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Rabbits & Astma

Hello!!

All my life I have been allergic to Cats & Dogs.. however, I had a rabbit, a VERY fluffy one for around 10 years of my life from when I was around 4 - 14 years old.

Within that time I had NEVER had any allergic reactions or asthma problems with the rabbit, where as I did with cats & dogs.

Anyway.. I thought I would be ok with rabbits, so I went to Pets & Home the other week to look at them to buy one, and I felt that my eyes started to get itchy, usually a sign of me being allergic to pets.. So I didn't buy it incase..


I'm just wondering, if it was me being paranoid at the time, a coincidence, or making myself feel I had itchy eyes when I didn't as I was worried about my asthma...

Was just wondering what your views are on this, can allergies change? It's been 8 years since I last had a rabbit...


Thanks :D.
 
I am allergic to cats and dogs in fact all hair including my own:shock: but I am not allergic to my house rabbit. I tend to have skin reaction rather than asthma or nose running. If a dog licks me I come out in a huge rash but my bunny can wash my legs for ages and no reaction at all.
This may be wrong but I read that allergy to bunny fur is very very rare.
You may be reacting to the bedding rather than the rabbit. I react badly to the bedding used for hamsters ( fluffy wool like stuff??) and my husband is allergic to birds.
 
You might be reacting to the rabbits (allergies can change and can get worse with time). But it may also be the hay - lots of people are allergic or sensitive to hay. Also, some people are allergic to some animals and not others - apparently it is usually the dander that we are allergic to, not the fur itself.

Either way though, unless you don't mind taking anti-histamines, it might be better not to get a rabbit, as rabbits need to eat a pile of hay the size of themselves every day, so no getting away from that.
 
Allergies can change or you could be allergic to the bedding or hay as others have said. So to be able to tell which it is you'd need to hang out with just bunnies.

I don't have asthma but i have mild allergies to hay, rabbits (at least I think - the fur when it gets on my face makes me itchy), some other pet food and some of my other pets probably. It doesn't stop me! I don't even have to take anti-histamines but I do have to take measures (wear a mask and gloves when cleaning buns out, wear gloves when topping up my buns hay etc). Some people have much more severe allergies and can't cope even with anti-histamines.
 
Thanks all :D.

Only seemed to have had itchy eyes, which makes me think it was a coincidence.

Any ideas of me seeing if i'm ok with them before I buy one, it may sound a straight answer question but I don't feel that pets at home have enough time for you to wait around for you to see if your allergic to them?
 
My OH grew up with a dog but had allergies to other animals. Since his dog passed away, he didnt replace her and now any animal sets him off - even dogs like his old friend. We sort of thought that maybe being around his dog all the time reduced the allergy but it's been such a long time since he's been around pets on that scale, his allergy is back (and worse). We had to move the rabbits to the outhouse because he found it difficult to have them in the house and he cant clean them out as he gets too ill from it.

If you think you are allergic, i'd think very carefully about the responsibility if you do get a bunny and find out that you do still have allergies. Maybe you can spend the day helping out at a rescue centre? It would certainly give you an idea of whether you are allergic or not?
 
Rescue rabbit (or better still rabbits) would be a good option because they would take them back if it didnt work out.
 
Do you know anyone with a rabbit you could 'borrow' or look after for a weekend?

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You most certainly don't want to buy a bunny, you want to rescue one. If it turns out you are allergic to the actual rabbit, then the rescue will accept the bunny back. This will also give you a chance to visit the rabbits and get to know them beforehand. The rescue will also be able to tell you how to look after them, and what bedding will be good for you.

I have asthma, but the rabbits never set me off (I have never been allergic to animals) the hay, however, really affects my asthma. I have my bunnies in my bedroom, they free range so I know for a fact that it's they hay, not the fur that sets me off. The only hay I find that doesn't affect me is bought online from a place called Hay For Pets. None of their hay is dusty, and my asthma is much better now. :thumb:
 
Not much to say about rabbits and asthma/allergies, but that for chinchillas, because of their very dense fur, they are practically hypoallergenic- I say practically, because there is probably a handful of people allergic to the animal, and, like rabbits, they need hay, and also regularly take special sand baths which can cause problems for some people. At any rate, although I love my Kurt, I wouldn't really recommend them as pets to most people.
 
Find a rescue near you and ask to spend time with a bonded pair of bunnies so you can see if you are aggravated by their fur.

I also have asthma, and I'm generally fine with buns, only allergic to one of my 6 bunnies, and that only plays up when I have a chest infection or asthma flare.

Make sure to take your inhalors and some allergy tabs just in case.

The good thing about getting rescue buns is that you can choose the right pair for you, and you also don't generslly need to worry about the initial cost of vaccinating two buns or neutering them :)
So not only do you save money but also stress!!!
If you post asking about local rescues in your area you may be able to find somewhere suitable :)


Oh and despite me being asthmatic I have all my bunnies living in the house with me :)
Even have a pair living with me in my bedroom, and angel my fluffy lionhead shares a pillow with me when we sleep :love:
 
Allergies can definitely come and go. I have had terrible hayfever since I was little and in the last two years it has pretty much disappeared.

When I first got guinea pigs I was fine with them but 3 years later I became allergic and it broke my heart but I had to move them outside. I tried several times to bring them back in but my allergy was still there.



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