# Bad rat allergy? Hope this is the right place to post this!



## DancingIntheDark (Jun 2, 2012)

Hi guys! I'm brand new here, and I really need some advice. 

About three weeks ago I got my first baby ratty  He's tan and white and his name is Ace. He's absolutely gorgeous and really friendly and just what I wanted. However - one big problem. Seems I'm allergic to him. I think maybe it's just his urine I'm allergic to, because I'm fine when I'm holding him away from his cage, but as soon as I get near the cage I start sneezing, my nose runs like crazy, and I even start coughing. The couple of times he peed on me (by accident, he was very embarrassed) I broke out in hives immediately where his urine touched me. Also, his nails are really sharp right now (because he's a baby? I'm not sure if this will last forever) and whenever he scratches me in the slightest bit I get really itchy and hives start appearing within a few seconds.

I realize this is a really bad allergy. I've been aware of a slight allergy to rodents before - I had a guinea pig when I was younger and if she touched my neck or face I would get very itchy, and when I played with my sister's rat before his tail made me itchy if it touched my neck, but nothing this severe before. I really didn't think it was a big deal, as soon as I washed my neck or face the itching went away. I've always been fine patting them, and I still am, except for when he scratches me.

So here's what I've been doing:
- Ace doesn't stay in my room, he stays in the basement part of my house. 
- I've been wearing fingerless gloves to handle him, which he seems to be okay with and protects the back of my hands, which seem to be the most sensitive for some reason.
- I've been wearing a bandanna tied around my face when I clean his cage and it seems to help a little.
- I wear a long-sleeved shirt that covers up my neck too any time I handle him, and I leave it by his cage when I leave. 

So my question for you guys is - anybody else in this situation??? If so, what do you do to handle it? I'm doing all I can but sometimes it effects me really bad anyway, I get so stuffed up and I cough a lot, even when I'm out of the house, as if it stays with me all the time, which is a little unsettling. Part of me is a little scared this might get worse down the line. I've read about people having asthma attacks from their rats and having to use inhalers.  

I refuse to give away my ratty, it's just not even an option. I have allergies to several other things in my life as well (food, plants, and cats) and I'm pretty upset to add rats to that list. I'm sick of allergies taking over my life, and I just refuse to let them ruin my time with Ace. 

Can you guys please give me any advice on how to handle this? Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated.


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## deetea (May 26, 2012)

Have you tried taking a reactine about 20 minutes before you go to handle him? 
My brother in law as well as a few of my girlfriends have severe allergies to dogs - and as long as they take a reactine before the touch or come in contact with pups they are ok! It might be worth a shot. 

The guy that I bought Martha and Penelope from had the exact same thing - as soon as he touched a rat he would break out into hives.


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## DancingIntheDark (Jun 2, 2012)

Hi deetea, no I haven't tried any allergy medications or anything like that, I've just been trying to handle it myself as best as I can. However if it keeps up the way it is I might have to give in and take something for it. I'm really glad to hear it works for your friends! That sounds promising for me as well then. Thank you so much for the tip! Anything to keep my baby ratty.


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## JessyGene (Feb 27, 2012)

what kind of bedding/litter do you us in your rat's cage? Maybe if its really dusty or something it could be making your allergies worse. It's so great that you are trying to make things work, instead of just immediately giving your rat away.


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## Maiden (Mar 9, 2012)

Try litter training. If you can get him to pee in the litter box you can change the box daily and have less ammonia build up. The claws will always be sharp unless you invest in a trimmer kit. When my boys scratch me the skin raises, reddens and itches badly. I have found that if I wash their feet before I hold them it helps a lot. Try and see if you can get him to like the water. If he plays in the water you will have a wet but urine free rat. When I got my rats my mom was sneezing and itchy eyes so bad it gave her pink eye. With time she got used to them being in the house. She can be in the same room as the cage for half an hour before symptoms force her out. You will adjust eventually, if it doesn't kill you. It doesn't itch as much now, and the skin hardly raises, but there is still reddening. If you are a crafty person you can try sowing a rat diaper. Something to catch the pee when he trails. I've also heard that neutering rats helps reduce their scenting, but I don't know if you want to give him surgery.


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## cagedbirdsinging (May 28, 2012)

Is he all by himself? He really needs a friend or two!

More rats and toys will help with him being away from you and not handled as much.


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## jenn1c (May 6, 2012)

I get huge welts after handling our babies, I make sure to wash my arms down right away or make sure I handle them just before needing to have a shower. If I touch them and don't wash my hands then rub my eyes I am in big trouble! I am going to try reactine and see if that helps.


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## DancingIntheDark (Jun 2, 2012)

Hi all, thank you so much for all your very helpful advice! Apologies for taking so long to reply.

@JessyGene I'm using Carefresh bedding actually. I actually wondered before if it might be the problem, because every time I cleaned his cage my throat started tightening up, but seeing as I swell up so bad when he pees on me, I'm forced to assume it's him/his urine.  Plus I think Carefresh is supposed to be hypoallergenic or something? Thank you for the tip though anyway!! ;D And yes... I just can't let him go. Not until that's the last possible choice. And probably not even then. 

@Maiden - Thank you so much for your great reply! He already is litter trained actually! (My smart little boy ) And that has helped somewhat. Washing his feet however is a great tip, I hadn't thought of that. I'm really hoping what you said is true - I will eventually get used to it. I'm a little scared it's getting worse though, maybe it's just some days are worse than others. But if it worked for your Mom maybe I have a chance too. And yeah, I'd rather avoid surgery as much as possible if I can, although thank you SO much for all your tips! Much appreciated!!

@cagedbirdsinging - Don't worry, I still give him plenty of attention! I just have to 'bundle up' before I spend time with him. He also has lots of toys and I'm making him more. 

@jenn1c - Sounds like we have something similar. It's so frustrating. I hope Reactine works for you!


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## AttackRat (May 21, 2012)

I had the same issue! I just kept handling them and now its not bad


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## lisagraphix (May 9, 2012)

I know what you're going through, i have been allergic to all kind of things for all my life. What think is you should ALSO keep in mind, besides the solution, is how far will you go? You should also keep your own health in mind when it comes to animals. But i understand you want rats they are very good pets. I heard some people have a profit in washing their feet so its worth a shot!


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

Carefresh makes me sneeze too...and my rats. Try switching litters.


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## DancingIntheDark (Jun 2, 2012)

@AttackRat - Thanks for answering! I'm glad to hear it cleared up for you, at least mostly! That sounds promising for me. I hope it turns out the same way!

@lisagraphix - Sorry to hear about your allergies as well. They are so frustrating. I agree about having to think about your health as well - if you're miserable and feeling bad all the time I guess it's not really worth it. Luckily though, I haven't felt bad lately at all since I've been covering my face while around him. It's a bit of a pain at the moment cause I just have a bandanna but I want to invest in a good dust mask which should make things easier. I haven't had my throat itch or had sneezing attacks in days.  And I can put up with the mask if I can keep him! ;D Thanks for replying! 

@shawnalaufer - does it really? Okay, that's good to know. I'd kind of ruled that out because so many people have told me that's probably not it, but if I'm not the only one, maybe that's part of it at least. And I just went out and bought a whole new bag of it, too.  Oh well. Thanks so much for telling me though! What kind of bedding do you use?


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## brittbritt (May 13, 2012)

Years ago I had a guinea pig that was allergic to carefresh as well. When I changed to using fleece with towels underneath as bedding his eyes quit watering and the sneezing stopped.


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## shawnalaufer (Aug 21, 2011)

I use Yesterdays News or Petco Planet brand newspaper pellet litter, whatever is on sale. I tried the fleece but besides chewing it to shreds, they get really really smelly quick.


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## DancingIntheDark (Jun 2, 2012)

@brittbritt - Okay, so it's starting to sound like maybe the Carefresh is part of it. Thanks for telling me about your guinea pig! I'm glad you found something that worked. 

@shawnalaufer - Thank you! I'll try looking for those brands. The pet stores near me don't seem to have too much of a variety of bedding, which is a pain. I'll have to try going to a bigger pet store.


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