Question: College pet?

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I'm starting college in the fall, (finally). I'm super excited, but the idea of four years living in a dorm with nothing but humans to keep me company is horrifying. As far as the pets go this is my schools policy "possession 
of 
pets 
other 
than
 fish 
(fish
bowls 
and
 aquariums 
less
 than 
10 
gallons 
in 
capacity 
are
 permitted)". I'm pretty sure that I can get away with a ten gallon if I leave like an inch at the top then it's technically less than ten gallons, right? And don't axolotls need to get to the surface to breathe? And since they are fully aquatic I figure I can pass it off as a 'fish'. I know it isn't one but if it works in my favor I can give in on the technicalities.

I don't have any experience with amphibian. It is my understanding that it is possible to keep an axolotl in a 10 gallon. However, I don't want to have an unhappy, unhealthy axolotl. It isn't fair to him/her.

I would be cycling the tank ahead of time and most like having live plants. (Probably a couple moss balls and some floating plants to block some light.) My plan would be to do 1-2 partial changes a week depending on what was needed.

The more I read about them the more I want one. If I can provide a suitable life for them that would be wonderful. Otherwise I'll probably get a fish, probably a betta. But I prefer the idea of an axolotl because I feel they would be more interactive. I love the idea of being able to hand feed them.

I'd love your guys thoughts and suggestions.


P.s. I might be doing my first semester abroad in which case I would get him over winter break and probably wouldn't have to transport him until the summer but I would need to be transporting him a couple of times a year. My school is about 5-6 hours away.
 
Axolotls rarely go to the surface to breath. My axies do it sometimes, if you have a little hole, and they know it is there, then it is enough. They do have loungs, but their geels do most of the work. Just make sure there is enough Oxygen in the aquarium (air pump would help). If there is not too much flashing lights, water movement or temperature change, then everything should be fine. Don't forget to feed them!;)
 
I had mine while at school but I lived in on campus apartments and could have larger tank sizes. I would say for maybe the first year to year and a half you would be ok. These guys can grow fast though and you would have a very large critter in a very small container. If there was room you could opt for a 20 gallon long but only fill it half way. It would depend on room and how the rules are written. They probably specify that the potential volume of the aquarium not exceed 10 gallons.

Depending on your axi they can be very active at the top of the tank or you may never see them take a breath at the surface.

As far as travel a couple times a year for 5-6 hours they would be fine.

If you were to get lucky and get a specimen that grows very very slow or stops at about 6-7 inches you may be ok for the 4 years at school.

Good Luck
 
A few tips from my recent experience:
No one is going to be checking your room for items against their policy, just don't give anyone in authority a bad reason to come in your room.
If you have a roommate make sure that they are okay with it, because it a ten gallon tank is a large space consumption in rooms that are fairly tiny.
Axolotls are great interactive pets! Mine greet me at the aquarium glass every time I come into the room!

I say definitely do it, unless you are going to a strict religious college they are very lax about the rules.
 
10 gallons is somewhat small. Unless you guy a small adult axolotl, you run the risk of having what should be a large individual in overly cramped quarters.
 
Personally, I started out with a betta bowl, then quickly realized that was wrong. Then I skipped to a ten gallon and a 2.5 for an axie and betta. Now I have all kinds of tanks and reptiles too. We aren't allowed to have any pets at all, according to college rules. But if you ask your area director, they may allow you a larger tank. Mine allowed a 55, 2 twenties, 2 tens, and 3 fives on a no pet rule, haha. The reptiles are not known about... But they never check rooms. Most college RAs don't want to catch you and write you up for things, because they want to stay in everybody's good books. But I recommend emailing the director of the dorms you're living in the first semester! You can always email right before you plan to get a tank.

If you want one axie, you'll want more. Ten is fine. But try to persuade them to let you have a twenty long so you can have two. I only moved up to a higher tank because my female axolotl ended up getting to be 12 inches.
 
Thanks for the tip guys.

I quoted the exact line from their "Dorm Policies" sheet. It actually says less than ten gallons in capacity. Which would probably rule out a ten gallon but I don't think they'd care that much. I'm not sure about a 20 long. Or how I't get a 20l back and forth.

As an incoming freshman I'd just be worried about RA's. Particularly during orientation. I don't think they'd care, the question is just, what would I do if they did?

I'm going to a pretty small state school. I figure it'll be fine.

I actually don't know where I'm living yet. Or even if I'm starting on campus or abroad. (If I do start abroad I obviously won't get one til I get back.

I'd like to get a juvie if possible. But I am worried about him/her possibly being huge. Can you tell at all when they're young? I know with dogs you can see the runts. Obviously I know dogs an amphibians are completely different but is there a similar thing?
 
Unfortunately with amphibians, there are no clear "runts" .


Axolotl's growth rate vary by animal....you can have a juvi growing like a weed who tops out quickly or you can have the one lagging behind outgrow everyone....with them the only way to find out is time.
 
I figured that was the case but it was worth asking.
 
If you can convince them to allow a 20 long, go for it. :) My axolotl outgrew a 10g about two months after I got him, being maybe 5 months old. I'm sure he could have survived in it, but I just didn't like watching him run into the glass all the time and there wasn't much room to do anything in the tank.

Otherwise, I'd consider fish. Axolotls are really cool, but you can find really awesome fish, too ! And things like shrimp - they're so fun to watch skittering around.

Check out this 9 gallon : Amazon.com: EHEIM Aquastyle 9-Gallon Nano Aquarium: Pet Supplies . You might also consider a 5 gallon crab tank. I can't stress enough that shrimp are really fun to watch - I have some in with my axolotl and they're the best - in a 5 or 9, you could probably do 4-5 shrimp and a pair of small fish.
 
Oh jeeze! If you're going to a state school, you'll probably never even see your RA's. I know for fact my liberal arts college gets more checks and write-ups than a lot of state schools. I wouldn't worry about it. You could always say a twenty long is technically ten gallons if you fill it halfway. The water rule is likely for water damage. I bet you'd be allowed if you just ask and say "the water won't be more than a few inches".
 
I'm thinking that I might be better off with a fish as much as I'd love an axolotl. I think I'd rather have a tank with only one or two critters. I'm one of those people that humanizes my pets too a pretty ridiculous degree. I'd feel very odd naming a tank full of shrimp, and how would I tell them apart? I might go with a betta then or I recently heard about dwarf puffers.

If anyone has any suggestions that'd be great. Either fish or any other fully aquatic species that I could keep happily I'd love to her them.


I am going to a state school, however it is a liberal arts college. There are less than five thousand students in the school. So it isn't like some huge university where everything goes. I'm also super scared to get in trouble because the 'campus police' are actually state police. Not that they'd get called in over an axolotl or a fish so I'm not really worried. However, I'm simply paranoid about getting in trouble. My dad knows everything I do and in his opinion I'm awful because sometimes I sleep til noon when I have nothing to do. I'm going to be the lamest college student ever.
 
If you are still interested in amphibians but want to try something other than an axolotl then you could have a small colony of African Dwarf Frogs or one African Clawed Frog (doesn't grow as big as an axolotl but still gives you a fairly larger aquatic amphibian)
 
Aside said:
I'm thinking that I might be better off with a fish as much as I'd love an axolotl. I think I'd rather have a tank with only one or two critters. I'm one of those people that humanizes my pets too a pretty ridiculous degree. I'd feel very odd naming a tank full of shrimp, and how would I tell them apart? I might go with a betta then or I recently heard about dwarf puffers.
Click to expand...

A betta in a 5g would work fine. It's up to you what you'd prefer. I have never found fish really exciting to watch and there's not much there to have "personality" with the smaller fish I've had (sorry fish).

I would read that warning about the dwarf puffers in the link I gave before. Unfortunately, you really don't have the time to establish a tank for one at school - it would take over a semester just to get the tank ready.

I've actually named my shrimp - I joked that if they lasted two weeks with the axolotl without getting eaten, they'd get names. There are four that I really keep track of. I can tell them apart because they have slightly different markings. I just named them things like "Freckles" and "Stripes" based on their markings. :p

If you had a few different kinds of shrimp, it would be super-easy to tell them apart - for instance, a ghost shrimp and a cherry shrimp - totally different.

I'm not sure how well betta do with shrimps, but something like a guppy or a white cloud minnow could likely cope in a 5g on its own or in a pair and I've never had problems with them together.

A betta could be a good choice - however, your first decision needs to be "are you heating this tank" ? Take the size of filtration and a heater into account. Warmer water also tends to be less stable.

And whatever you do, don't get a fishbowl. They require daily 100% water changes and are much HARDER to keep than a tank with a filter that can be cycled. You don't need that added work and disaster potential while at school. There is also the problem of keeping the water oxygenated. It's just not worth it.

I'd be careful with crabs or frogs - because they college likely wants to limit to pets that cannot survive beyond/leave the aquatic environment - they don't want them "getting loose".
 
As an RA, I'm a little sad about everyone's opinion on them! Rather than avoiding yours, make a good relationship with them. Chances are that they would be fine with a 10 gallon tank, or if you talk with your RA and their boss, they may allow a bigger thank as well. I have a 20 gallon long (our policies allow up to 20 gallons and state only fish) tank and 2 axolotls, and those little guys have helped me make so many friends! I even raised babies in my room this semester. I will say, if you get attatched to your pets and want something a little more interactive, axolotls are awesome for dorms ;) I've also had tiger barbs, an eel, and a little betta named "Greg" by my residents, and I have to say, the eel is really cool.
 
Chirple said:
I'd be careful with crabs or frogs - because they college likely wants to limit to pets that cannot survive beyond/leave the aquatic environment - they don't want them "getting loose".
Click to expand...

That's why I suggested purely aquatic species - they die if left out of the water.

Like axolotls, they can escape *if* their tank is not set up properly. With a few easy precautions it is not a worry.
 
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