Hiding reptiles in dorm rooms???

Okay so, I have a ball python and a blue tongue skink. They're my babies, and I absolutely love them to pieces.
Starting this fall, I'll be attending UNI where I'm not allowed to have any other pets beside a fish in a 10 gallon tank.
I emailed the housing department, and she says there's no budging on that.
Basically, I'm way to stubborn to give up my babies, and I'm determined to take them with me.
Neither one of them are full grown and wont be full grown by the time I would get an apartment.
My BP is about two years old and would be 3 by the time I moved out of dorms,
and my BTS is about a year and half and would be around 2/3.
Does anyone have any tips or stories about how to keep them concealed from RA's?
I applied for dorm rooms all by myself, so a roommate shouldn't be any issue for me.
Please help, I love them so much and couldn't stand to part with them.

Bad idea. And this is coming from someone who hid a pacman frog and giant American millipede in a dorm room. It was a dumb idea when I did it, and I can't advise anyone else to do it. Especially not with something like a lizard and a snake.
There's just no way to guarantee they won't be found, and if they are you run the risk of them being taken or losing your housing. Plus, with a BP the steps you'd have to go through to keep heating devices hidden could easily cause a fire hazard.

Best option is to find someone like a parent to take care of them for you for a year or so until you can get an apartment that allows them.

I don't particularly trust my parents to take care of my reptiles to be honest. :(

seconded, Bad idea, At MSU They Did walk throughs of the dorms. No turning up beds or anything, but you never know what they might look under and see. Not to mention your tank cleaning and substrate changes would be a pain to attempt in secrecy. And truthfully if you get caught, your risking expulsion, and your animals. Best option is what Virginia said, if you can't get your own place now. Some schools require freshman to live on campus though..sorry, I know it sucks. Good luck

Could always try to find a friend to take care of them and possibly pay them. or something to that effect. don't do anything to break any rules though.

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Originally Posted by magicmed

seconded, Bad idea, At MSU They Did walk throughs of the dorms. No turning up beds or anything, but you never know what they might look under and see. Not to mention your tank cleaning and substrate changes would be a pain to attempt in secrecy. And truthfully if you get caught, your risking expulsion, and your animals. Best option is what Virginia said, if you can't get your own place now. Some schools require freshman to live on campus though..sorry, I know it sucks. Good luck

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Do you think this site would be able to connect me with someone who would be around that area that could house my pets until I would be able to get an apartment later on?
I would be completely willing to pay for anything my reptiles needed.

I would give it a shot, I wouldn't trust any ol member, but someone with a lot of posts and a great rep might be willing to do it. It couldn't hurt making a post about it and checking daily to see if anyone's willing. I'm sure there's someone trustworthy around the area.

Check members, look at facebook groups, maybe try to contact any breeders or shop owners (non chain obviously) and ask if they board animals. My breeder, who also owns a shop, offered to house mine for a fee if I went on a trip. But I would for sure ask to see any facilities and stuff and only go with it if you're 100% comfortable with it

Try a FB group and see if anyone local to the college could take them. That way you could go visit, help pay for their feeders, etc.

Look for someone who wants to try having a snake, or a breeder who wouldn't mind keeping them in spare tanks for a fee. Or a friend who would be more willing to help for a fee.

Just go to a school you can commute to for the first 2 years and then transfer there and live in an apartment.

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Originally Posted by Jhill001

Just go to a school you can commute to for the first 2 years and then transfer there and live in an apartment.

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This is a fine idea for a general degree plan, or if you're still undecided. Spend two years at a local community college getting all your core classes and such out of the way while saving a lot of money and figuring out exactly what you want to do for a four-year degree.

But some degree plans are pretty involved and pretty much require that one attend the same four-year school throughout the program. If you've chosen a path of that nature, then you're stuck with having to find someone to help care for your animals.

Feel free to create an "ad" in our sales forum...explain what you're looking for (a place to board your pets for x-number of months or years)...exactly what pets you have...and where you're located so folks can know if they're local enough to you to offer their help. Then be ready to interview anyone offering and don't be shy about asking for and checking up on references. You can mention how much you'd be willing to pay someone to care for your animals, but I'd hold off on that until the "interview" process because the mention of $$'s may bring the roaches out of the woodwork, unfortunately.

For sure, don't try to sneak them in anywhere. If you love them as much as you say you do, you would not want to put them in that much risk.

There's always anti land lord racks

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

What college are you going to?

I went to an Environmental school for undergrad. At the time my only pet was a blue land crab Cardisoma guanhumi named Mr. Bubbles.

He was gigantic and semiaquatic and there was no possible way to conceal a large, elaborate enclosure like that in a dorm room. What I DID do, though, was make a deal with one of the biology professors to house the animal in one of the lab rooms.


See if you can make a deal like that with one of your professors.

The only herps that can be hidden in a dorm room are the odd species that don't need external heat at all. If you have a good, tight locking enclosure you can probably hide rubber boas in your room extremely easily. That's not going to help you with your python or your skink though.



Also some very important additional advice.

When you move out of the dorms and into an apartment. DO NOT get a very large reptile unless the landlord, very explicitly, states that its okay.

My sophmore year of college I moved into an apartment and bought a baby Argentinian Tegu named "Taco". I raised him from a green-headed baby to a 4 ft chick eating monster who would constantly escape from his cage, sleep under my bed, fall asleep in my lap, and poop all over the floor. He was the best pet lizard ever and I loved him, but my landlords rule of "pets are fine as long as it doesn't become a zoo" was crossed in a big way, and I had to part ways with him. That was one of the worst days of my life. Don't end up in a situation where you grow attached to an animal only to have to give it away later.

Obviously try to find an option for someone to care for them while you're in the dorm If you absolutely can't find anyone try checking out Beeger Boxes. They build custom racks and have a "Landlord" option. There is a front piece to the rack that can be latched up in a pinch to completely hide the rack and make it look like a book case. I would imagine that this with something draped over it would suffice. Just a thought.

It's a bad idea. You know it is.

It's deceptive. You know it is.

It's wrong. You know it is.

Lots of options and good advice given here. Don't fight it.