Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here's my dilemma...

I told my landlord that I have a couple snakes that I'd like to keep in my apartment. (Keep in mind that this is NOT an apartment complex where rules apply to EVERYONE but an apartment connected to a house on a decent size piece of property) He and his wife told me that it would be fine for me to have them. After I moved them in and got them settled, I remembered my landlord saying that his 15 yr old son liked reptiles and had one or two lizards as pets. I took it upon myself to throw my 10' python on my shoulder and walk him outside to meet my landlord and his son. Little did I know that my landlords wife (who wears the pants) is afraid of all snakes. Seeing how big the python was, she quickly changed her mind about letting me keep them. They told me that it doesn't have to be done in a hurry, but the snakes have to go!

I'm totally heartbroken and I'd rather move out than give them away! The only problem is, I can't move out!

Give me some ideas as to how I could change their minds!

Give me some facts that I could use in my arguement!

Please help me in my fight to keep these guys!

THANKS!
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George
1.0.0. Albino Burmese Python (Tyranus)
1.0.0. Columbian Red Tail Boa (Madmartigan)

Do your local laws allow for such snakes?

Are pets mentioned in your lease agreement?

If pets are not mentioned in your lease, I don't think your landlord can legally make you get rid of it.

It kind of irks me that they are backing out of a verbal agreement.

Of course, you would be burning bridges and making life miserable for yourself if you just outright fought them. The only other thing to do is to educate her and show her how responsibly you keep the snake. Show her a perfectly clean enclosure with padlocked doors. Try to dispell whatever myths she believes about snakes to let her know that they're not that bad.

I signed the lease that stated I wasn't allowed to have pets. However, my landlords sited pets as being dogs or cats in a conversation we had. I called and asked if I could keep reptiles or fish and the answer was yes. Only after seeing the size of my python did the agreement change. I don't know what to do because I think that I have some solid ground to stand on. Are there any statistics floating around that would be useful?

Still looking for some more help...
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George
1.0.0. Albino Burmese Python (Tyranus)
1.0.0. Columbian Red Tail Boa (Madmartigan)

"I signed the lease that stated I wasn't allowed to have pets. However, my landlords sited pets as being dogs or cats in a conversation we had."

Verbal amendments to written contracts are legally non-binding. Whatever you have in writing is what will stand up in any court. Sorry, but it doesn't sound like you have a case at all.

You're right. Nothing I have will hold up in COURT, but I don't want it to go that far.

Basically, I want the chance to plead my case to my landlords. They're really sweet people and I'm just hoping that they have hearts about this. I want to get them together and explain that my snakes are not dangerous and that there's no reason to have me get rid of them. What bums me out is that if I hadn't brought them outside to show them off, I wouldn't be in this situation right now. I always seem to shoot myself in the foot for doing the right thing.

Anyways, I was just hoping that some of you could provide me with some interesting facts or statistics about snakes in the home that would benefit my arguement. Something like "99% of snake owners report that their snakes have never escaped". Thanks.
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George
1.0.0. Albino Burmese Python (Tyranus)
1.0.0. Columbian Red Tail Boa (Madmartigan)

I've always held on to this link for JUST such an occasion.
Unfortunately, its for 2003, but it gets the message across...

Odds of dying in 2003:
http://www.nsc.org/lrs/statinfo/odds.htm

What bums me out is that if I hadn't brought them outside to show them off, I wouldn't be in this situation right now.

That was my thought from the original post. Leave your snakes inside, they aren't accessories.

As the others have stated, you need to sit down and negotiate with the landlord (and his wife). Offer to never take the snake out of the apartment. Show them that the cage is secure and that it is locked (if it isn't, make it so).
Also show them that you only feed F/T rodents so you aren't bringing live rodents into the place.

It sounds like they were reasonable to start with. I think you probably could reason with them now. I think for both of your interests, you should ask to put together an addendum to your lease that both of you can sign saying you are allowed to keep the specific snakes you currently have (list them on the addendum) and that you won't get more and that they will stay in their cages.
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Chris Harrison
San Antonio, Texas

First of all...I wish you the best of luck. Yes, refer to your lease & attempt to appeal to the decency of the person who gave you the OK to begin with.

While it may be too late for YOU (this time), the unfortunate reality is that us herpers sometimes need to keep a much lower profile in such situations. I guess that goes triple if you are renting. If you get the initial "OK"... be very careful before you make a move that will unsettle anyone. Sadly, your landlord may be fine about herps, but if his wife, kids, mother, or Uncle Bob FREAKS OUT... You are $h1t outta luck!

Like I said, I hope you are able to work things out. It really sucks that most people don't understand that our snakes are FAR less dangerous than the average pet dog. Duffy

Thanks goes out to everyone who's answered my questions and helped me to raise my snakes. Unforunately, my landlords turned out to be two of the coldest people I've ever met. I typed out a fact sheet and prepared a great series of points in my favor. I went out and bought locks for the enclosures. I bought a lock for the door and even tried to show the impossibility of these creatures escaping. They had none of it. Not only did they come into the conversation with closed minds, my landlords wife wound up trying over and over again to be smart with me! Every pause I took was filled with a smart ass comment from her disgusting mouth. I suppose that if given the choice between the two, I'd take the apartment over the snakes. Oh well. I guess that's just the way the cookie crumbles. Next time, I'm keeping them hidden. Thanks again. Later.
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George
0.0.0. Albino Burmese Python (Tyranus)
0.0.0. Columbian Red Tail Boa (Madmartigan)

Moral of the story:

Trust no [bleep].
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