I just got back on campus, and due to my roommate transferring out, I’m in a double all by myself. I’ve always been a huge animal person, and have worked at a pet store for nearly two years, and have really been missing having a pet to interact with on a daily basis.
My college allows aquariums up to twenty gallons, but they only allow fish.
Recently I fell in love with a leopard gecko at the store I work at. They require little maintenance,do not require a ton of interaction, live in a ten gallon tank, have claws instead of sticky pads (and thus can’t escape), do not smell, do not make noise, do not produce any allergens, and can live happily on meal worms (which also do not smell and do not make any noise).
Dorm room inspections happen very rarely, and are accompanied with a warning. I’m also not one of those people who wold broadcast the fact that I have a pet in the dorm.
I’m mostly worried about potential consequences and the difficulty having an additional responsibility.
To those who have more experience with animals in dorm rooms, does this seem like a good idea?
Breaking the rules, even if they seem stupid, is never a good idea.
Could you ask someone at the college about why they ban small lizards? Maybe you could get an exemption.
If you are really set on it, you could try to figure out what the penalty would be. If the penalty is that you have to put him back in the pet store, I don’t think anything would be lost, but if the penalty is they take him away and put you on probation, that is different. Or evict you.
So I’d say it depends more on the college than others’ personal experiences. You don’t want to risk your college career for a gecko.
(of course, me being sly, I’d suggest if you did keep him in your dorm and did get caught, say you just were watching him for someone, you know, petsitting. Other thing is to tell others that “yeah, I’m sure it’s okay” even if you’re not. I mean, why shouldn’t it be? But there is still a risk and find out what that is on your college website or asking around quietly.)
((then again, I don’t know ANYONE who got their dorm inspected where I went to school, do they really happen there? And freshman year I had a druggie on my floor, absolutely no non-students ever visited us.))
You could also play dumb if they catch you, or maybe figure out a place to keep the cage so that if you hear someone’s coming you can toss a blanket over the cage/shove the cage under your bed? I love the fact you’re so desperate for the lizard; I’m a huge animal lover and that is so going to be me in two years!!! good luck