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allergic to guinea pigs? =[

  • Thread starter Thread starter lesleydunn
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lesleydunn

hi am posting on here to see if anyone can give me any advice!

i got 2 rescue adult guinea pigs in may, kept in the bedroom, used paper and hay for bedding and no problems!

added a 3rd rescue adult couple weeks later, still kept in bedroom, still used paper & hay and all is fine!

noticed cage was too small for all 3, so decided to move outside to the shed.

they were given most of the floor space of the shed, and again paper and hay was used. and no problems.

about a month ago, i was given 2 babies from a friend who was rehoming from an accidental litter, so i took 2.
i integrated them in with my 3 other girls, and they all get on great.

however, i noticed alot of dust from the hay, and i developed a cough and like a wheeziness(shortness of breath).

i changed the hay to a bedding called allbed used for horses and theres very little dust in this bedding. that was only on thursday there.

does this sound like an allergic reaction to hay dust? guinea pigs?

why has it only developed now and not when i got the first two in may?:{

i also read that guinea pig urine can cause an allergic reaction, as they all scurry away when anyone going into the shed?

any advice/info would be most helpful. ive been given a nasal spray for symptoms. but to be honest, this has had no relief, and will need to go back to doctors.

ive worked with animals for many years and never had an allergy to anything. so this is mind boggling:(
 
Yes I am allergic to piggies I think it is either to the dander or wee but it only seems to happen for a while until I get used to a piggie. I know this sounds silly but at the minute I am only allergic to my two newest piggies. I carry them from their cage by placing them on the inside of my arm and I get itchy lumps when my arm is bare and I forget to cover it. At the minute it is only caused by my two which I have only had a few months. My others which I have had since decemeber and february are fine but was allergic to them when I got them.

It is very wierd. I still get itchy eyes if I clean them all out in one go as too much dander flying around I think and I am allergic to the hay also becuase if I fill up the hay rack and forget to wash my hands then touch myself anywhere near the eyes they get really itchy,

Hopefully like me it will go away with time. I used to have tablets called telfast which worked great but I don't need them so much now!

Good luck x
 
I always sneeze for ages after spreading out the guineas hay which comes in bales and is used for bedding .I am okay with the meadow hay which goes in the hay racks .Maybe it is to do with having to really shake out the baled hay as it is very closely packed .Try wearing a builders face mask whilst cleaning out
 
I'm inclined to think it's the dust from the hay & not the piggies themselves.

I have asthma & hay dust does choke me as does the ammonia on their dirty bedding, my bunnies moreso.

Bryony do you get the lumps from their hair or from their nails? I used to get the same reaction to our rats but that was caused by their nails being sharp & puncturing the skin. I too was fine if i kept myself covered when i had them running on me, altho' i have no effects from any of my other fur-kids :)

Lesley i just want to add that you can develop an allergy at anytime tho' i've not a clue why :{
 
I'm hoping its the dust in the hay, and that changing to the allbed will help.

the guinea pigs are only handled once a week when i go to change them out, and i lift them out and put them in a crate.

think thats also causing the runny eyes in a few guineas.

I'm hoping the doctor can give me something as the breathlessness is becoming a problem, and i will also wear a mask when giving them hay.

its so annoying as ive enjoyed sitting watching them run around the shed, and now ive had to limit my time until i find a solution to the wheezinessgrrrr
 
hi there both me and my son have asthma and if he puts the pigs to close to his face his eyes become all red and sore comes out in all little spots i am the same but not quite as bad as him but sometime my chest becomes very tight i have to take my inhalers after touching the pigs we have to have some kind of antihistmine (not sure if i have spelt that right) piriton just to bring it down and alway make sure he washes his hands after everytime he touches/strokes the pigs.kellyann.
 
Do you have a blue salbutamol inhalor? They really help, that is if you DO have an allergy or athsma. I suggest you see a doctor :) Thats what I did and I found I had athsma and now I use an inhalor.
 
i will be phoning the doctor tomorrow and seeing them again, and will also be using a mask when in with the guinea pigs.

it really sucks, as i really enjoy spending time with them in the shed, making up veggies, fruit etc:))

will feel like michael jackson with a mask on:))
 
most of the time the allergy is to the hay so providing your still feeding hay(i hope so) then it could happen no matter what you change,my OH is allergic to hay and piggies,i have worked it out that he cant even handle the hay,can hug a shorthair pig for around 20mins but the minute he touches a longhair he has a reaction,
Have your new piggies got long hair by any chance?
 
the two new piggies have longer finer hair

i think they were called aby x peruvian?

think they could be the culprits?:{
 
the 2 new ones are long haired, the hair is much softer, fluffier than the 3 short coated

think one is a aby x peruvian?

think these may be to blame? i got them about a month ago:...
 
Sometimes you react to things your not used to but it calms down in time - if i go to a friends house i sneeze lots if they have a cat for ages then it calms down as i get used to the cat hairs :)
 
my daughter has a slight allergy to my pigs but i make sure she has on long sleeves and keeps them away from her face when she holds them mine are aby x peruvian too. have you got a soothing cream for after holding them?
 
lesleydunn said:
the 2 new ones are long haired, the hair is much softer, fluffier than the 3 short coated

think one is a aby x peruvian?

think these may be to blame? i got them about a month ago:...
Click to expand...

try my OH's idea out,he handles the longhairs in towels,mainly to stop any piggy nails coming into contact with his skin as that seems to be worse than the actual hair,there are plenty of ways to deal with it so the sooner you know for sure the better xx
 
KingBoris&HisFollowers said:
try my OH's idea out,he handles the longhairs in towels,mainly to stop any piggy nails coming into contact with his skin as that seems to be worse than the actual hair,there are plenty of ways to deal with it so the sooner you know for sure the better xx
Click to expand...

This is the same with rats - it's not normally the rat itself but the debris under their nails that causes the problems, their nails are so sharp (like baby piggy nails) & they puncture the skin, the debris enters & your body reacts by usually producing itchy hives but it does calm down & can be prevented by wearing long sleeves as Bonnie says :)
 
Niki said:
This is the same with rats - it's not normally the rat itself but the debris under their nails that causes the problems, their nails are so sharp (like baby piggy nails) & they puncture the skin, the debris enters & your body reacts by usually producing itchy hives but it does calm down & can be prevented by wearing long sleeves as Bonnie says :)
Click to expand...

you are definantely right as OH gets the same issue with the ratties xx
 
I was actually talking about this to Susie a few days ago!

I am allergic to *something* piggie, but I'm also allergic to nickel so I'm practically allergic to everything in the current world so I don't really see any point in grumping at the pigs.

I suspect that something is hay dust which I'm allergic to which will make it seem like I'm allergic to piggies because my piggies enjoy tunneling in their hay.

First of all - keep giving your pigs hay. Hay should make up about 80-90% of your pigs diet and is essential for healthy digestion and keeping their teeth worn down. If your allergies are too bad to give the pigs hay you should consider a different pet -- hay is *that* essential.

To keep my body happy with owning pigs, I take a few precautions: I always wash my hands after handling a piggie; I often put on a temporary t-shirt if I'm going to be smushing a piggie and I deliver hay to my piggies in a bag so I don't have to touch the hay and they hay doesn't flap everywhere when I'm transporting it to my piggies cage. I also don't keep hay in my room, although my piggies are in my room.

I use to buy Timothy hay from "The Hay Experts", both my own and my boyfriends eczema flared and it was recommended to me that I should change the type of hay I used. Some hays are naturally dustier than others. I have less of a reaction to Orchard Grass than Timothy hay. Same nutrients, same green goodness, different type and less dust.
 
just an update:))

i went back to the doctors, and i had a viral infection in my trachea:{

it did come from inhaling the dust from the hay, when i put too much in, and was separating it all out

ive now changed to allbed, and its alot better:)

even piggies like it better, its more hygienic and stays cleaner longer, and alot easier to clean.

i never stopped giving the piggies hay, but have changed to a less dustier one, they still get hay in the hutch as keeps them warm at night

so thank god, no guinea allergies, and was thinking for a while there, i might need to be rehoming them:(

but doctor gave me steroids & antibiotics, and theres a improvement in my breathing.

i can go in with the guineas again, and fingers crossed, all will end well, and a lesson learnt the hard way about the dust{:|
 
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