they'll find out.

The girls across the hall freshman year tried to keep a turtle in the closet. That lasted about a week lol. Maybe you can go to a school that's close to home and commute? Or if you have someone who's near the school that can house your snake babies for you?

It's definitely a safer bet than having to scramble when you need to get rid of your snake, only to find that no one will take him in. Just my .02

There are some schools that have "pet dorms" where they allow you to have certain animals. Its definitely something to check for with your school. I was reading an article about dorms that allowed catss and small dogs and such. Just my little tidbit of info. Good luck however you choose to go.

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Originally Posted by hylian

So I was just wondering, how hard would it be to hide him? what could I do to hide him?
Just planning ahead, haha (:

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My honest first thought is, when you get caught. How are you going to make other honest reptile keepers look?
You know what the rules are and will be working harder to circumvent their rules instead of doing things right.
What happens if you get caught and possible booted out?

I wouldn't do it... Be too stressful keeping it hidden from visitors.. during inspections.. Roommate constantly having an upper hand. No Ty. Might could say u need your snake for anxiety and the college will have to let you keep it. Kind of a thing now. Some girl recently sued the hell out of hers for not letting her keep her comfort guinea pig.

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Originally Posted by Otolith

Some girl recently sued the hell out of hers for not letting her keep her comfort guinea pig.

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What is this world coming to???
Her parents need to beat the snot out of her a couple mote times.:mad:

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Originally Posted by hylian

Though I'm not going to for a few years, I've just been thinking about what I'm going to do with my animals if I decide to live in a dorm.

As an animal lover, I know I CAN'T live without my pets. And I know I probably won't be able to hide my dog, cat, ferrets, or rats. I could most likely leave those with my parents.
So that pretty much leaves me with my fish and my ball python. My mother definitely wont want to watch over my python. He's my baby. And they live for like 30 years, i'm really excited to have a pet that will be with me for such a large chunk of my life. I refuse to give him a new home or live in a lonely dorm with no pets.

So I was just wondering, how hard would it be to hide him? what could I do to hide him?
Just planning ahead, haha (:

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Ok, so pretty much everyone on this site is an animal lover. That being said, anyone CAN live without a pet for a year. It isn't like you won't go home on holidays, or possibly even weekends, depending on the distance. "Lonely" dorm? Have you been in a dorm? The entire premise is 20-60 people per floor that you are around day in and day out. If you want to plan ahead, go to school close to home where you can drive/bus back on weekends to take care of your own animals. Or, discuss care with your mom ahead of time and determine what she is and isn't willing to do. My mom was never a fan of snakes, but she cared for my boa and my brother's burm until we could get apartments and take care of them ourselves. It isn't like a BP is a high-maintenance animal. Or, choose a school that doesn't require students to live on campus freshman year (although it will probably be a more expensive living arrangement), and take all of YOUR animals with you, even though I personally feel that a lot of the college experience is lost if you don't spend any time in a dorm, simply because of all the people you would not otherwise meet your first year.

Yeah 40k.... ridic :p http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/2854661 Schools should have separate animal dorm from people with phobias/allergies imo so no one is made to feel uncomfortable.
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Originally Posted by Otolith

Yeah 40k.... ridic :p http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/2854661 Schools should have separate animal dorm from people with phobias/allergies imo so no one is made to feel uncomfortable.
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Or people should respect the "no pets allowed" rules posted in the dorm, and OBEY them. Apply for off-campus (non-campus) housing if you "can't live without" a pet. I had a cat, a dog, a boa, and a guinea pig when I left for school and smuggling them in was never even considered an option. What kind of parents are okaying this, anyway? It isn't like they don't know, when it's a pre-existing pet!

You can't hide anything in a dorm. They used to do room checks at mine and one time they found a candle and confiscated it. The wick had never even been burned. Plus, if you and your roommate have a falling out over who ate that ramen...and you will...guess what ammunition they have against you??
In addition to all of that, college is fun! Go make friends, take roadtrips, take too many hours, learn lots of stuff, work crazy hours...you'll be too busy to take care of them anyway! A good kind of busy! :)
You can totally live without pets. You'll be a different person when you graduate anyway. You might be interested in something completely different by then.

This made me laugh, I did it.

The rule in the dorm that I live in was that none of the staff were allowed to open anything in our rooms. So I built a cabinet and kept the snakes inside. I put a black curtain infront of it so that when I was hanging out in the room I could open the curtain, but thwne the staff were doing room checks I clould close it. I live in the dorm for 2 years without any issues.

I'm at work now, but If I can remember I'll post a photo of the setup later tonight.

For most colleges (all the ones i know of personally) the rule is that the RA cannot open or uncover anything in the room. My friend had a microwave that he just kept a towel over when it wasn't in use. I'm not suggesting anything by this, just stating the rules (at the schools that I know of).

Since you have a few years, start investigating to see if there are any colleges that permit a small reptile or fish to be kept in the dorm rooms. Your only other real option is off-campus housing and a landlord who allows pets.

Bad idea.

If you go home for every holiday, you can actually manage to go home about every two months. If you only go home for the big holidays, that's still only 4 months away, which, given how occupied you'll be during that time, wont seem like very long, and given how many people you'll be living around, you're not likely to get lonely, unless you're not a very social person, in which case living in a dorm might not be for you.

It's going to suck for many reasons. Stress, social hinderance, and living peacefully with your roommate.

If you get caught, the consequences will be bad for you, and probably bad for the snake as well.

After doing the dorm thing for a year, most people decide they've had enough and do everything they can to get their own place for the next year. Maybe cut out the middle-step and just find your own place. Most landlords I've dealt with are fine with snakes.

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Originally Posted by Drift

Maybe cut out the middle-step and just find your own place. Most landlords I've dealt with are fine with snakes.

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This, really, really this. When I've searched for apartments in the past, one of my primary concerns has been ensuring that the apartment management is ok with my reptiles. I have *never* had a problem once I've made it clear that they're not free roaming and don't generate any odors. Also, apartments, at least in my experience, tend to be cheaper than living in the dorms anyway (presuming a reasonable number of roommates to split the rent cost), so it's a double benefit.

On a separate note, I think we need a sticky "don't try to smuggle your reptiles into housing that prohibits them" thread, as this subject comes up on a pretty regular basis.

I did it with two rats, a salamander, fish (those were allowed though), a turtle (short term for a friend), a hamster, & a rabbit.

So it is possible. But it can and can't be under different circumstances. I was supposed to have an assigned roommate but she ended up going to a different school so I had a room to myself, if I didn't I probably wouldn't have been able to do any of that lol. But look into schools where you can apply for single room dorm living, it's so nice because you can have all the fun on the floor and all, but then be alone when you want too.

And yes that's right they can't dig through your stuff unless they find a reason to (the example given to us was paraphernalia sitting out or alcohol bottles) And our cleaning people couldn't step onto the carpet area, we were also given schedules of when they would be there. So I turned my desk to where it was facing the door and put my hamster on the other side of it and I raised my bed up a few notches, made a curtain, and put my rabbit under there When I knew they were coming. I had a few people that knew about my pets, a few with depression issues and it helped them so much through the year to come chill with my animals, me included. So there is something in saying you feel like you can't live without them. But do remember if worse comes to worse you can of course.

Look into colleges close by to if you're really worried about it. Then you can just head home on the weekends and care for him, however if you're home every weekend you're missing some good parties haha. I would also recommend if you do decide to move forward, wait a week or two to get the feel of how your dorm floor works. You could also buy a small two snake rack system or make one, I've seen them for sale at some shows. That would be EXTREMELY easy to hide. No lights :p

That's all I can think of right now, best of luck (: remember everyone's experiences are different and yours will be too.

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8. No posts promoting illegal behavior will be tolerated, including but not limited to warez/pirating of copyrighted material, illegal drug or alcohol usage, and illegal ownership or trafficking of species.

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I personally feel that this all falls under the above. Dont do it, its not legal, per your school regulations or whatever, not worth it, dont need it making the news somehow, giant python loose in college dorm.... sell it, find someone to care for it while your at school, get an apartment. Sometimes you have to accept the hard facts of life.

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Originally Posted by eatgoodfood

I personally feel that this all falls under the above. Dont do it, its not legal, per your school regulations or whatever, not worth it, dont need it making the news somehow, giant python loose in college dorm.... sell it, find someone to care for it while your at school, get an apartment. Sometimes you have to accept the hard facts of life.

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I agree completely x10000% - I don't think this thread should have been allowed to continue with so many people advocating for people breaking the rules (illegal according to school policy).

I do not think we, as a community, should be advocating to break or bend rules just to keep our pets with us. If we are caught, not only does it open up the door for fines, getting kicked out of school, trouble with the law, but it also looks bad on the rest of the community. It's hard for people to appreciate our hobby when all they see are the people who are trying to bend the rules (this goes for people shipping USPS, shipping burms and other species stated on the Lacey Act across state lines, etc.). Already our rights to own our precious snakes are being threatened and I would not want to add more amunition to our opponents. Follow the rules and take proper care of your animals so people will see this hobby is not bad and we can continue to keep our animals.

As with what others have said, if you HAVE to have your snake with you, find a pet dorm, live off campus in an apartment/house that will allow reptiles (don't sneak them in there either), or live close to home so you can commute or come home on weekends to care for your animals.

Think about your actions and how it reflects on all of us as hobbyists.

You need to find off-campus housing. This is only one of the inconveniences/sacrifices you signed up for when you got the snake. If you really believe that you are going to have this snake 20-30 years from now no matter what happens in your life, then this is going to be a good experience for you because it's minor compared to what's probably to come.

You'll probably have to choose between the snake and a boy/girl at some point. Not everyone is going to want to hang out with snakes, and some people won't enter a building where they're housed. What if you're offered a life changing opportunity somewhere along the line and the snake can't go (like, say, going to college)?

Trust me, you aren't going to be able to hide it for the 30 years you think you're going to have it. Even if you could, it's stressful to deal with. I'm sure most of us have done something like what you're considering. In addition to asking how to get away with something like this, you should also be asking what a pain in the ass it is to try to make sure no one finds out. You're going to wonder if your roommate's showing someone when you're in class (he/she probably is). You're going to spend time trying to figure out how to sneak food for it in. Every day, probably several times a day, something about that snake is going to cause you concern or stress or something of the sort. I know, it doesn't seem like a big deal to devote your life to hiding your snake for a year, but these situations will arise again during your lifetime.

I'd suggest off campus housing if you can make it happen. If you can't, then you should at least consider the idea of finding the snake a good more permanent home. Don't put yourself and your friends/roommates through the headache of trying to hide it in a dorm. It's fun for the first week, after that it sucks.

Breaking a dorm rule is not breaking the law. Rules and laws are not the same thing.

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Originally Posted by Rickys_Reptiles

Breaking a dorm rule is not breaking the law. Rules and laws are not the same thing.

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But both can get you kicked out of your place of residence, and sometimes get you kicked out of school.

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

But both can get you kicked out of your place of residence, and sometimes get you kicked out of school.

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yeah, I agree. But the rule #8 above is in reference to breaking the law. It doesnt apply to breaking a dorm rule as far as I know. I'm not a mod though, so a mod will need to make the final say. I assume a mod has already seen this thread though, and has already decided that rule #8 doesn't apply or the thread would have been closed already.

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Originally Posted by eatgoodfood

8. No posts promoting illegal behavior will be tolerated, including but not limited to warez/pirating of copyrighted material, illegal drug or alcohol usage, and illegal ownership or trafficking of species.

I personally feel that this all falls under the above. Dont do it, its not legal, per your school regulations or whatever, not worth it, dont need it making the news somehow, giant python loose in college dorm.... sell it, find someone to care for it while your at school, get an apartment. Sometimes you have to accept the hard facts of life.

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As stated, there are no LAWS being broke.;)
Rules and laws are different.

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

As stated, there are no LAWS being broke.;)
Rules and laws are different.

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You are right, and thats why I said that I PERSONALLY feel that if falls under that, because well, where do we draw the line. Anyway was my opinion, I figure you or someone else would have stepped in if you felt it was out of the forum rules. But anyway, its still wrong, you still shouldn't do it, I think a fair number of other members have outlined a good number of reasons why its a bad idea. If you think its ok to break the little rules, the next thing it will be is more rules, bigger rules, laws... maybe not, but you could be heading down a bad road, plus why attempt to ruin your college time when its barely began.

I wouldn't recommend it. But, if you were going to try, make sure the risk is worth the punishment--assume you'll get caught going into it, and assume you'll have a nasty room mate. Also, I would definitely use a 28qt tub, you'd have an easier time finding a place to stash it. Maybe you can make a piece of furniture that hides one... or just have a bed with enough room underneath it. I can definitely see problems with the room mates though. I wouldn't trust many people to be in that situation with my snake(s) in the same room in a college dorm. Many people are immature when starting college, and they don't know how to respect other people and their property.

This was my situation:
I grew up surrounded by tons of animals and very few people so my pets are quite numerous and my social skills pretty poor. The University I attended forced all freshman(unless they lived with an immediate family member) to live in the dorms and they allowed only a small aquarium(I think 5g or less) with fish and nothing else in the room(which was about as big as a match box). I wasn't able to take any pets(the only animal I could have taken was a horse but I didn't have my own trailer; my Great Danes, cat, deer, etc, would have been spotted right away haha) and I found myself very miserable and depressed. I did go home as often as I could but I ended up leaving during my second semester because I couldn't stand the people I lived with anymore(though I did have the absolute best room mate ever) and I'd rather be happy then depressed for four year just to have a degree that probably wouldn't have been of any great use later in life. If I'd have had a small animal, like a snake, I'd have definitely tried to keep it in my dorm. Our RA actually told us that if we had anything we weren't supposed to have to put it in the closet and shut the door because they were not allowed to open it. I did have my own vehicle but it was quite a long walk to/from the parking lot so I would have been able to get supplies but getting them in would have been a bit hard, but not impossible. So, yes it would have been doable but it would have taken quite a bit of work.

As for if you should actually try it or not, I would suggest to try and find a way to do it that doesn't break any rules first and then go from there. See if you can find a school where you can have your snake in your dorm, or one where you can get off campus housing. If you can't(like I couldn't), see if you can take all your freshman classes(or enough classes to complete the 'years' where you'd have to live on campus) online while living at home, if your parents are OK with that; the majority of freshman are there to party and mess around(in my experience), you won't miss that much. If there is nothing you can work out with housing and you resort to keeping your snake against the rules, make sure you have everything planned out ahead of time; roommate's consent(or even better, a single occupant room set up), a place to hide him/her, and food being your biggest priorities.

No matter what you end up doing, I wish you and your snake the best of luck:gj:

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As an animal lover, I know I CAN'T live without my pets

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I am an animal lover (was raised around them and now my house looks like a zoo) however I can tell you that I spent the first 10 years of my adult life without any pet as I was travelling and living from country to country.

If you love animals now you still will love them in 1 , 5 or 10 years.

Sometimes you need to be patient to get what you want and do it the right way, what you are talking about is going against the dorm policy and while you may not like it you need to respect that policy.

If you were to get caught not only could you be kicked out but your story would also without a doubt reflect negatively on reptile owners as a whole. We as reptile keepers are under great scrutiny and whether it is a company policy, school's rules, or even laws we should strive to abide by them so we do not give more ammunitions to those that wish to take those animals away from us.

You are an animal lover then be a RESPONSIBLE owner.

I would very strongly suggest following everyone's advice. I did it because I was stubborn at the time and wouldn't let anyone dissuade me. Yes, it was nice to have them, but it added another level of stress that you really don't need while you're trying to experience college. Give yourself the courtesy of having the freedom to enjoy your social life, not have to stress about hiding them, feeding, etc. It's just too much. I also racked up vet bills with a sick snake that I couldn't afford, including rushing back and forth to the vet's office between exams.

It's just not worth the risk. I did it, but it wasn't easy. There were far too many close calls. Believe me, I understand how hard it may be to leave your snake at home. I would encourage you to have a mature discussion with your parents and explain your situation and your desire to ensure your snake's proper care while you are away. It may encourage them more that you are not trying to push your responsibility onto them, but have only your animal's best interest in mind. But, don't expect your parents to willingly take on your snake's care. It's not their responsibility.

Full disclosure, having my snakes with me destroyed friendships and caused immense stress on top of a heavy work load. Take your fish with you - they are just as calming to watch and enjoy as your snake would be. And they're allowed ;)

I guess I'm a rule breaker. Sorry for being a bad role model :colbert:

As previously mentioned, this was my tank:
http://i750.photobucket.com/albums/x...psffd72ba6.jpg

Sorry for the poor quality image, we didn't have 14MP cameras back then ;)

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Originally Posted by Zuma22

It's good that you're thinking ahead, but it's definitely not an easy thing to do. I did it with 6 of my ball pythons. One was in a 15-gal tank, the others were in tubs. You really can't do it without the full consent of your roommate(s). I asked my roommates before I even bought my first snake 6 months before we moved in if they would be okay with it. And even then, after a year of living with my snakes, there were several times in which they threatened to have them removed while I was away. At that point, I moved out of my room and lived 20 minutes away at my friend's mom's house to protect my snakes. Not trying to scare you, but want you to really think about the fact that it's not an easy thing to do. On that note, they also got me through the toughest year of my life (I only had them during my senior year). There's nothing like taking a break from the hell of studying and just having a moment holding your snake. Best stress relief ever.

However, if your future school is like most schools in the country, you will not have a car for your first year (some places, like where I went, you wont be able to have a car until your junior year). How will you get to the nearest pet store easily when you run out of mice/rats? What if the snake ever got out? My school had cleaning ladies come into the rooms weekly along with monthly health and safety inspections - all times when I had to make sure everyone was hidden. There were times when things in the room broke and repair guys had to come in to fix them when I wasn't there - queue the frantic calls to the roommates to make sure my kiddos where out of sight or sprinting to the room between classes to do it myself.

In addition, it was absolutely critical to me that no one outside my roommates and one or two trusted friends knew my snakes existed. These animals' lives are in your hands, so it's up to you to make sure they wouldn't be caught and confiscated or whatever might happen (I don't have a clue - hopefully they'd just tell you to get them out and you'd take them right back home and pay your parents lol)

Anyway, I didn't mean for this to be a huge intimidating chunk of text, just want to get the gears going in your head. Very good thing you're starting to think about it now, but the fact that you are trying to "hide" something forbidden is an indicator that you know it's wrong :P And fish shouldn't be a problem. Most schools allow freshwater tanks 10 gal and under.

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Thank you for being one of the few people who didnt freak out on me (:

I would think if there's any way possible to live off-campus, then do that. Maybe you could split rent with a roommate who is cool with reptiles, or has some of his own. In the long run, you will be less stressed of something happening to your pets. I know I would be crushed if something happened to mine.

Haha I hid mine for 2 years. I screwed wood onto the sides of my racks and put a door with a lock on the front. Simple as that. Nobody knew the difference just thought it was a cabinet

Please do not.

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Originally Posted by zach_24_90

Haha I hid mine for 2 years. I screwed wood onto the sides of my racks and put a door with a lock on the front. Simple as that. Nobody knew the difference just thought it was a cabinet

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That's pretty ingenious! Lol

Do we (speaking of members of the community) really want to encourage behavior that involves breaking rules/activity that is against regulations??

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Originally Posted by kat_black181

That's pretty ingenious! Lol

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Haha yeah thanks it worked great.

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Originally Posted by Mephibosheth1

Do we (speaking of members of the community) really want to encourage behavior that involves breaking rules/activity that is against regulations??

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Man come on get over yourself already your "i can do no wrong" attitude is getting really old. We don't need you policing the forums we have already established that. Your not an admin, your not a mod. I never said "do this" I simply said what I did.

Opinions can be voiced
i don't want someone's actions at one school to affect my ability to own snakes.

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Originally Posted by hylian

Thank you for being one of the few people who didnt freak out on me (:

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No one is freaking out on you people are pointing out the reality of what you are planning on doing, and instead encouraging you to be a RESPONSIBLE owner.

The actions of one person when it come to reptile ownership, rules and laws reflects not only on you but also an entire community.....read the news lately?

Do YOU want to be the next headline "Local authorities called to ? University, so many Ball Pythons ceased from dorm room"

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Originally Posted by Mephibosheth1

Do we (speaking of members of the community) really want to encourage behavior that involves breaking rules/activity that is against regulations??

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The guy is probably gonna do what he's gonna do anyway. Maybe it's not right to encourage it. I'll give you that. But, if he's going to do it anyway, I'd rather not put an effort into flaming him.

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Originally Posted by Mephibosheth1

Opinions can be voiced
i don't want someone's actions at one school to affect my ability to own snakes.

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I can assure you one ball python in a dorm is not something that's going to affect your ability to own snakes. There are much more pressing matters that you should be worried about.

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Originally Posted by kat_black181

The guy is probably gonna do what he's gonna do anyway. Maybe it's not right to encourage it. I'll give you that. But, if he's going to do it anyway, I'd rather not put an effort into flaming him.

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I agree but It's what he does.

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Originally Posted by zach_24_90

Man come on get over yourself already your "i can do no wrong" attitude is getting really old. We don't need you policing the forums we have already established that. Your not an admin, your not a mod. I never said "do this" I simply said what I did.

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I can look you in the eye and say it, my "word" is the moral I live by.

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Originally Posted by kat_black181

The guy is probably gonna do what he's gonna do anyway. Maybe it's not right to encourage it. I'll give you that. But, if he's going to do it anyway, I'd rather not put an effort into flaming him.

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Originally Posted by zach_24_90

I can assure you one ball python in a dorm is not something that's going to affect your ability to own snakes. There are much more pressing matters that you should be worried about.

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Its about doing what is right!! Your actions or lack there of can throw a bad light on the reptile community. Just because you do something STUPID, then everyone thinks that all people with reptiles will do the same....................... Then guess what??? Talks of a ban.
So in the long run, way off in the future....... Thank you for being immature enough to follow rules that are set in place for a reason and screwing your children/grandchildren.
Just my thought.
Look at what is going on with gun control thanks to one or two stupid people.

hylain, Please don't. Enough people are already freaked out about reptiles. Someone will talk, you can count on it. When the word gets out and starts going around that you hid a snake in the dorm, people will freak. It may or may not hit the news, probably won't. But, one thing is for certain - it will reinforce fears in those who have fears and will reinforce the stereotypical view of reptile owners as irresponsible. Wouldn't it be better to do something to breakdown those fears and stereotypes? You're smart, you're going to college. Think it through. Use your brain, not your heart.

As for the rest of the thread, it seems there is some type of unresolved issue causing a lot of resentment. I don't know where it is coming from, but it sure is getting ugly.

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Originally Posted by PitOnTheProwl

I can look you in the eye and say it, my "word" is the moral I live by.

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If I talked to an admin like that kid, I'd get banned. :p

As for the OP, you may not have to live on campus. You may be able to find a pet friendly four bed for less than 400 for your room. It would be cramped, but I've done it.


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No one is freaking out on you, but the reputation of our community and our rights to keep our snakes is on the line when anyone makes an irresponsible choice. The world doesn't understand what we do and the animals we love and that is something we all have to accept. The point of my posts to you were to really get you thinking about the nitty gritty of keeping your snake with you. Freaking out doesn't accomplish anything. I encourage you to read my second post, as I explain how detrimental it was to my social life and my ability to study. I had to move out in the last few weeks of my senior year out of fear for my snakes' safety. All because of a roommate who whole heartedly agreed to having them in our place. You can't trust anyone. I can't tell you what immense stress this caused on top of classes that were already killing me. As I said, it obliterated friendships. And I took every caution imaginable to ensure the safety of my animals and cover my own butt. You don't need that in your life.

I promise you, it's not worth the stress. Think long and hard about this and understand that it's not in the best interest of your snake to have his life on the line every day if someone were to find out. If it's that important to you to have him with you (and believe me, I understand that), then do yourself and your snake a huge favor and look into off campus housing.

We are all just a little on edge lately because of the recent bad media attention, so be aware that our community is under fire and fighting for our rights.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

BTW, you can't really hide a living animal. But you could give it a try. It is college, though. It's not like they go on anti pet patrols. I think.

So, I'm in college right now- don't bring your snake into the dorm. It's not worth the stress. And it's not even hiding it. I have my own room, so it's pretty easy to control temperature and not have scents/hookah/smoke in my room. I don't even want to think about trying to convince a roommate 'no, dangit, you can't have scents in here because I have an animal that you didn't even want'.

And I know with my college it is much, much, much cheaper to live off campus. I had my own, dorm sized studio that less then a mile off campus for 475 per month. Where I live now is much bigger, closer, and it's about 375 a month, and I have a big room and Tali and occasionally my dog. The cheapest dorms are about 800-900 a month. It wasn't worth it for me tbh. I'm also an older student and a bit grouchy :) didn't want to deal with a bunch of 19-20yr olds 24/7. Or have to hide my alcohol.