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TIMES & TRANSCRIPT (Moncton, New Brunswick) 02 June 06 Co-op outlaws pet reptiles; Dieppe roommates told to lose the snakes or face eviction (Craig Babstock)
Amanda Langille and her roommates have no intention of parting with their pets.
"We're not getting rid of them, we refuse," she says. "They're like our children."
Like children, except slithery and with forked tongues.
Langille, 20, and her roommates Mark Steeves, 21, and Tanya Hyslop, 21, have snakes. Three snakes named Aries, Zena and Trident.
Aries is a foot-long baby ball python, Zena is a two-and-a-half-foot ball python and Trident is a four-and-a-half-foot bubblegum rat snake. The pythons are kept in one tank, while Trident gets his own.
Steeves and Hyslop, who are engaged, moved into 232 Doucet Court in January, with Langille moving in three months later.
Their home is part of a seven-building, 25-unit Dieppe Co-op Housing complex.
They say when they moved in and met with staff, they asked about having snakes and were told it was OK. They bought the serpents in April for $200 each and have grown fond of them.
"We've had kids play with them and people have come over to play with them," says Langille.
But not everyone in the housing complex likes having reptiles for neighbours.
"We got complaints from people who were scared by them," says Laurise Cormier, president of the co-op board, which is made up mostly of tenants. "Apparently he was outside with one of the snakes."
The board investigated, found out three snakes were living in the home and had a meeting this week to discuss it. The result was a letter to the tenants, stating either the snakes go or they all go.
They have to get rid of the snakes by Monday or an eviction notice will follow.
"We have a lot of children here and if a snake got out and attacked a child, (the owner) would be responsible and the co-op would be responsible," says Cormier. "He's telling us it's not a danger, but we have to take precautions. These are family units."
Cormier says she wasn't present when the couple moved in and had their initial interview, so she doesn't know if they were told they could have snakes. But she says there is a pet policy that tenants must follow.
"The policy is there, the tenants all know about the policy," she says.
"They bought those snakes after they moved in and they were told what kind of pets they could have."
Cormier, who's lived in the complex for 18 years, says things like hamsters, birds or a single declawed and fixed cat are allowed. Dogs and snakes are not.
Langille says they've never seen a pet policy and they're contacting a lawyer to fight the eventual eviction.
"We were told we were allowed to have them and now we're being told we're not allowed to have them," she says, adding they also have fish, mice and hamsters.
Langille says the snakes are no more dangerous than a dog or cat and they have no intention of giving them up. But finding a new apartment has been difficult because most other places won't allow snakes either.
"They're trying to put us on the street with three snakes," she says.
Co-op outlaws pet reptiles

TIMES & TRANSCRIPT (Moncton, New Brunswick) 06 June 06 Snake owners leave housing complex; Roommates must find temporary home for pets until they move into new home (Aloma Jardine)
Mark Steeves, Tanya Hyslop and Amanda Langille have elected to move out of the Dieppe Co-op Housing complex rather than give up their three pet snakes.
Steeves says when they moved into 232 Doucet Ct. this January it was their understanding they could keep the reptiles as pets as long as they were caged. They bought the three snakes - Aries, Zena and Trident - in April.
The co-op board sent them a letter last week stating the snakes contravened the co-op's pet policy and had to go.
Steeves says it wasn't easy finding a new apartment. He says he and Langille called every apartment for rent in last Friday's Times & Transcript.
"They all said small caged animals were no problem but as soon as we mentioned snakes, that was it," he says. "Some even hung up."
In the end, only three properties would allow the pet snakes, which Cormier says he finds a little upsetting.
He says they finally decided on renting a house.
"It's almost a win-win situation," he says. "We won't have to worry about direct neighbours attached to the same building."
Steeves says they'll be moving out by the end of the month.
Co-op board president Laurise Cormier says their scaly friends will have to go sooner than that.
She says an inspection of the premises was to be carried out last night and if the snakes were still there, the tenants were going to be given another notice warning them to get rid of them.
"The snakes definitely have to be removed," she says. "If they are moving maybe they can find a place for the snakes for the month. Maybe they can bring them to the pet shop for the few days remaining. If we allow them to keep them, we are breaking the contract also."
Cormier says the rules on pets are stated clearly in the co-op's bylaws which have been in place since 1985. Pets must be confined to the members' units and can include caged pets such as birds and small animals like gerbils, fish in a tank, or a single cat as long as it is declawed and neutered.
The bylaw goes on to say that exotic animals, including snakes, and monkeys are not permitted in the co-op.
Cormier says the bylaws have to apply to all.
"If we break it for someone we will have to break it for everyone," she says. "We have to protect 25 families, not just the one. We have to make sure everybody feels safe. These buildings are attached to each other with air ducts and vents."
Cormier says the board only inspects properties annually and says no one likely would have known the snakes were even there until then but for the fact that one of the roommates had the snakes outside in the yard.
Steeves says he can understand the concern that caused. He says a former roommate brought the pets outside.
"If I would have been here, that would not have happened," he says. "It is something you can't really disagree with."
Still, he says their three snakes, two ball pythons and a bubble gum rat snake, pose little danger to others. "The chance of them constricting around a human is slim to none. They have been around humans since they were hatched," he says. "It's like laws around breeds of dogs. If they are brought up right, the chances of them attacking is a lot slimmer."
Steeves says he doesn't hold a grudge against the co-op board.
"They are just trying to do their job. I know they are just trying to look out for everyone. I just wish they had listened to my side a little more and I wish (landlords) would properly educate themselves about these reptiles," he says. "If properly taken care of, they won't be an issue at all."
He says his only problem with the way the board handled the situation was only giving them four days to find a new home for their pets.
As for finding Aries, Zena, and Trident a place to board until they move, Steeves says he'll do his best.
"I don't know if I can do that, but I can try," he says. "The only other way to get rid of them in such a short period of time would be to bring them back to the pet store, but we did get very attached to them and they are not something we wanted to give up."