A dozen gerbils is an unlikely collection to find anywhere, let alone in a University dorm room. But one junior — we'll call him 'Jim' — has assempled just this cast of characters in a cage in his suite's common room.
Jim's gerbil colony started when he bought two of the tiny rodens from a pet store this winter, he said.
Then, as gerbils will, the pair began to multiply, resulting in the twelve animals he currently cares for.
According to the University's "Rights, Rules and Responsibilities" handbook, "Only fish may be kept in dormitory rooms, and tanks are not to exceed 10 gallons."
The gerbil-owning junior is not alone in his decision to violate the rules and own a pet. However, most student pet owners tend to have only one animal.
An anonymous freshman owned a hamster for three months this year, which he kept in a cage behind his futon.
Likewise, senior 'Lauren' has kept a dog in her room for the past two years. She got her dog, Ava, at the start of her junior year and kept bringing her back to campus.
Not all students become pet owners intentionally, however.
'Tom,' a sophomore, joined the ranks of illicit pet-owners after his friend found a cat, who he affectionately named Steeeve, lying outside of DeNunzio Pool last fall.
"She was starving and in really bad shape," Tom said. "So I took over responsibility, took her to the veterinarian and got her medicine."
After nursing Steeeve back to health, he and his roommate decided to keep her in their room as their first college pet.
The owners were all aware of the University policy against pets. However, they are willing to assume the risks and the $25 fine if caught.
To avoid discovery, students have elaborate fire inspector notification systems.
"We had people on lookout for fire inspectors," Tom said. "When we hear they are coming, we put Steeeve in a box and moved her to another room."
The junior with the gerbils has a similar system.
Someone lets him know when fire inspections are imminent so he has time to hide the gerbils in a closet or under the bed.
While none of these individuals have been caught, Tom remembers one close call.
"The fire inspectors were on the floor below us when my roommate ran Steeeve out in a box up-campus," he said.
The near-disaster prompted him to bring Steeeve home over winter break and keep her there permanently.
Not many students are willing to break University rules and have a pet in the first place, however.
"It's just not worth the risk," said Leslie Hsu '07, who added that she would get a small hamster if it weren't illegal.
For law-abiding students like Hsu, it seems as if owning a fish — in a tank no larger than ten gallons — is the only viable pet option.
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