Pet vs. Dorm Space

College Confidential Community
1

Hi everybody,

I know this is pretty far in advance, but it’s a simple question. (:

I’m currently a junior in high school, and I have a pet bearded dragon (a type of lizard) who lives in a 50-gallon tank. I know it’s two years away, but Brutus here still has a good amount of years left on his life. He’s important to me and I’d like to know if I’ll be able to take him! I live right outside of where I’m planning on going to school, so I’m only really worried about my freshman year at this point, as I know I’ll have to live on-campus for that first year.

  1. Am I stupid for thinking my college will let me have a tanked pet? I don’t let him roam, and there’s really no chance at him getting out. From what I’ve heard, most colleges allow for pets as long as they’re in tanks and aren’t allergenic.

  2. Will I have space in the dorm for a 50-gallon tank? It’s not ridiculously large, but it takes up space. I know if I loft my bed, I’ll have a lot more space, so I’m hoping that will kind of help. I could try to find a 40-gallon, but it’s not THAT much of a difference, and they’re pretty expensive even used, so I’d rather stick with the 50-gallon for him.

If I absolutely have to, I’ll be fine with leaving my baby with a friend or at home for a year and visit him on the weekends or throughout the week.

Thanks for the help, everybody!

2

Often, when colleges allow tanked pets, they specify that that is restricted to fish, regardless of what other animals may fit, so you’d have to check the specifics. Honestly, I don’t think bringing a pet is a good idea. They take a lot of care and time that could be better used otherwise. That, and in a shared dorm, a roommate may not necessarily be okay with such a pet, even if housed in a tank.

3

Yeah, I thought about that… I think I’m just going to keep him home. I live maybe 20 minutes away from campus, so that’s really not a big problem or anything. I wish I could take him with me, but it’s looking like that won’t really be the case.