melissel Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 Do small pets like hamsters and gerbils tend to trigger allergies? My DDs are begging for a pet, but DH is allergic to most furry things. If we got a little pet it would live downstairs in the playroom in a hard-sided cage, but I'm wondering if it would still trigger his allergies just being in the house. Does anyone have any experience with this? TIA! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparrow Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 My husband never had problems with our gerbils. He always washed straight away after handling them, to be on the safe side. He is *horribly* allergic to my daughter's guinea pig, however. He can't touch the piggy at all. His allergies don't bother him unless he actually touches her though. She's kept in our daughter's room, just down the hall, with no trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pata Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 I don't know about hamsters or gerbils, but my dh is allergic to all things furry (cats and dogs especially). We had a bichon frise and he was fine with her as long as she didn't sleep on our bed. Just thought I'd throw that out there :). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 My daughter was allergic to her rat, but only if it lived in her room. Once we moved his cage downstairs she had no more issues. I wouldn't think gerbils or hamsters would be an issue. I'm assuming they aren't sleeping in the same room with your husband :D Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted September 21, 2010 Author Share Posted September 21, 2010 I'm assuming they aren't sleeping in the same room with your husband :D Barb :lol::lol::lol: Only in his nightmares :lol: He was born and raised in New York City. To him, anything smaller than a cat requires an exterminator. Thanks everyone, this is good news. It's funny, but a guinea pig is what prompted my question. My best friend kept the class guinea pigs over a few weekends and vacations when her kids were very young, and she had terrible allergy attacks each time. I was so surprised that contained animals could cause that much trouble, but apparently they can! Come to think of it though, my pet-allergic dad never had a problem with all our gerbils and hamsters while I was growing up. DD8's reward for learning to ride her bike is a pet. We made a lot of progress today, so I think we might be closer than I expected to be when I made the promise :001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vettechmomof2 Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 Many people are also allergic to the animals bedding so be careful there as well. Guinea Pigs are notorious for causing allergies but smaller rodents less often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C_l_e_0..Q_c Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 We could not handle guinea pigs at all (we're all allergic to furry creatures) We did manage to have a total of 3 hamsters, one after the other... DH was allergic to the hamster's pee. So as long as I kept the cage clean, he was fine. We now have a Shih Tzu dog, and we're also all fine with it too, although DD has friends who are not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 My husband never had problems with our gerbils. He always washed straight away after handling them, to be on the safe side. He is *horribly* allergic to my daughter's guinea pig, however. He can't touch the piggy at all. His allergies don't bother him unless he actually touches her though. She's kept in our daughter's room, just down the hall, with no trouble. :iagree:My husband is allergic to cats, and our guinea pigs do trigger his allergies, but only if he touches them and then touches his eyes. So he's very careful to wash his hands. But being in our environment isn't a problem for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barb_ Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 :lol::lol::lol: Only in his nightmares :lol: He was born and raised in New York City. To him, anything smaller than a cat requires an exterminator. ::Snerk::: Mine too--but with 6 daughters, he got over it. Barb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gingersmom Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 My father was allergic to cat, dogs, grass, basically anything. He got allergy shots for years. We had a bichon frise and he had no issues with it whatsoever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AuntieM Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 Many people are also allergic to the animals bedding so be careful there as well.Guinea Pigs are notorious for causing allergies but smaller rodents less often. This is what bothers dh, the bedding. Lately I have seen pet stores using a different sort of bedding that seemed less messy. Didn't look organic, but certainly worth asking about. I remember thinking that we might just be able to bring home a little furry friend if we could use the stuff I saw at the store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ktgrok Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 Rats and Guinea pigs tend to trigger allergies. I'm deathly allergic to guinea pigs. I don't know that a single hamster would be a problem at all. The allergenci proteins are in the urine, and hamsters are desert animals that don't urinate much, so less issues. Best way to find out is to take him to a pet store and let him handle some. do this without the children so they don't get their hopes up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emubird Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 I'm allergic to cats, dogs, mice, rats, rabbits, and guinea pigs, that I know of. Given that, we've never tried hamsters or gerbils. Our entire family is allergic to cats, and my husband, at least, to guinea pigs so we haven't wanted to risk it. We have fish. Although they can cause mold to grow in the house if you have too many of them, which is another allergen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol in Cal. Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 I'm allergic to cats, and my allergist says that that means I would be allergic to rabbits as well. I have never had a problem with hamsters or guinea pigs except once. A couple of years ago my DD agreed to babysit two guinea pigs while the owners were on vacation, and although the pets themselves were no problem for me, their alfalfa triggered terrible allergic reactions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Once Again Posted September 21, 2010 Share Posted September 21, 2010 My experience: we just can't have them. Too bad, they are cute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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