Going away to college + my ball python

I read a thread similar to this but I am in a little bit of a different situation. Right now I am in my Senior year of High School and next year I will be going to college and I'm pretty sure I want to live on campus but the problem is I have a ball python. How am I supposed to hide my snake at inspection with my huge 55 gallon tank? I don't think any of my colleges would allow snakes in a dorm so I'm worried.

Give it to a friend? Keep it at home?

well you don't *need* a tank. rubbermaids do the job.

I am in college in a dorm just leave the snake at home. Trust me they will find it or someone will let it slip that you have it. If you get caught with it they will fine you and make you send it back home so even if you have it in a tub someone will find out you have it.

how big is it?

you can always get the sterilite tub that's 33x17x5

Leave it home, leave it with a friend. Why are you even asking how to do something that is so patently against the rules? You have to make some sacrifices to go to college. When you are not living in a dorm, you can get him back to live with you.
When they catch you with it, you could get kicked out of the dorm, fined, they could even confiscate it. The best thing for the python is going to be to leave it somewhere else.
Wolfy

life in college is ok to have a python, but not in the dorms. besides the fact that you will get caught, do you want people who dont handle snakes handling your pet when ur gone? i mean drop them or something. its probably better to just leave it at home or with someone who will take care of it. that why its there when u come back, and u dont have to get rid of him/her.

Sterilite and Rubbermaid are great. The 5" high ones can easily be tucked under your bed if you need to hide it.

I'm in college and have kept my bp for going on two years. Its pretty simple to keep it hidden under your bed in a rubbermaid. The first year i had a room-mate, and he never even knew the snake was in the room; this year i asked my room mate if he was cool with snakesand he said he was so its cool. A few people know i have it but its never been a big deal. Dont know about your university, but its against the rules for our inspectors to open or move ANY of the objects in your room, or look under the beds.

If I leave it at home then I will have to go home every weekend to feed it b/c my family wouldnt do it...idk...i might use a tub and hide it under the bed but im not gonna be in college until next year so ill figure it out...

Haha, I had a dog in my dorm room when I was in college! My RA just pretended it was a big fish, which was allowed... You might want to keep your snake at home for a while and feel out the situation as you go... that's what I did, and I always got away with it. One word of advice..... do NOT shoot those little hard jelly beans out of your window with a sling shot across the courtyard into the windows of other dorm rooms, you WILL get into trouble for that....

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Originally Posted by Wallbanger

... One word of advice..... do NOT shoot those little hard jelly beans out of your window with a sling shot across the courtyard into the windows of other dorm rooms, you WILL get into trouble for that....

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Hahahaha....that's a good one! When I was in college, the dorm I lived in had a parking lot between the buildings, rather than a courtyard. Girls on one side, guys on the other. One day, some guys on the fourth floor decided to dispose of a bunch of very long flourescent tubes...by tossing them out the window. Very impressive explosive sounds and splatter patterns of glass! :P I'm assuming they got in trouble for that one, too! :colbert: ;)

I'm kind of in the same situation you are. Before I bought my snake, I called the college I'm going to and asked if I could have a snake in the dorm. The lady said it was ok and that people have reptiles and fish in the dorms a lot. Maybe try calling the school you're going to to find out what the rules are if you havn't already. I'm still kind of skeptical about what the lady said, but I guess I'll find out next fall:).

I took mine to college with me. Just get a bed skirt and keep it under the bed. Get to know your RA also so that way if you get caught, he may over look it. Mine did.

Yeah they aren't allowed to touch things in our rooms here either but if you are going to a school where they have problems they will look even when they aren't supposed. So many kids get kicked out of here after room searches for stuff that was hidden so just feel it out like someone else said and if it works for you then go for it.

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Originally Posted by Wallbanger

One word of advice..... do NOT shoot those little hard jelly beans out of your window with a sling shot across the courtyard into the windows of other dorm rooms, you WILL get into trouble for that....

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haha! now i miss living on campus. last year my RA who i despited set up those tiny 5-10 inch pumpkins outside all of our doors, and one night i kept on tripping on them so i decided "DEATH TO THE PUMPKINS!" and proceeded to gather them all up and throw them out my 12th floor window (no worries, it was 3-4 am, nobodys outside at that time except for hte smokers and they're on the other side of the building)

the next day we had a floor meeting to find out who did it. *whistling*

but as for the question on hand, i would recommend keeping it at home or living off campus.

There are several factors that you should consider before thinking about moving a BP (or any kind of 'illegal' animal) into your college dorm.

1. Is it allowed?
Like the other people in this thread have previously mentioned, it can't hurt if you call and ask. You can even block your number with *67 if you are paranoid.

2. Is your roommate okay with it?
Some people are deathly afraid of snakes. Others are not. If you have a roommate, then you need to make sure that your roommate is comfortable with it.

3. Can you (and possibly your roommate) keep a secret?
Although some RAs will turn a blind eye to certain activities (mine did), others may not. You will need to keep a secret at LEAST until you figure out what your RA is like, possibly longer if he/she is anal. I would definitely keep the secret from your hallmates until you get to know them better, and find out which ones are not likely to be snitches.

4. Do you have a backup plan?
You will want to think about a backup plan for your snake just in case you get found out, and they ask you to move the snake. I highly doubt that you will be forced to move out of the dorms... I'm not sure about a fine, though.


With all things considered, you probably won't want to use a 55 gallon tank. In a small dorm room, there is NO WAY you'll be able to conceal that thing. If you decide to take the snake to college after you considered all those factors, you might want to hold off for the first few weeks just to scout things out... but make sure you leave a good spot in the room for it.