Pets in dorms?

<p>How would this able to very small animals that exclusively live in cages? I specifically have snails in mind. I can’t see how this could ever be a problem under even the most draconian policy, but I’ve always been under the impression that all animals are universally forbidden. Of course, there is no way a snail could ever do anything. They are tiny, silent, and live in a tank.</p>

<p>i don’t think what you major in would have any impact on whether or not you can have a pet…</p>

<p>SSU always tells us we can have any pet we want so long as it can stay under water for 3 hours unaided and not die. ;)</p>

<p>I don’t think I’d have any sort of pet that requires attention (ie anything except fish)…it’s just not fair to the pet, because I don’t have the time to give it the love/attention/TLC it needs. Not to mention too much of a hassle to move back and forth between school and home (~400 miles for me).</p>

<p>I would encourage you, OP, and your D to consider what’s best for the bunny instead of how much your D wants to have her pet with her–even if it’s for reasons related to her major rather than sentimental ones. Fact is no pet except for fish or maybe small rodents that live in a cage anyway are going to be happy in a tiny dorm room with no space to move around and nothing pretty to look at…and a dramatically decreased level of attention (let’s face it; between adjusting to the academic challenge of college and trying to start a social life, how much time will D have to “love on” the bunny?).</p>

<p>Depends how you define “allow” ;)</p>

<p>Duke is trying out a cat-friendly dorm this fall:
[Duke</a> University | Student Affairs | Residence Life & Housing Services | Feline-Friendly Housing](<a href=“Duke Student Affairs”>Duke Student Affairs)</p>

<p>I kept a cat in my dorm back in the 80s for 1-1/2 years. I loved it, and thankfully never was caught…</p>

<p>What about students with allergies to pet hair? Can they opt out in advance?</p>

<p>I’m sure that University of Hawaii has geckos in the dorms…they live in everyone’s apartments and houses, so they probably live in dorms, too.</p>

<p>There was an article in today’s ny times of schools that allow small pets (even dogs).</p>

<p>I remember Smith’s but there were more</p>

<p>Here’s today’s NYTimes article on this very topic:

</p>

<p>Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, PA allows cats and dogs <40 lbs… also things that live in cages or aquariums. The pet dorm has been quite popular and I believe there is a waiting list to get a room there.</p>

<p>College of the Atlantic allows pretty much anything except cats and dogs. However, sometimes that rule is ignored.</p>

<p>Not a good place for animal science, though. If she absolutely had to have the bunny, she could always live off campus.</p>

<p>I guess each college has different policies about it, my school only allows fish. I’ve been reading this great blog about other information about college life. It’s written by real college students: [Skipping</a> Breakfast](<a href=“http://www.skippingbreakfast.com%5DSkipping”>http://www.skippingbreakfast.com)</p>

<p>Wellesley will allow certain animals with unanimous consent of the floor.</p>

<p>Case Western Reserve University allows rabbits, hamsters, gerbils, mice</p>

<p>

[Pets</a> - Case University Office of Student Affairs](<a href=“Division of Student Affairs | Case Western Reserve University”>Division of Student Affairs | Case Western Reserve University)</p>

<p>Your roommate has to approve. :)</p>

<p>I was an RA in the 70s, doing room checks one time before Thanksgiving break. I opened a door to find an aquarium and something skittering around in it. I was shocked to find a tarantula that was about eight inches across. That’s not what I call a pet, lol!</p>

<p>And about the bunny…I hope nothing happens to it, then she’s got to deal with all the jokes about the rabbit dying… :p</p>

<p>My daughter is a senior at Kansas State majoring in animal science/pre-vet. She lives off campus now, but during her freshman and sophomore years, she kept five pet rats in her dorm room in a big cage. Given that she was living in an all girls dorm, you would think that the “ewwwww” factor with a bunch of rats would have been huge, but it was just the opposite. Her 3 suitemates loved the rats and other kids on the floor would constantly drop by, take them out of the cage to play/cuddle with them, feed them treats, etc. K-State’s pet policy was that as long as you had the consent of your roommate(s) and the pet(s) normally lived in a cage or a tank, it was fine.</p>

<p><— had pet snakes.</p>

<p>Pets that were kept in aquariums were allowed. Dogs, cats, etc. weren’t.</p>

<p>Depends on the school, I suppose.</p>

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<p>and this is different from anywhere else how?..</p>

<p>How is the bunny going to travel?</p>

<p>If you’re dorming with someone else, skip the pet. Consulting with your new roomie might get you a hesitant ‘yes’ … but come on, it’s only considerate.</p>