Taraist ([info]taraist) wrote in [info]obie_questions,
@ 2005-03-23 15:56:00
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Dorms and pets
This is more of a general college question rather than Oberlin specific...

But if your roomate didn't mind, are pets allowed? Obviously not dogs and cats. But what if you had a small fish tank or bowl, like for a beta or a goldfish. How about a mouse or a hamster? I've been doing a lot of research on parakeets lately and I would really like to get one by my mother argues that I will be going to college soon. A parakeet is not a large bird. Even in a small dorm room, a cage big enough for a parakeet would fit, provided I manage to get a laptop instead of my large desktop set up. But are they strictly forbidden?

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[info]getpeached
2005-03-23 09:06 pm UTC (link)
This is directly from the ResLife website:

"Not Permitted: Pets or presence of pets other than fish or turtles."

I think that's pretty much the golden rule no matter where you go. My family has a love bird, which is comparable size to a parakeet, if not a little bigger, and it takes a lot of work to take care of it; they poop, they need their cages clean, the make noises all the time, and they contantly drop feathers and food everywhere.

Basically, birds in dorms = bad idea.

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[info]getpeached
2005-03-23 09:08 pm UTC (link)
Oh, and I'm not sure if you have seen the dorm rooms here, but fitting yourself, two desks, two beds, a roommate and a bird cage comfortably into one of these dorm rooms would be quite a feat.

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[info]taraist
2005-03-23 09:52 pm UTC (link)
thank you for the information! if anything i think it would be nice to have a beta fish. they are small and don't need a lot of room. i have a beta fish tank and i think its no more than a gallon. i think it would be quite appropriate for a dorm pet, but of course i'm thinking into the future.

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[info]muzetta
2005-03-23 09:45 pm UTC (link)
Life in college is always different than what you expect. Responsibilities & priorities can majorly change!

I suggest you wait a few months into college and see if you still want one. Pets are a major hassle during holidays & breaks & fire inspections. Besides, maybe you & your roomie will fall in love, get married in only the way Obies do, want to share a pet, and she won't be a parakeet person.

Just a thought!

I had a cat in Fairchild my last semester there and it was okay because I'd been at Oberlin a while & knew myself, the RA knew and was chill, kitty was hella-good & a charmer, and my fiance took her during breaks & inspection.

BUT let me say that having any type of animal that lives longer than you can plan your life can be a real challenge. I'm on my way to Germany in a little bit (I hope!) and I have NO IDEA what to do with the kids; I mean, cats!!

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[info]taraist
2005-03-23 09:56 pm UTC (link)
i live about 45min/1hour away from oberlin, and i was thinking more of transporting my pet to live with me, but i suppose that would be a hassle! i think i'm going to ask my nana if she would care for my bird (assuming i'll get one) while i'm away at college, and then i could care for it during summers and what have you. my parents work a lot, and they don't have time to give a parakeet the attention it needs. my brother could do it, i suppose, but when i brought up the idea to him, his response was "NO BIRDS IN THE HOUSE!!" :-(

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[info]dynamint
2005-03-23 10:48 pm UTC (link)
If I were you I would just wait to get the bird. It's not much fun having a pet you can only be with 3 months (or 4) of the year. It would make more sense to wait until you're done with college and see how things go. Otherwise, you're basically asking your grandmother if she'll get a pet parakeet that you can play with sometimes.

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[info]taraist
2005-03-23 11:03 pm UTC (link)
i've just scratched that idea anyway, lol

my mom starts working part time in october, and she wants me to wait to get a bird until then.

i want it to be a family pet, but if i'm not there to care for it, i want to be sure the rest of the family is there.

my mom had a parakeet as a child, but i think she was always reluctant to get another because in her words, "the thing i remember most about tweety, is when tweety died!" its always a sad thing to lose a pet.

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(Anonymous)
2005-04-27 06:27 pm UTC (link)
Some coops may allow pets. I know current Harkness policy is that anything small enough to be humanely kept in a cage is automatically accepted, with anything bigger needing to be brought before the house. You do still have to hide them for inspections and stuff, though. I kept four rats in my room with no problems.

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(Anonymous)
2005-05-27 02:23 am UTC (link)
as long as your roommate is okay with it and none of your neighbours have allergies, you are fine keeping small animals. i know several people who split up a box of kittens they found. i know of several ferrets. an iguana.

very few people here are such big assholes as to spill your secret.

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