Rabbits and college? Sneaking a rabbit in?

[LaLaLa]

Hi, I currently have 2 rabbits. I am going to be going to college very very soon (not next upcoming year, but I will be shortly) and I have 2 rabbits. I will NOT be giving them away - they will be coming with me.

Which is where I need to ask: has anyone hid a rabbit in a dorm successfully? I will not be living in a dorm if it is not required (for other reasons besides pets), but more and more colleges are requiring at least a 1 year dorm stay. So if I choose to go to a college that has a dorm stay, I will be taking the rabbits. I'm not really sure how to bring them in, or set up their cage in the small dorm without making it totally obvious, or if my room mate will be okay with it?
I know this is totally a bad idea, but if I'm going to be irresponsible I might as well keep them. I don't really think giving them away is any better than keeping them. I am very protective of my pets, and I will not let just anyone adopt my rabbits. Plus, pets are my life I can't possibly imagine giving them away because of school. I can imagine it would be reasonable to give them away because of financial issues, or maybe even allergies, or some reason why I am unable to care for them properly. I know keeping them in a dorm really isn't "caring for them properly" either, but they are almost always confined in my room which isn't that big(maybe a 9x10) and they are content from what I can tell. Of course if they get caught the question is: what am I going to do?

Well, I would drive back home (the college could be anywhere from 20 to 200+ miles away) and see if my mom can care for them for a little while until I think of something more stable. Or ask a friend to watch them. I know the whole moving situation is stressful for the rabbits, but I mean I don't think I have an actual other choice?
Does anyone have any other ideas? I don't know what my college life will be. Fun and exciting or boring where I have a bunch of free time? So I can't say how much time I can dedicate to my rabbits.

 

[Tauntz]

Hi!
Well, my first thought is if you must live on campus for the first year then check with the local vets near the college to see if they have any clients who might would allow you to keep them at their home. Or possibly you could work something out with the vet clinic. You may be able to work it out that you can see & take care of them when not in classes that way. Personally, I would not try to sneak a bunny in a dorm to stay. Too many people can just come in a dorm room without having to ask permission. Also, the college will be doing bug spraying & other maintenance which could potentially be harmful to the bunnies. Well, these are my first thoughts. Hope someone else can come up with more & better suggestions soon. I don't think you will have to find them a permanent home with someone but maybe a temporary arrangement. Perhaps if you are close enough you mom/family will be able to take care of them for you. Good luck & glad you are thinking ahead!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

Coal came to us several years ago as her slave was going to college and her mother didn't want to be "bothered". I would think it a very bad idea to try to sneak them in--what do you do with them if you get caught?

 

[missyscove]

I wouldn't recommend sneaking them in with you. The rule in my dorm was that any pet had to be able to survive underwater for 24 hours and live in a tank less than or equal to 10 gallons (I had a betta fish in a 5 gallon tank).
There was a dorm on my campus, eco house, that allowed small animals as pets and I know people who lived there and had rabbits. I also know people who have gone to college and lived off campus the entire time.
Personally, I wouldn't worry about it until you at least know what school you'd be going to.

 

[woahlookitsme]

My college requires students to live on campus for the first year. I would not sneak them in. If anything you could try to find a friend or post an ad for them to stay somewhere in your town so you can visit often. In undergraduate studies depending on your course load there is usually a bit of free time to do other things. I normally slacked off in my required courses such as english and history because I was able to study the night before and Ace a test so I had alot of free time. It really depends on you. You can get in serious trouble for sneaking in animals and will end up having to remove them anyways. Do not trust a roomate or suitemate you do not know to not tell on you. If there is any way to find someone who could house them fairly close I think that would be your best bet

 

[hannah_biota]

I started at community college & then transferred my credits to a 4 year school..I never had to live in dorms since I started my sophomore year.

 

[BunnyWabbit]

I also would NOT advise sneaking them in to a dorm. I agree with the reasons everyone else has given so far.

You said, "I don't know what my college life will be. Fun and exciting or boring where I have a bunch of free time? So I can't say how much time I can dedicate to my rabbits."

What happens if you can move into an off campus apartment and take them with you but you're life is so "fun and exciting" you don't have time for them? What will you do then? I think before you even consider bringing them with you, regardless of living situation, that you need to decide whether or not you are willing to MAKE TIME and properly take care of them. That means that you may have to sacrifice some "fun and exciting" times because they DEPEND on you. If you are not willing to make that commitment to them then it might be better for you to use your remaining time to find a really great home for them.

I'm not trying to talk down to you or be mean. It believe that you love your rabbits and I'm sure you've taken really great care of them. I just want you to seriously consider what will be best for them and whether or not you're willing/able to give them proper care while you're pursuing your education.

 

[LaLaLa]

Thanks for the replies, yes where I'm going will play a huge role on all of this, I don't even have a list of where I want to go yet, so that really is no help.

I don't know what I will do if I get caught having them, I probably will not have enough money to rent an apartment just for the rabbits, and I guess if anything, I could drive back home and see if my mom can watch them temporarily until I think of something more suitable (again, circumstances will change depending on where I am). I don't really know of anyone personally who can care for them while I'm in college, and again all of that will depend on where I go. Maybe I should worry about this when I know what college I am going to for sure?

Also, I know sneaking them in is bad and risky and not a stable environment for any animal. I do believe now that I will dedicate my time to them. I do wish to have fun and be exciting in college, but I also would like to dedicate time towards my rabbits. I like having them around. Taking care of them gives me a sense of accomplishment and responsibility. Their company brings joy into my life. I ENJOY spending some time with my rabbits. Obviously college is for getting a good education, which I seem to forget often and need to be reminded of, so that means I will be studying a lot. I could let them out while I study. I know what they need and since it is impossible for me to decide will I or will I have not have as much time as they need NOW, I can not say. But I do think I can and I WANT to spend time with them.

 

[Thumperina]

I am a foreigner in US and I am extremely {pissed off} by the college requirements about living in the dorm! Colleges here are WAAAAAY too expensive, and they make money on everything! Prices for textbooks are unbelievable and they have a new edition every other year if not every year! I am dreaming to move out of here. Don't want my child going through this college scam (along with gun violence)! Sorry for off top and best wishes for your rabbits!

 

[Thumperina]

How about choosing for your first year a school that doesn't require living in the dorm (even Community college) and then transferring to where you want to be for your second year? Would this work? I thought freshmen only have to live in the dorm?

 

[LaLaLa]

I agree college is quite pricey, and the required dorm stay seems unnecessary. Also, most schools only require a 1 year stay, but other schools require a 2 year stay. I am not sure what college I want to go, but I don't think my parents would allow me to go to a community college. They keep on saying UT austin is a good school, but I HIGHLY doubt I will get accepted. But in any case, there really aren't any "good" colleges near where I live (that aren't crazy expensive, but college is expensive anyway?), and even less than don't have a dorm requirement. So I think community college is not really something that would be accepted by my parents, sorry!

 

[hannah_biota]

That is totally understandable! I put myself through college so I didn't have to listen to my parents lol.

 

[Tauntz]

Also, just thought of it when the time comes & you know where you will be going to college perhaps asking here if there are any members that will be near your college. Maybe they would be willing to work something out to help you temporarily. Everyone here seems extremely nice & helpful. Hard to plan things in advance with so many variables! Wish you well with your future college experience & the bunnies!

 

[BugLady]

I know it's hard, but don't sneak them into a dorm!

When I went to college I snuck one of my snakes and a tarantula into my dorm room, but it was SO nervewracking. It was hard to keep quiet about it, so friends ended up finding out, and I was always worried I would get caught and have no one to give them to. After my first year, I moved to on-campus apartments, also with "no pets" rules, and I left my animals with my parents and my boyfriend at the time.

It was heartbreaking not being with my animals during the school year, I had 6 snakes, gecko, tarantulas, a parrot, and my family had a rabbit and two cats. But I got to see them during the summer, and once I graduated, I took the reptiles with me to grad school and my own pet-friendly apartment. I waited two years before adopting rabbits, finally feeling stable enough.



Think about where you will store the bedding and food? Most dorms have NO storage space. How will you sneak around when you empty the cage/litterbox? What if they pee on the floor/carpet/bed? Will they have enough room to run around?

Pretty much all dorms are shared, and you do not get to pick your roommate. What if your roommate objects? What if they are allergic?

What if someone leaves the door open and they get out?
What if you're caught during a routine inspection while you're in class?
Any school official can go into your dorm at any time.
What if they spray pesticides in the building?
What if one of the rabbits gets sick, will you be able to transport it to a vet?



There are plenty of other options that people have mentioned here. Talking to vet students, finding a college with a pet-friendly dorm, going to a community college then transferring... all of those are better than sneaking big fuzzy animals into a dorm room where they might be confiscated. I could keep my snake in a big tupperware container under my bed, you can't do that with rabbits!

 

[BugLady]

You also may be overestimating how big a dorm room really is... by the time you fit two beds, two desks, two dressers... there may be only a few square feet of space to move around. My dorm in college was TINY. My bed was only about three or four feet away from my roommate's bed. I cannot possibly fathom where or how rabbits could fit into a room like that.

Even if you are lucky enough to get a single room (which cost more!), they are still usually no bigger than a closet.

 

[EMMIE]

you could always have them in a indoor cage under your bed, and let them out to play when ur around to make sure they don't chew stuff...

I think i would just leave them at home with mum, so that i could have partys in my free time, and not have to worry about my buns being bored

 

[LaLaLa]

I agree that sneaking them in is a bad thing, and you have listed great reasons as to why I shouldn't. Hay is a big issue since I buy online and it comes in a huge box and I have another plastic box for hay. Not a put down to community colleges - but I would rather jump in to a "good" college rather than milling around at a community college. BUT - it is true that normally you can't really cook in a dorm, right? I have soo many reasons why I don't want to live in a dorm - animals being one, but there are just so many I don't think one is greater than the other. Maybe I'll try to find a good college that does not have the dorm requirements - so many benefits but also disadvantages, but I think it will be worth it in the end?

I mean I think any choice I make now is somewhat irresponsible? Go to college and leave them so my mom can take care of them. Go to college and give them to someone else, or let someone else watch over them (not that this is a bad idea, but I don't know many people and I'm not sure how to find responsible people in the area either?) I mean I don't want to burden my mom with the rabbits - she loves them and it is obvious, but they are my responsibility. Eh life is so complicated!

 

[BugLady]

My college dorm had kitchens, but that was in Canada and the dorm building was really old. Probably built back in the day when they actually trusted students to cook and not set the building on fire? That's where I really learned to cook, it was awesome. I'm not sure how many universities have kitchens in their dorms, it's probably very few.

I wouldn't feel too bad about leaving the rabbits with your mother for your first year if she enjoys the buns, and you continue paying for the food and hay. Would you go home during holidays and the summer?

Then the next year you can find an apartment that allows pets. Many landlords say "no pets" but will be lenient for things that aren't a cat or dog. And by then you will have made friends who you could trust to rabbit-sit.

What do you want to study? I'd make sure that finding the right college is your first priority.

 

[qtipthebun]

Ha, I go to UT Austin (but as a grad student, so I got out of the whole dorm thing). I think there are co-ops and stuff you could live in (and they tend to be cheaper than apartments). But if you're not in Texas, it's virtually impossible to get into the school...stupid 10% laws....

 

[Annetters]

So hi there! I'm a second-semester sophomore at college and I've had rats since I moved in, and I recently got a bunny as well. (He's actually my girlfriend's, but he's kept in my room.)

It's difficult hiding a pet in your room but DEFINITELY possible if you're determined and LUCKY.

I was lucky enough to get a single, which I would definitely recommend if you are going to do this.

I keep both of the cages in my closet, so the doors are shut when I'm not in there (and they aren't allowed to open closets when doing inspections). When I AM in the room, the doors are open and the bunny gets free range of the room, with a pen blocking off underneath my bed so he can't chew on my clothes and everything.

Check the student handbook of the colleges you are applying to; usually they will be required to notify you at least 24 hours ahead of going into your room or doing inspections.

But let me tell you it's difficult. You can't let ANYONE know about the rabbit, and if your dorm has thin walls you CANT talk about the bunny or you have to use code words.

Originally the rabbit was in my girlfriend's room, but her suitemates (who she and her roommate share a bathroom with) heard about the bunny through the wall and told the RA. Luckily, the RA told them before notifying the resident director, so they were able to move him to my room. Her roommate, though, LOVED the bunny and was always feeding him greens and snuggling with him.

It's also really difficult to move the cage around, since it's huge, and you have to carry everything in trash bags so people can't see what you're carrying around.

You can't tell ANYONE, because anybody could notify the RA and you could get in trouble. Usually, again you can check the student handbooks, you will get a 24-48 hour notice and have to get rid of the animal. They won't confiscate them, nor will they kick you out, though if you get caught you will probably not be able to become an RA!

I would definitely encourage you to try and find a roommate in advance that will be cool with rabbits; usually when you get accepted to a college, people are on Facebook trying to find roomies in the facebook group, so you can try and find one that way. DO NOT try and hide rabbits in your room if you don't have your roommate's support.

But really, if you can, it's worth it to get a single.

And it's also really distressing that you are basing choosing your college on these rabbits. I know your pets are really important, but your college education is REALLY REALLY important. In addition, living on campus is AMAZING and you shouldn't let your bunnies hold you back from having an awesome college experience.

I also know that I love having my rats and my girlfriend's rabbit in my room and I think it's worth the stress. You just have to be smart about it and very very careful. You can't even let the supplies be seen; usually if you have supplies you can actually get in trouble!

if you have any questions, feel free to message me. I have a lot of experience with hiding animals.