I was an RA for two years. Where I went to school, every building ran things differently; some buildings had very vigilant RA's who were instructed to find violations and deal with them, while others were laid back and had a "deal with it if you can see it, smell it, or hear it" kind of attitude. I can't speak for all colleges/universities, but mine for sure had the right to kick you out for pets/offenses (which are all listed in the housing contract which you are required to sign before moving in). I don't want to break any bp.net rules by saying you should bring pets to campus (if there is a rule against saying such things), but I can advise you that you could get lucky with an RA who doesn't care or get unlucky with someone who is out to get you. You could get kicked out (no refund) and are forced to get an apartment mid-semester, which would screw up your life for a week or two while you balance eviction, finding a new place, and still getting good grades. You just have to weigh the pros and cons and decide for yourself. The other thing to consider is how to get food - easy, difficult? At my college, the pet store was a 30 min. busride each way, and this was in a large city. If you have a car, then it's a different story. I would definitely advise against breeding your own food - you run a much higher risk of being caught. Lastly, it is important to note that while I was an RA, we had the right to decide whether or not to call the police for offenses. If this happened to you and you got some repto-phobe (not a word, I know) that answered the call, what could become of your animals? Food for thought.