# College



## Caffesaurus

Okay, so I'm a sophmore in High school right now, and I'm under the impression that Watson will live long enough to the point that I will be going away for college (He's only about 6ish months old). Do colleges generally accept Hedgehogs or not? 

Note - I do plan on going to art school if you want any more specifics, in the US.


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## Mommatobe

It is my understanding that you can not have pets in residence, unless things have changed but there was a no pets policy at both colleges I attended. If you wanted to take him with you, you would have to rent an apartment.


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## Caffesaurus

Well the majority of colleges that I've looked up allow small pets... might that include Hedgehogs?


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## MLHollywood

You would have to call and ask. My college didn't allow pets at all.

I would go ahead and think about if you are financially able to live in an apartment off campus or not. You shouldn't have a problem finding one that allows pets.


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## Mommatobe

I don't see why it would not include a hedgehog. Small pets usually mean they want something that is contained to a cage or tank. They just don't want cats or dogs running around. I am sure you could email someone to confirm but if it says they allow small pets a hedgehog is definitely in that category. But make sure to confirm before you head there with him.


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## alyssinreality

Except some colleges require you to live on campus freshman and sophomore year. Basically, its different for every college so I'd start looking into ones you may be interested in.


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## DasIgelPoggie

Are you meaning in the dorms? Most dorms in my state do not allow any pets, but I lived in an apartment or rented room through all of college and had my hedgehogs all through college no problem.  I even had a couple of my professors ask me to bring one to class occasionally, once they found out about my hedgie addiction, because they were curious about them! Watson, if he stays in good health and no accidents/etc. occur, should live well beyond your college years. In my situation, I found it was worth it to live off campus in non-university housing so that I could keep my little ones. If that is an option for you, I would highly recommend it... hedgehogs are fantastic late-night study buddies!!


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## MLHollywood

alyssinreality said:


> Except some colleges require you to live on campus freshman and sophomore year. Basically, its different for every college so I'd start looking into ones you may be interested in.


I second that!

My landlord says no pets allowed, but when I asked they said it was fine as long as it was in a tank. XD I'm not going to ask another thing about it!

Actually, my college was the same way. You had to live on campus in certain dorms. I wouldn't have wanted to have a hedgehog anyway because some of the dorms don't have air conditioning. I wouldn't want to have to keep him cool. Just look into some specific schools and you'll be fine


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## moxieberry

Even if a dorm allows small pets, pretty much all of them will have a policy against heating devices like space heaters or CHEs because they're considered a fire hazard when left unattended. The central heating/cooling of dorms really can't be relied on, in my experience. Living in an apartment near campus would be a better option as far as that goes, but if that's not a possibility, there might be other housing options other than living in a dormitory building. However, that sort of thing isn't usually available to freshmen. So, a heating setup for the hedgehog is another thing to consider when looking at housing options.


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## Christemo

I know my college only allowed fish tanks up to 10 gallons. If you were found with an animal on campus, you'd get kicked off. Also, anything that heats was banned, too.


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## raerysdyk

This is what can be annoying- hedgies are considered exotics. A lot of apartments (and college dorms for that matter) allow small pets, but do not allow exotics. 

I know in the dorms I lived in, any heating elements were not allowed either- as others have said. It would probably be best for you to call up the dorm residence office and ask specific questions. :? Good luck!


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## lehaley

moxieberry said:


> Even if a dorm allows small pets, pretty much all of them will have a policy against heating devices like space heaters or CHEs because they're considered a fire hazard when left unattended. The central heating/cooling of dorms really can't be relied on, in my experience. Living in an apartment near campus would be a better option as far as that goes, but if that's not a possibility, there might be other housing options other than living in a dormitory building. However, that sort of thing isn't usually available to freshmen. So, a heating setup for the hedgehog is another thing to consider when looking at housing options.


This is very true. I actually think it's pretty rare for a college dorm to allow small animals, mainly due to pest concerns and allergies. Most schools also require freshmen and sophomores to live in the dorms. Another thing to consider is that dorms tend to be incredibly loud and chaotic. Hedgies tend to thrive when they are kept on a schedule and generally do not like to be bombarded with lots of noise. Unless you are lucky enough to get a single occupancy dorm room, you also need to take roommates into account who may not be open to making adjustments to keep a hedgie in the room.

If you are attending a school that does not have a dorm requirement and decide to look for an apartment, keep in mind that many companies offering student housing have very strict "no pet" policies. This may not be the case in all college towns, but it most certainly is in mine. Probably because college students do enough damage to their apartments and they don't want to throw pet damage into the mix as well. :lol:


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## Guest

I didnt live on campus but i had friends who did at 3 seperate universitys and non of them were alound any pets except fish in a take smaller the 10 gallons. 

the policy at my school was no pets and they state allergies, and smell as most dorms are shared. 

i would call though and ask specificaly because everywhere is different


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## coribelle

To be completely and totally honest, I have lived on campus in a dorm for quite some time. Technically, we weren't allowed to have anything but a 10 gallon fish tank. I easily had two hamsters and Kazooie on campus in my dorm room (though not at the same time - the hamsters were old and died almost a year ago). There was no smell (or hardly any, the hamsters smelled worse than the hog) and no one knew they were there, and if they did, they didn't care. I think it depends a lot on the situation itself. My RAs have been very aloof and uninvolved, so it was very easy for me to walk through the building with cages, cat food, and a carrying bag with a hedgehog in it without any questions being asked. 
However, I'm not saying that this should be done. I've only gotten away with it because I had a feel for the situation and I knew what was permissible. With that being said, I can definitely say having an apartment or something of the sort makes things a TON easier. Plus, living on campus is just miserable anyways (;


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## MLHollywood

You guys smuggled in pets? :lol: I think the only thing we smuggled in was booze and microwaves!

Are you planning on going out of state? Make sure hedgehogs are illegal where you're going too. Some places make you have a permit.


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## Mommatobe

"Smuggling" pets in is easy, its the room inspections that can be tough. I was lucky enough to be on a small campus and in a program specifically for animals (veterinary technology) so no one really cared when I "smuggled" in my girls (2 rats from the lab program). I knew of other students that were forced to get rid of their pets but apparently they were not caring for them very well and it was in the best interest of the pet. Plus if you do not flaunt that you have something in your room most of the RA's and staff actually are fine with it, but definitely agree with everyone else in saying that finding somewhere off campus to live would be easier. Last thing you need is a roommate that does not want your hedgie there or someone else who causes a problem then you and your hedgie are stuck having to find somewhere else to live. It is better to be safe then sorry.


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## reggiehedgie

Not sure about art schools, but my school allows fish and birds into the dorms, no dogs or cats obviously. I believe they said no to mice, never asked about hedgies.


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