• The following animals are the only animals allowed in the residence halls:  cats, rabbits, hamsters, mice, rats, gerbils, chinchillas, guinea pigs, fish, hermit crabs, sea monkeys, and small non-poisonous reptiles and amphibians.
    • Cats and rabbits are categorized as large pets and must be properly registered with Residential Life before residing on campus. Cats must be at least six months old, spayed/neutered, and have lived within the student’s household for at least three months prior to living on-campus.
    • Hamster, mice, rats, gerbils, chinchillas, guinea pigs, fish, hermit crabs, sea monkeys, and small non-poisonous reptiles and amphibians are categorized as small pets and must be properly registered with Residential Life before residing on campus.
  • The registration fee for large pets is $75.00 for the academic year. The registration fee for small pets is $50.00 for the academic year. The registration fee for pets over the summer is half the cost as the academic year. Residents with fish will only be charged $50.00 whether they have one fish or multiple fish. Pet registration fees are not applicable to emotional support animals and/or ADA service animals. Pet registration fees are not refundable once the pet has come to campus.
  • On-campus residents are permitted ONE large pet or TWO small pets. (Multiple fish, hermit crabs, or sea monkeys count as ONE small pet. Approved ESAs and Service Animals count towards this as well. Those with an approved ESA or Service Animal may only have two animals total.
    • Small pets must be able to live humanely in a cage no larger than 2’x2’x2’ and no larger than a 10-gallon tank (aquarium or terrarium). Cage size is by total volume not individual dimension measurement and does include any tunnels/add-on accessories. Students are only permitted one tank and one cage at any time.
    • Large pets must be able to live humanely in a containment no more than four feet on any side. The large animal should be able to comfortably roam in their containment with access to food, water, and litterbox.
  • Pets that are not allowed include dogs, birds, arachnids, domesticated farm animals, any animal that is illegal as a domestic pet in the state of Pennsylvania, and any animal not explicitly listed as an allowed animal above. Bringing in an animal that is not allowed will result in automatic loss of pet privileges, substantial fines, and possible Honor Council referral. This includes visitor’s pets, VEC animals, etc.
  • All pets must be registered and approved prior to arrival to campus.
    • Registration is required prior to the semester that a student intends to bring their pet. Any late registration will result in a delay of the pet arrival until the following semester. Proof of approval is required at check-in.
    • For large pets: All copies of certifications of all applicable vaccinations, proof of flea prevention, a recent photograph, and physical description of the pet as provided by the established veterinarian are required to be submitted before a room key is issued.
    • Failure to follow these policies before arrival and check-in on campus will result in immediate loss of pet privileges and a fine.
  • You will find the registration link on the pet page on the my.wilson portal.

Pet Death

In order to maintain Wilson College’s required compliance, the Federal EPA’S Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) concerning Biomedical Waste, the following steps must be taken if an “animal” housed in a residence hall room is found deceased:

  • The deceased animal must be packaged in a plastic bag and placed in the RED Biomedical waste container noted with a “marker” PATHOLOGICAL WASTE located in your residence hall.
  • Upon depositing the deceased animal in the Biological Waste Container, the student must email the Director of Residence Life or an RA immediately to notify them of the disposal and location.
  • Residence Life will contact the Environmental Health and Safety group for proper disposal as required under RCRA within 24 hours of notification.
  • It must be noted that no deceased residence hall room animal weighing more than 35 pounds can be placed in the RED Biomedical Waste Container. If such animal weighs more than 35 pounds, the Environmental Health and Safety Group should be notified to provide instructions for proper disposal. In this case, the student could be charged a disposal fee.

Pet Sitting Policy

Any resident, who chooses to become, or is a pet sitter, must abide by the following regulations:

  • All pet policy rules remain in effect during the duration of the pet sitting process. Both the animal owner and animal sitter will be held responsible for pet policy violation which occur during the agreed sitting time.
  • As part of the pet registration process, all pet owners will be required to complete an animal information portion. This animal information will be provided to the RA on the student’s floor/hall.
  • Students will complete an animal release form on Roompact to release their animal in one of the following ways:
    • Release to roommate – animal will be released to the owner’s roommate.
    • Release to building resident – animal will be released to a sitter who lives within the building the animal owner lives in. The sitter will pick-up the animal and take the animal to their assigned living space. Both the sitter and sitter’s roommate must agree to have the animal in their assigned living space.
    • The animal release form must be submitted no later than 24 hours prior to the animal being picked up. These forms are submitted to either the RA or the area pet proctor.

For more information on the monitoring of pets within the residence halls via pet proctors and resident assistants visit the pet page on the my.wilson portal.