While pet ownership isn't welcomed in many of the apartments and student housing in Auburn, it is not uncommon for students to have a dog or a cat. There are plenty of parks in the area to take a dog for a walk, or to let a pet cat have some outdoor time. But it's not often you see someone at Auburn with a pet other than a cat or a dog.
This doesn't mean there aren't some students with other pets. Some Auburn students have taken pet ownership to another level by owning less common pets, such as snakes, horses and hamsters.
Amy Yarns, senior in creative writing, has a striped kingsnake named Monet. Striped kingsnakes are constrictors, so Monet is not poisonous, Yarns said.
"I actually didn't like snakes at all for the longest time, they kind of freaked me out," Yarns said. "But I started volunteering at the Montgomery Zoo when I was 13, and they had a lot of snakes there, and that was the first time that I handled one."
One of the snakes Yarns handled was a kingsnake, and she said she had always wanted her own ever since.
Yarns lives in Avalon Park with one other roommate who doesn't mind the snake, but she said most people don't like seeing it that much, so she doesn't usually take him out when she has guests over.
Having a snake does require some maintenance. "I just have to clean out his tank every once in awhile and then just give him fresh water every day," Yarns said. "I just have to turn on the light and keep a heating pad for him, and then he only eats like once a week so I only have to do that every once in awhile."
Yarns feeds Monet frozen mice. Yarns said Monet is about two feet long.
Kaitlyn Riley, junior in health administration, bought a dwarf hamster for $15 three weeks ago. Riley and her roommates keep the hamster in a cage on their couch.
"We sit on the couch and play with it," Riley said. "You can hold it, let it crawl on you, and it rolls in a little ball." Riley said they chose to get a hamster because it's easy to take care of. She said she just has to fill up the water and feed it for maintenance, and that she spends time with it every day.
Andie Paszkiewicz, junior in interdisciplinary studies, brought her horse Sebastian to college with her. Paszkiewicz has been riding horses since she was seven, and got Sebastian when she was in eighth grade.
Paszkiewica keeps Sebastian at Jennamere Farm in Auburn, but she sees him frequently. "I go out to the barn at least five times a week and stay for about two hours," Paszkiewicz said. "He has to get his stall cleaned every day and obviously fed every day, and I visit him and brush him almost every day."
Do you like this story? The Plainsman doesn't accept money from tuition or student fees, and we don't charge a subscription fee. But you can donate to support The Plainsman.
