Allergies to Rats

[Kaput33]

Hey everyone,

I've had Sake and Whiskey for about 8 months now (wow, how time flies), and I've been dealing with severe allergy issues.
I think it's safe to say I ruled out food allergies (went dairy-free to see if that was bothering me). I'm in a stuffy (poor air flow) apartment with 3 roomates, so the rats stay in my room with me. I'm pretty confident the allergy issues (congestion, wheezing, etc.)is due to them. I refuse to let them go though, because that's not fair to them and I love them too much anyways! :heart: :heart:

Any suggestions on how I can make the situation a little better? Suggestions can include mediciations that worked (see below) or any suggestions on cage bedding/setup/how often I should clean it/etc.

medications:
advair (puffer)
omnaris (nose spray)
and a generic brand allergy pill.

These medications help but certainly do not solve the problem. I've just gotten a neti pot and I heard that works wonders too.

 

[victoria]

An air purifier with a HEPA or similar filter can help, as can changing your furnace's filter. Vacuuming frequently helps to remove built up allergens.

I discovered I was allergic to rats when I adopted an intact male. I'd had females and neutered males prior and had never had issues. Neutering males essentially eliminates my allergies but I have a really hard time breathing when I have intact males in my apartment. Maybe that's something you can look into.

 

[hprats]

When I had bad allergies (turns out for me it was due to dairy, I'm better now that I don't eat dairy), I had to try a few different allergy pills and was prescribed a generic form of reactin (which worked the best for me), though I was told to take a dose that was double the standard dose of pills you'd get at any drugstore. I also took advair and a nasal spray, but I still needed the double dose of anti-histimine every day, and then I'd have pretty much no symptoms. Have you tried all the different non-prescription allergy medications? If so, maybe you could talk to your doctor about if it's safe for you to increase the dose on the one that works best for you.

 

[jorats]

Singulair saved my life with rats. Maybe you could try that? Eventually, your body can become "used" to the allergen and not react too badly but that's only in milder cases. I no longer need Singulair but I am on Symbicort, ventolin and an over the counter desloratadine.
Also, many times, it's the actual bedding that is the trigger. My sister found that the hard way. She can't take aspen, hemp or newspaper. I know a few people who react badly to the dust in carefresh.

 

[SQ]

An air purifier with a permanent hepta air filter and replaceable carbon inserts will help.
Honeywell is a good brand name. (Sold at Canadian Tire)
Do not get an ionizer as very bad for rats, etc. so read the boxes carefully when choosing one.

If you clean too often or too well, they will mark their territory more especially if they are not neutered or spayed
good to empty litter boxes and change cloth daily.

 

[temblabamomo]

I am in a similar situation - 9 rats in my bedroom, poor ventilation, and allergies. I'm guessing the Advair is maybe just a twice daily preventative inhaler? Do you have a rescue inhaler to stop wheezing in between doses of Advair? I take a preventative inhaler twice daily for asthma, but once in a while when the rat dander/urine smell is bothering me, the rescue inhaler helps a great deal.

Air purifiers help, as others have stated.

When I first began looking after rats, I had two intact males. Within a month of taking them in, I noticed that my asthma was significantly worse around them. Cleaning their cage was a nightmare that left me wheezy and miserable. But, like you, I loved them too much to rehome them. There is definitely something to Jo's comment about getting used to an allergen. Exposure! I have 9 boys in 3 cages now, and suffer little to no asthma symptoms on cage cleaning day. It took a few years of stubborness, but the reaction is definitely gone. Not that I'm recommending you run out and get more rats to up your exposure levels, no way. I'm just saying, there is hope that over time, your symptoms may lessen.

 

[user 2700]

I am also allergic to rats and here is what I do to help:
- Spot clean every other day and vacuum floor
- Full clean every 6 days
- Take a 3-in-1 allergy pill as needed (one with an antihistamine, decongestant and anti-inflammatory)
- Use a prescription nasal spray (Flonase)

I used to have to take the allergy pills daily and have both the pills and spray during spring/summer here since I have other allergies too. I've had rats for about a year now and I only have to take any medicine related to rat allergies if I'm also having an allergic reaction to something else.

 

[Kaput33]

Thank you all for your input! I will be incorporating pretty much all of these tips into my routine. The air purifier I'm getting has an optional ionizer which can be shut off so I'm glad you mentioned that or else I wouldn't have known.