PLEASE RESPOND ASAP! ALLERGIES OR ?

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WheekWheekPop

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I just got two New Guinea pigs, I'm doing fine and all but recently some redness has appeared on my hands. My mom is insisting that it's because I'm allergic to them but when I was younger my friend had 2 Guinea pigs and I did perfectly fine with them before. I'm thinking that it's because I've been washing my hands very frequently after touching them. What are the symptoms of being allergic to Guinea pigs? I have a slight runny nose because of this cold weather, my eyes are fine, I'm not sneezing uncontrollably, or having any difficulty breathing. My right hand has little, little bumps that are rough and it has small scabs. My left is started to appear more red, I'm not handling the Guinea pigs a lot, sometimes I might pick them up and let them run around but that's it. I really need all possible answers because if I really am allergic to them, my mom's going to get rid of them, I really don't want that to happen! I've waited and begged my mom to give two Guinea pigs for 4-5 years now, I don't want to give up just yet. Sorry for the not so good quality, I, typing on an old iPad.
 

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You'll have to wait for someone more experienced to respond since I dont know any symptoms of an allergic reaction, or just ask a doctor. I just wanted to ease your worries one notch and say that it might be the hay. Many people are allergic to the hay they feed their piggies so that may be whats happening. Have you gotten a new type of hay for your guinea pigs?
 
No I'm only using Timothy hay, I've heard that the allergens associated with it would be runny nose and red water eyes. I tried finding pictures of over washing hand rashes but they look really extreme or the picture is unrelated to the topic.
 
Do the red marks go away after awhile or are they always there? Are they really itchy? My mom is allergic to guinea pigs. She will get red, really itchy raised spots when she touches them. They go away after she washes her hands and does not have contact anymore. They seem to last maybe about 20-30min, then fade away.
 
I would see a doctor about it to check whether it's an allergy or some form of dermatitis from washing your hands too much/the hand wash you use
 
It could be the handwash/soap you are using if you are washing your hands more than you normally used to. I have to be careful which ones I use. I would see a doctor about it as well. In the meantime, you could buy a pair of cotton gloves and put those on before handling your piggies until your hands heal up.
 
Likely to be contact dermatitis, but that only means a reaction to SOMETHING and even a doctor is likely to say it's a process of working out what's causing it. Hay is more likely than the pigs themselves but since they are in constant contact with hay it's hard to separate the two.

You could try a non-allergenic moisturising cream like E45 which is great for hands that are getting dried out by too much washing.

Similarly you could try washing them with something very gentle instead of soap - I'm not sure what that would be.

And @Betsy 's advice re gloves sounds like a good idea too. Hope you find a solution!
 
Guinea pig allergies normally cause wheezing, itchy eyes . I'm allergic to the cleaning spray, my hands turn yellow
 
I think it would be unusual to have a rash on the back of your hands like that if it was caused by touching the guinea pigs with the front of your hands. Possibly soap is to blame. Animal fur and hay allergens are more likely to cause itchy eyes or sneezing. Gloves are a good idea, especially for cleaning out the cage- I get a mild rash from guinea pig pee but we use disposable gloves.
Merry Christmas and hope your allergies get sorted out!
 
Allergens are apparently sais google not caused by the fur its the proteins in the pee and saliva👍 People think skinny pigs are a way round but not so 😔
 
Hiya, I am a pharmacist. I dont think you are allergic to your Guinea pigs as you have no other symptoms. It does look like dermatitis caused by over washing. I get that during flu season as I'm jabbing loads of patients and have to wash my hands in between so I end up getting rashes on my knuckles. I'd advise a plain moisturiser every time you wash your hands. Like E45, epaderm or diprobase. If that doesnt help (I always say try something for a week) then you may need a steroid cream like hydrocortisone. Which can be bought over the counter at a pharmacy.
Hope this helps
 
Thinking about it, my hands used to go like this when i worked in a sandwich factory. I had to wash my hands everytime i went into the factory 3 times each entry 2 soaps and sanitiser. My hands would go like this then crack, causing me to have to have time off for hygiene reasons lol.
 
Your hands look identical to when my anxiety causes me periods of over washing my hands. I am prone to eczema, so when I wash my hands with say, washing up liquid, this is how they look.
I'm also allergic to hay and guinea pigs and my allergic reactions don't look similar, I get raised welts, rarely any redness and a tight chest, throat and sneezing.
I wear gloves and a face mask while cleaning out and handling hay, long sleeves usually for handling the pigs.
A nice, gentle moisturiser aimed at babies keeps my hands from getting too itchy and sore now when over washed. I, personally, find things like e45 make my eczema worse, but it will depend on the person really..everyone's different. But don't panic, most people I know that have pigs are allergic to them, it's quite rare for it to be so bad they need to be rehomed :)
 
This time last year my hands looked exactly like yours did. It wasn't allergies, it was problems with the heat/cold (being outside then coming into a warm building etc) and handwashing made it worse because, again, cold water and hot rooms. I would get a doctor to check it out if you're really worried, but a basic emollient cream like E45 or Cetraben might help in the meantime.
 
Probably a little late but that definitely like very dry skin/over washing to me, i get it all the time as i'm a neurotic hand washer XD it's especially bad during winter because of the cold on your wet hands i believe. Being dehydrated can also make it worse. My advice is to use a good moisturiser a couple times a day, E45 is a good one and doesn't have any scents which could cause an allergy and make sure you're drinking enough water. If it's not feeling better after a couple of weeks with that it's possibly an allergy to something you're using, like the soap as other people have suggested, so you could try getting rid of the soap or you could try taking an over-the-counter allergy medication like loratadine or cetirizine and see if it gets better while taking that, if it does, it's an allergy to something.
Obviously I'm not a doctor and please see one if you're worried or it gets worse
hope it gets better! :)
 
Looks like a contact allergy it could be from the pigs but I doubt it. Have you put on some different kind of lotion or something like that. I have really sensitive skin but I don't get allergys from my pigs. Check it out with a doctor though
 
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