College Student Seeks BP Opinions

I'm a 21-year old college student and still have another 1/2-2 years at college before I graduate. I live in apartment-style housing so I have my own bedroom/bathroom and I share a kitchen and living room with one other person. I'm giving you this information because I am seriously considering buying a BP and want to have some opinions from this community on the matter.

I'm technically not able to have a pet here, but just as long as I can slide the enclosure (with the heating sources, of course) under my bed on "inspection" day, I'll be all set for the remainder of the semester. (My friend has been keeping a Florida Green Snake this semester without an issue)

There are a few issues that might arise:
--During long weekends, I sometimes go home. Would it be safe to leave my BP at school over a 3-day span of time alone?
--During week-long vacations and between semesters, I go home. Would it be safe for my BP to transport him on a 3-hour drive back to my house? (The enclosure could be set up safetly at home, of course)

As far as an enclosure is concerned, I was thinking I would use a steralite container with UTH and an Accu-Rite Therm/Humid probe to monitor the heat and humidity. I know I'm supposed to have a cool and hot side of the enclosure--should I then buy 2 different heating pads and adjust the heat dial until I get the correct heat gradient? Do I buy pads that cover the entire tank bottom? Do I leave empty spaces under the tank? I was thinking of using human heating pads, since they have built-in heat dials.

Anyone's answers/opinions are appreciated.

--Kim

Don't do it. Hiding it, especially in a large scale place like that can have bad effects for this community.

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Originally Posted by AzureN1ght

I'm a 21-year old college student and still have another 1/2-2 years at college before I graduate. I live in apartment-style housing so I have my own bedroom/bathroom and I share a kitchen and living room with one other person. I'm giving you this information because I am seriously considering buying a BP and want to have some opinions from this community on the matter.

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Me too!

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I'm technically not able to have a pet here

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me either....does it stop me? nope.. :colbert: (5 and counting)

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There are a few issues that might arise:
--During long weekends, I sometimes go home. Would it be safe to leave my BP at school over a 3-day span of time alone?

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As long as you've figured out a sure way to keep temps stable (ie. a good thermostat)

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--During week-long vacations and between semesters, I go home. Would it be safe for my BP to transport him on a 3-hour drive back to my house? (The enclosure could be set up safetly at home, of course)

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Snakes seem to do well on short drives...they don't as near as stressed as we do..haha..just make sure he's in a pillow case or something and has a place to stay when you arrive at your destination

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As far as an enclosure is concerned, I was thinking I would use a steralite container with UTH and an Accu-Rite Therm/Humid probe to monitor the heat and humidity. I know I'm supposed to have a cool and hot side of the enclosure--should I then buy 2 different heating pads and adjust the heat dial until I get the correct heat gradient? Do I buy pads that cover the entire tank bottom? Do I leave empty spaces under the tank? I was thinking of using human heating pads, since they have built-in heat dials.

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Looks like you've been doing your homework! :gj:

In your situation, I would probably go with a simple set up, a rubbermaid will do the job. I don't know how thorough they inspect...if they go all under the bed and stuff then it's probably in your best interest to find a new living situation before getting involved with a snake...you can always find yourself a friend, and when you get that notice that your place is going to be inspected, just hand it off to that friend till the inspection is finished. I'm not saying this is the right thing to do, but I've been in your situation and I think the rules against keep a harmless little ol' snake is kinda silly.

Where are you going to college?

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

Looks like you've been doing your homework! :gj:

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I've definitely been doing my homework...if I'm going to go through with it, I definitely don't want to do a slipshod job. After all, it's not just me it's about--it's about another creature I'll be bringing into my life for the long-haul.

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

In your situation, I would probably go with a simple set up, a rubbermaid will do the job. I don't know how thorough they inspect...if they go all under the bed and stuff then it's probably in your best interest to find a new living situation before getting involved with a snake...you can always find yourself a friend, and when you get that notice that your place is going to be inspected, just hand it off to that friend till the inspection is finished. I'm not saying this is the right thing to do, but I've been in your situation and I think the rules against keep a harmless little ol' snake is kinda silly.

Where are you going to college?

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They're more of a glance-and-run kind of inspection. So long as I don't have candles out and burning, they're not really concerned. I'm going to the University of Massachusetts.

you have it all figured out and if yo're not going to get caught go for it. the only thing i saw was having 2 heat pads. you probably only need one set to 92-94 degrees, unless ofcourse it gets cold(~70) in your room.

you can definitely leave the snake alone for up to a week (or a little more) without worrying about it.

Just make sure that if you do this, you have multiple ways of keeping the tub secure. Being away for a few hours only to see your snake is missing is one thing, but going for a week to see it missing is another.

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Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

Just make sure that if you do this, you have multiple ways of keeping the tub secure. Being away for a few hours only to see your snake is missing is one thing, but going for a week to see it missing is another.

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dont forget about water, my water dries up in 2-3 days:2cent:

also, if you do go ahead with it, make sure that if somebody discovers your pet that you have somewhere else to keep the snake. Clear something with your parents first, so if you have to move him on short notice, they will be willing to have him set up there.

If U Mass is anything like the college I went to, you shouldn't have a problem. Just don't let it get out that you have her/him. Only tell as few people as necessary. I kept three gerbils in my dorm (closet) without ever being busted, and they stink way more than a BP would. lol

haha yeah that is a very important thing...tell noone about your little one. only those you know well. there's a lot of back stabbers out there.

Under msot circumstances, I would advise no; but you said your roomie keeps a snake also? Maybe you two could be co-conspirators then; if you had a tattle-tail roomie who you didn't trust, I would say nope.
Also, "tell no one!"

amen to that

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

haha yeah that is a very important thing...tell noone about your little one. only those you know well. there's a lot of back stabbers out there.

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Originally Posted by Ginevive

Under msot circumstances, I would advise no; but you said your roomie keeps a snake also? Maybe you two could be co-conspirators then; if you had a tattle-tail roomie who you didn't trust, I would say nope.
Also, "tell no one!"

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Not my suite-mate, but a different friend of mine. My current suite-mate is trusted and she couldn't care one way or another (though she has no snakey herself--only a fish :) ). Next year, I have no guarantees about who my suite-mate is, as my current one will be graduating in the spring. I don't share a bedroom or a bathroom with my suitemate, anyway...so hiding my BP wouldn't be an issue even if I end up with a new roomie next fall who I might not know/trust.

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Originally Posted by AzureN1ght

Not my suite-mate, but a different friend of mine. My current suite-mate is trusted and she couldn't care one way or another (though she has no snakey herself--only a fish :) ). Next year, I have no guarantees about who my suite-mate is, as my current one will be graduating in the spring. I don't share a bedroom or a bathroom with my suitemate, anyway...so hiding my BP wouldn't be an issue even if I end up with a new roomie next fall who I might not know/trust.

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as long as people backstabbing you isnt a problem, go for it!!

Hi, I am a college student at University of California, Berkeley. As of right now I don't have any pets but come Thursday I will be the proud owner of a new BP! Like you, I had similar concerns with keeping a BP in my apartment (I have 5 roommates, and I'm not supposed to have pets), but I don't think that I'll have any issues. Thankfully, none of them are snitches - I've known them since the beginning of high school.

I guess I'm a little more of a risk taker, because I'm going to be keeping my BP in a 30 gallon glass aquarium right in the open... haha. My landlord here doesn't really do any inspection, and I don't think landlords are allowed to enter the house without previous notice to the residents (by law). I will be living here for the rest of this year as well as next year.

I can't really offer you any hands-on advice when it comes to the keeping of BPs, but from what I've read, leaving a BP for 3 days shouldn't be a problem as long as you double check temps and fill its water bowl beforehand. Also, recently there have been numerous threads about taking BPs for long car rides, but there seems to be simple solutions for those situations.

When making the final decision on a BP the only "real" concerns I had were fire and eviction. You'll want to make sure that your UTH isn't a fire hazard, and that you don't get caught (haha) and get evicted from your place! I'd say that if you have solutions for preventing both those things, get one by all means! :P

Oh, and make sure that you are ready commit to a BP even AFTER college (where your new place of residence may also not allow pets, etc...).


Hope I've helped with my giant wall of text. Good luck.

I think the responsible thing to do would be to ask someone you trust to watch out for the snake if you're going to be away. Fill the water bowel, pick up poop, etc. Also it would be very sad if there were a fire or something, and your "secret" pet was hurt or killed. Even used properly, the heating pads and lights are less than 100% safe.

I also think that the right thing to do is tell the person/people that you're living with that you have a snake. You may just have to make alternate arrangements if they aren't ok with it. Some people are very, very scared (irrationally imho) and it isn't fair to do that to someone when you're the one bending the rules. And snakes are not 100% safe either, and anyone will tell you they can and will escape.

My house is also "no pets", but I really don't think snakes can be counted in the traditional sense- what is going to happen? Are they going to pee on the carpet or chew the furniture or disturb the neighbours? I don't think so.

Good luck!!

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Originally Posted by Sadie

My house is also "no pets", but I really don't think snakes can be counted in the traditional sense- what is going to happen? Are they going to pee on the carpet or chew the furniture or disturb the neighbours? I don't think so.

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I believe the "no pets" rule is a bit more complicated than that. If your pet snake happens to escape and bite the neighbors, your landlord will be held legally responsible. I believe it is a liability issue.

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Originally Posted by Ktzero3

I believe the "no pets" rule is a bit more complicated than that. If your pet snake happens to escape and bite the neighbors, your landlord will be held legally responsible. I believe it is a liability issue.

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Find out the exact rules about pets, it may be there you just can't have a dog/cat. You said your roomate has fish, they are pets, so obviously there is a line drawn somewhere. Call your school, talk to someone who would know and just say your thinking about going to school there and you have a small pet snake, and your wondering if its okay to have it there. Or even tell them its a gecko (incase the person you talk to is afraid of snakes)

As far as the setup don't go with human heat pads. You want a UTH that is controlled by a t-stat (you can get a nice small one for a single set up very reasonable online). Avoid buying much from pet stores (overpriced and mostly lower quality). Make sure the tub you choose is very secure and add things like bungee cord or heavy binder clips to the lid so there is no give to it. Think about how you will also sneek in weekly prey (live, frozen/thawed or pre-killed) as that may be your biggest issue with keeping this snake "hidden".

Also a backup plan for it in the event you get caught and have 24 hours to remove the snake. Can this get you expelled? Who would offer your snake a home if you are ordered to remove it immediately? Might be easier in the long run to wait till next year, find a few room-mates that like snakes and rent private housing that allows for pets in caging.

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

As far as the setup don't go with human heat pads. You want a UTH that is controlled by a t-stat (you can get a nice small one for a single set up very reasonable online). Avoid buying much from pet stores (overpriced and mostly lower quality). Make sure the tub you choose is very secure and add things like bungee cord or heavy binder clips to the lid so there is no give to it. Think about how you will also sneek in weekly prey (live, frozen/thawed or pre-killed) as that may be your biggest issue with keeping this snake "hidden".

Also a backup plan for it in the event you get caught and have 24 hours to remove the snake. Can this get you expelled? Who would offer your snake a home if you are ordered to remove it immediately? Might be easier in the long run to wait till next year, find a few room-mates that like snakes and rent private housing that allows for pets in caging.

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Ditto.
Welfare of the snake comes first. Take my word for it, finding a new home for a snake on short notice is very hard.