# Pet allergies and escape artists



## danniixx (Apr 11, 2009)

Hi, two questions really. *Does anyone here have allergies to their mice and rats *? I take Piretize tablets for my hayfever and they are also pet allergy preventative things but today I havent taken any tablets or eye drops or anything as my hayfever has been okay. However, I went and got my rats out, females then males. *Holding the males my arm started itching and I pulled up my dressing gown sleeve and there are red rashes covering my arm*. Also, I had to swap mum and babies with Chester cagewise as one of the begger babies escaped and was running on my floor. *Went to pick up chester and all I could do was sneeze*. *My eyes have itched today and sometimes I have shallow and laboured breathing when I am in my room*. I also have a dog so when I stand at my window to get air Im smothered by rat and mouse allergens and when I stand at my back door, its dog. *How do others get around this issue? Its never arisen before as Ive taken everything to be hayfever. I suppose this explains why I suffer insomnia and sneezing fits on a night- I sit on my bed with my female rats and my mice.* They even run under my quilt when I dont catch them in time and they crawl on my pillow. Sat here in my room typing and all I want to do is sneeze and my eyes are itching. *Buying a shed isnt really an option*. I live next to a cut and we have had people attempt to break in before. I wouldnt be happy with them living outside. Also I really cant afford it, I could save for it when I get my EMA when college starts up again but I dont know. I want a quick fix solution as I want to make a career in animal care- Im applying to go to Bishop Burton next year to study applied animal behaviour and training and its not going to be good if all I can do is sneeze.

Second Question- I had my babies and mum living in an rub with mesh lid and stuff, following the instructions from woodland mousery but . . they got out. *The babies climb through the mesh and then crawl back in.* One even crawled into my neighbouring females cage. (Didnt realise they were doing this otherwise I would have shifted the females cage) I covered the baby cage with a kind of box lid which stands up a couple of cm's so air still went in. Fine all day. *Tonight however I came upstairs after Law and Order to find one running across my floor*. *Catching it caused arguments with my mum *and the mouse *making a B line for my rat cage *(thanks goodness its a duna style guinea pig cage). Caught his eventually but *now they are living in a wilkinsons clear pet tank- the type I have seen used for single bucks. *Whilst my buck now has a luxury RUB. *Nothing against him having more space, but I now have 10 mice in a very very small area. And Im watching them try to get out. HELP? *


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

second question:wrong sized mesh.1/4x 1/4 inch is the required size.They can get out of 1/2x 1/2 inch.If the head can fit through the body will.It is impossible for them to squeeze through the 1/4 inch.


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## Maplewood Stud (Jan 2, 2009)

just adding to sarahs note, if u cant get hold of the smaller wire, double up on the large wire so it makes the holes smaller, if that makes sense. this is what i had to do on my tank lids whilst waiting for some smaller wire x


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

good idea.If you have a b&q depot near you 1/4 x 1/4 mesh is available in panels.I think they are about £6 ish.


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## danniixx (Apr 11, 2009)

hmm it seems only one of the babies has the need to escape. He hasnt half given us the runaround, Ive just put the babies in a large box so we can handle them and he was gone like a flash. Took a while to catch him too. Hes the only one with this issue, any suggestions?


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

Wickes also sell the 5mm mesh, I couldn't get any from B&Q - they seem to have stopped doing it recently. As for question number one, I am also allergic to rats. Sadly there was nothing much I could do about it as cleaning day was torture for my asthma, so I have just had to accept that I can never get any more. Ironically Sarah's hairless rats did not provoke any reaction but that was only a brief look/hold.


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

its only the Depot that does it.As for the escaper,keep him in something else for a couple of weeks.


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

sarahc said:


> its only the Depot that does it.


I thought the one near you sold it but Dave had a look and couldn't find any. He could of course just be blind :lol: :roll:


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

Its outside in the garden bit.Cookes do it by the roll as well ,£36.


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

I don't use enough to merit a roll. It's currently being used to build an 'extension' to the top of a harvest mouse tank - like a wooden framed mesh cage topper so they can climb in the extra height. It was £4.49 a sheet in Wickes. Other than that I only use it for converting boxes into carriers. Useful to have around though!


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## sommy (Mar 1, 2009)

Allergy wise: I get really bad hayfever and a few animal allergies (long haired cats, gineas etc). The mice used to live in my room but because I have quite a stuffy room it was overwhelming and made me sneezy but know they have thair own room which i only sneeze in if im in their for 30+ mins and I just hole them in other rooms so I am never in their room for too long. So i suggest that if you have the room, put them somewhere else. It's just the junk room so you dont need to dedicate them their own space or any thing, just a room your not frequently in.

Simone


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## danniixx (Apr 11, 2009)

yeah if I had the room Id shift them all out of my room. Ive bathed all of my rats to see if that helps but I still had a rash. Not sure why its sparked up now though I suppose it has something to do with the fact I have never actually held them on my knee like that before- usually I let them run around my bathroom and they come to me when I want to. Sad part- my mum, my doctor and my boyfriend have all said I have to get rid of them


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## Cait (Oct 3, 2008)

That's what my doctor and OH said to me too. I didn't though, I just won't get any more in future.


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## danniixx (Apr 11, 2009)

yeah Ill try the methods on the net to help with it, such as bathing them every week (theyll love me for that lol) I would also like to say mousebreeder that you were right about my grey babies, they seem to have lost their greyness and are definately a dark stone


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## Loganberry (Oct 24, 2008)

People can devleop allergies out of the blue - and i've heard of two other people developing allergies to their rats (one was a rat breeder, who then moved to mice after his allergy started). There's nothing you can do about it unfortunately, and continuously taking allergy tablets won;t work either - you'll develop a resistance to the allergy pill and will have to upping your doseage/moving to stronger pills, which isn't cunning...


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## danniixx (Apr 11, 2009)

I know this is an old thread now but it saves making a new post. Holding my mouse Winston tonight Ive come out in a rash everywhere hes sat including my chest, inner elbow, hand, wrist and up my left arm. I have nettle bumps aswell and it itches like mad. Is there something that male adult mice and rats produce that is the same and that females and juveniles of the species dont as I havent had a reaction to my females or baby bucks. Though saying that Ive reacted to my female rats too.


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## Maplewood Stud (Jan 2, 2009)

this may sound silly but could it be his claws making u come out in a rash x a few of my mice have really sharp claws and if they run up my arm or nethin u can c where theyve been as it makes little rash like patches x


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## dingbat (Jun 9, 2009)

I might have an answer as to why hairless rats do not provoke a allergy response. it is the same for cats and dogs. People find that they get less of a response from hairless breeds or breeds like the poodle that does not shed (hence the need for grooming). Rex and Spynx cat breeds are kept by allergic people for the same reasons. As I understand it, it is the dander (skin flakes and saliva) that allergic people respond to. I have heard of people who have kept ordinary cats and dogs that they were allergic to, but they managed their allergy (under medical supervision) by starting off with short contact with the animal in question, i.e. just a few seconds and worked up this contact time to being able to live with the animal normally. I hasten to add there is not quick fix, do more research on this subject and talk to your doctor. 
Danni, please when you get to college tell your tutor about the problems you are having with your allergies. I dont want to frighten you but there have been instances of people with allergies that have gone into anaphalactic shock when the are brought into contact with concentrated dander from lots of animals like in an animal unit. This is not a excuse to get out of the practicals but an effort to keep you informed and help you manage your allergy.
Try to determine if it is just the dog and rats then you can make decisions on how to make your life more comfortable.

Good luck :nurse


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## Kylie (Aug 3, 2009)

danniixx said:


> Hi, two questions really. *Does anyone here have allergies to their mice and rats *? I take Piretize tablets for my hayfever and they are also pet allergy preventative things but today I havent taken any tablets or eye drops or anything as my hayfever has been okay. However, I went and got my rats out, females then males. *Holding the males my arm started itching and I pulled up my dressing gown sleeve and there are red rashes covering my arm*. Also, I had to swap mum and babies with Chester cagewise as one of the begger babies escaped and was running on my floor. *Went to pick up chester and all I could do was sneeze*. *My eyes have itched today and sometimes I have shallow and laboured breathing when I am in my room*. I also have a dog so when I stand at my window to get air Im smothered by rat and mouse allergens and when I stand at my back door, its dog. *How do others get around this issue? Its never arisen before as Ive taken everything to be hayfever. I suppose this explains why I suffer insomnia and sneezing fits on a night- I sit on my bed with my female rats and my mice.* They even run under my quilt when I dont catch them in time and they crawl on my pillow. Sat here in my room typing and all I want to do is sneeze and my eyes are itching. *Buying a shed isnt really an option*. I live next to a cut and we have had people attempt to break in before. I wouldnt be happy with them living outside. Also I really cant afford it, I could save for it when I get my EMA when college starts up again but I dont know. I want a quick fix solution as I want to make a career in animal care- Im applying to go to Bishop Burton next year to study applied animal behaviour and training and its not going to be good if all I can do is sneeze. [/b]


I would get hives from my rat. I had him a long time ago though. I'd just deal with it and take an occasional allergy med. But I never had problems with breathing or anything unless I was actually handling him. 
Sorry. :[


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## danniixx (Apr 11, 2009)

Ive never had problems breathing around them and Winston doesnt seem to have sharper claws then the others, on the contrary my female rats who have really sharp claws to the extent Ive tried to clip them provoke the lesser response :? I dont have reactions to any of my female mice, didnt have a reaction to my other adult buck chester or my baby bucks. I do sneeze when I handle my rats and they and Winston have made me itchy and come out in a rash which doesnt have claw pock marks in it, but it literally looks like Ive fallen in a bush of nettles. Could it be the urine? I know male rats constantly pee and its something Winston does too . . but then the females pee as well gah I cant be allergic to the animals I want to eventually specialise in lol. Im making a doctors appointment asap.


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## SarahC (Oct 3, 2008)

dog saliva brings me out in a rash,probably other saliva but I've only been slobbered on by dogs.I have three dogs and its not to bad but my brother has a big loose lipped bullmastif and I'm very irritated after contact with him.


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## SarahY (Nov 6, 2008)

I'm allergic to most animals, but rats and cats are the worst. We've never had pet cats in the house so that's not a problem generally. I've had pet rats since I was four years old and started breeding when I was 16. I was absolutely fine with them until I was about 20, and then over the last four years my rat allergy just got worse and worse no matter what I tried until I could only clean out one or two cages at a time and it even stopped me sleeping (bedroom is two floors above them) as I was finding it difficult to breathe comfortably. I rehomed all but two groups of them and that was heavenly, but my remaining rats have recently died and I won't be getting any more - I've been feeling so much better since they've gone. I really do miss them though; they have such wonderful personalities, but I have the mice now and I'm not allergic to them in the slightest!

Sarah xxx


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## Mari (Jul 21, 2009)

I was going to suggest the idea that the bucks constantly urine-mark. Which may be why the immature bucks and does don't bother you. Although, as you said, I have no idea why your rat does would bother you then?

I am allergic in a similar way to ferrets. Unfortunately I had to rehome my ferret, Pandora, as everywhere she touched me I got a rash and broke out in hives and I could not breath in the room where she lived (which was my bedroom at the time :? ). Sadly, it ended up miserable for the both of us and there was no other choice. I couldn't really handle her and she needed the attention. She went to someone who enjoyed her very much, though I missed her a lot.


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