PRIYA SHARMA Jake, a ball python, curls around the hand
of third-year physiological science student Sahar Masoudi. Many
students find pets to be a pleasant distraction from college
life.
By Dharshani Dharmawardena
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
For Nidhi Gupta, a third-year physiological science student, the
trauma of giving away her roommate’s rabbit rivaled the scene
in “Fatal Attraction” where Glenn Close’s
character boils the little girl’s bunny.
After discovering that Gupta and her roommates were harboring a
pet in their apartment, their manager made them get rid of it.
A few days later he came by as Gupta and her friends were
cooking lunch.
“He walked by and asked if I was making rabbit stew for
lunch,” said Gupta.
Similar to most policies for Westwood apartment complexes,
Gupta’s did not allow pets, but the rabbit was a comforting
distraction from studying.
“The rabbit made us happy,” she said. “It gave
us something to do, like playing with it and feeding it.”
For apartment managers, however, residents keeping pets in their
homes often create unsafe conditions.
Ashok Desai, who manages a complex on Kelton Avenue, said
because Westwood is a “woodsy area,” pets can bring
ticks and fleas into buildings. He also said many residents are
allergic to animals.
If Desai discovers a tenant housing a pet, he usually gives them
a few days to find a new home for it.
“They’ll be emotional,” he said. “But we
can’t let one person’s whims dictate the policy for
others.”
 Illustration by MICHAEL SHAW/Daily Bruin Gupta, on the
other hand, said some animals could stay in apartments without
creating problems.
“I think some pets should be allowed, depending on the
size and where it would be,” she said. “Our rabbit
stayed on the balcony in a cage so he couldn’t have done any
damage.”
Since January, students living in the residence halls have been
allowed to keep fish in a 10-gallon tank.
“I think if they’re in water, maybe you’d
consider them in the same category as fish,” said Jack
Gibbons, associate director of the Office of Residential Life.
But if these animals don’t live in water, students can
forget about keeping them in the halls.
“If we have snakes or poisonous animals, and they were to
get out, they would become a nuisance in our environment,”
said Gibbons.
Despite the pet policies enforced by apartment managers and
on-campus housing officials, many UCLA students choose to raise
pets in their college homes anyway.
Although most students have more traditional pets ranging from
fish to dogs, others opt for more exotic ones, such as frogs and
snakes.
Fourth-year anthropology student Charles Boyd, who raised cats
in his home for as long as he could remember, decided to continue
the tradition in college.
Boyd said his cats Luna and Britney, named for teenage singing
sensation Britney Spears, have personalities of their own.
“Britney is a very do-what-you-want type of cat, meaning
nothing will disturb her,” said Boyd. “Luna will run
out of the way if you get near her.”
Having pets in his apartment means taking responsibility for
their health and happiness, he said.
At home “my parents took care of them,” he said.
“Now, I have to change their litter and make sure not to
leave them alone too long.”
Boyd also said he takes his cats for yearly check-ups, which
usually cost $40, and makes sure they receive good food, which can
cost $15 a bag.
Unlike having a dog, cats require less maintenance and
attention, he said.
“I used to play with Britney a little more,” Boyd
said. “Now that there are two of them, they just play among
themselves. I don’t really worry about them.”
In addition to the cats, Boyd also houses fish and a rat, which
was given to him by a friend.
“The rat was supposed to be used for food,” he said.
“Lucky for him, the snake died.”
Originally, Boyd worried that a rat living with two cats meant
finding a headless body in the apartment one day.
“Britney used to sit on top of the cage, but after a
while, she realized that lid was not coming off,” he said.
“Cats get rather bored of the same thing.”
Some people’s pets, however, are food for other
students’ pets.
Sahar Masoudi, a third-year physiological science student, feeds
her two-month old ball python, Jake the snake, a mouse once a
week.
“I feed it to him live,” she said. “The snake
will see it and he’s so fast that I don’t think the
mouse even realizes what’s happening.”
Although she’s only had him for a short time, Masoudi said
she feels comfortable around her snake.
“My mom’s had a few of them, so I’ve had to
deal with them,” she said. “I wanted a snake that I
could hang with and Jake’s real chill with people.”
Like Boyd, Masoudi said her pet requires little maintenance.
Currently, Jake, who cost $60, lives in a 30-gallon tank but will
need a larger living space because he may grow to be 5 feet
long.
Oftentimes, certain performers like to use snakes similar to
Jake, who curl around people’s arms and neck, in their
acts.
“I think ball pythons are popular with dancers and
strippers,” Masoudi said. “The woman at the (pet) store
said they get pretty interesting customers looking for
snakes.”
Jake, according to Masoudi, has already tasted a bit of show
business. At a recent party, Jake was the center of attention.
For Masoudi’s roommates, living with a snake was a
learning experience.
Her roommate, Reha Modi, a third-year sociology student, said
her fear of snakes became less prevalent after living with
Jake.
“It’s all psychological. People think they’re
slimy, but they’re really not,” Modi said. “I
just came to realize that it’s not going to hurt
me.”
For most students, keeping pets relieves stress and gives them a
different kind of companion.
Boyd said his cats help relieve stress.
“It’s soothing to hear them purr,” he said.
“Seriously, you’d want to be a cat. They spend up to 60
percent of their lives sleeping. It’s such a lazy
life.”