Alligators and tarantulas in dorms? Despite the exotic nature of these animals, they are among the pets some students keep in residence halls. Students who keep these "illegal" pets violate University regulations and risk severe punishments - all in order to give love and attention to a critter of their own.
Students may only keep pets that can live in a tank smaller than 10 gallons, according to the Residential Life Web site. Richard Bova, senior associate dean for Residential Life, said the University catches between five and 10 students each year keeping pets that do not meet the requirement.
"Sometimes we discover them through health inspections, and some students come to us because it creates problems with their living environment," Bova said.
According to Bova, students who are found housing pets in dorms are given fair warning and are asked to move the animal outside of the dorm room into more suitable living conditions.
"We ask that students remove the pets immediately and entrust the animal with a responsible owner. If they do not heed to our warning, then students will face judicial proceedings and fines," Bova said. The fine amount depends on the type of animal, he added.
Though Bova said the University's rules are clearly stated on the Web site, it doesn't seem to stop students from acquiring pets - and outrageous ones at that. Hans Sprecher '08, who is currently studying abroad in Barbados, kept a rose-haired tarantula named Cleo in his New Pembroke room last year.
"With heaps of vodka and rum scattered around the room, swords hanging on the walls, clothes drying from the water pipes and Christmas lights tangled around the fire equipment, keeping a pet seemed quite tame," Sprecher wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. "Having a tarantula is very cool - kind of like having a mouse - just a feisty, scary-looking mouse."
Sprecher and other students took turns caring for the spider and keeping it safe from discovery during room inspections. "A room check once came around when Cleo was out. Luckily, I had a friend over who was sitting on the bed flipping around a bottle of vodka, and this provided ample distraction," Sprecher said.
Having one pet isn't enough of a risk for some students. Two roommates, who declined to give their names or residence hall for fear of disciplinary repercussions, keep a cat and an American alligator. The roommates bought the alligator from the Rhode Island Aquarium and Pet Center on North Main Street.
"It was pretty expensive. The alligator cost us $100, and then we had to buy food and supplies for it," one of the students said. "My roommate wanted to get something really cool, so when we saw the alligator, we knew we had to buy it."
The alligator, which they named Ali G, is currently 14 inches long and is kept in a tank they estimate is greater than 10 gallons in volume.
But Mew, a black cat one of the students found a few months ago near his workplace in East Providence, roams freely about the dorm room.
"Maintenance guys have come in and said we weren't supposed to have the animals, but that didn't stop us. We take really good care of our pets, and they're very happy," the student said.
Although the alligator will eventually reach a length of 10 to 16 feet, it will only grow about six inches during the first year, according to the roommates. They said a pet store employee told them they could donate the alligator to a local zoo once it grew to an unmanageable size.
"We would really like to keep the alligator after this year, but we'll probably need a bigger tank," the student said.
Though neither Sprecher nor the anonymous roommates were ever caught with their animals, some students haven't been so lucky. Recently, The Herald reported that ResLife cited on-campus fraternity Phi Kappa Psi for a pet snake in their lounge.
"The snake is no longer in the fraternity, and the situation has been dealt with," Bova said of the incident.
Bova specified that, though animals are strictly forbidden for companionship purposes, they are allowed in dorms for special needs.
"Under certain conditions service animals are allowed, and we then make appropriate housing accommodations for the person and the animal," Bova said. "However, we do not have any students under this circumstance at the moment."
According to Bova, ResLife's concerns stem from some students' irresponsibility as pet owners.
"We have found so many animals that have been left to fend for themselves while students go on breaks, and that is not acceptable," Bova said. "As long as people cooperate with our standards, we give students the opportunity to correct themselves at first. I ask students respectfully to not bring their pets to school. I am a dog-lover, and I don't bring my dog to work."
