Well I'm kinda freaking out I've noticed for a while now that whenever I pick up my rats the insides of my arms itch once I put them back down. for awhile it was only when I held jacoby my 2 year old but now it happeneds whenever I hold my baby Crowley too plus I've started to like break out these little itchy bumps show up all over my arms! so I was wondering could I be allgeric to my rats?
Allgeric to rats?
- Thread starter Riot!
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Roo
Well-Known Member
Those reactions are really common. I've been that way for years. I usually just take a quick shower (if they've been out with me a long time) afterwards or just wash my face/arms/hands if it's a shorter visit. Clears it up pretty well. I keep some weak allergy medicine just in case.
ruthlessbliss
Well-Known Member
I get that same way with my rabbits, and I used to get that way with my guinea pigs- I do a quick wash down after whenever I take them out to play, and try to clean their cages right before a planned shower so I don't have to change out of clean clothes and bathe again.
handmeafish
Well-Known Member
Its a pretty mild reaction. I break out in hives, and if I rub my eyes they will swell. Its not as bad as some of the stuff I'm allergic to so it doesn't bother me.
If its just your arms, i'd recommend watching them after you play with the ratties. If it gets worse you might need to look into some sort of antihistamine like benadryl or zyrtec (I take Zyrtec every day)
IMO a little itchiness is nothing to worry about, but if it gets to be intolerable, maybe talk to a doc and see what they say.
If its just your arms, i'd recommend watching them after you play with the ratties. If it gets worse you might need to look into some sort of antihistamine like benadryl or zyrtec (I take Zyrtec every day)
IMO a little itchiness is nothing to worry about, but if it gets to be intolerable, maybe talk to a doc and see what they say.
purinpurin
Well-Known Member
Same! My arms are constantly itchy, no matter how many times I wash them; they've also been super dry (cracks in the skin) ever since I got my rats. 
Well, it's not so bad; I used to be allergic to dogs, but even through hives, face-swelling and asthma attacks, I stubbornly refused to give up my dog. XD Like handmeafish, this little reaction is hardly anything at all.
I once read someone saying that it's probably the rat's urine, if anything, that people have allergic reactions to (they get pee on their paws, then climb all over you, sometimes scratching you in the process and getting their pee-stained paws all over those cuts XD). I don't know how true this is; I can't remember whether it was from a good source or not...
Well, it's not so bad; I used to be allergic to dogs, but even through hives, face-swelling and asthma attacks, I stubbornly refused to give up my dog. XD Like handmeafish, this little reaction is hardly anything at all. I once read someone saying that it's probably the rat's urine, if anything, that people have allergic reactions to (they get pee on their paws, then climb all over you, sometimes scratching you in the process and getting their pee-stained paws all over those cuts XD). I don't know how true this is; I can't remember whether it was from a good source or not...
Silly question, but are their claws scratching you? I wind up with little scratches all over my arms and neck if I play with my rats without a jumper on. Some people think they're allergic to their pet hedgehog because they get a bumpy rash over their hands after playing with it, but it's really tiny pinpricks from the quills.
To see if it's an allergic reaction to their urine, you could try picking them up while wearing a couple of jumpers and gardening gloves and see if that makes any difference.
To see if it's an allergic reaction to their urine, you could try picking them up while wearing a couple of jumpers and gardening gloves and see if that makes any difference.
Rattus
Well-Known Member
I get that all the time, every time I hold my rats, if they have flaky skin or anything and if it gets on me my wrists break out in little red bumps and become itchy but go away in about an hour or 2. IF however I hold my rats for long periods and then rub my eyes OH BOY do I pay for it. My eyes get SOOOO itchy I want to rip them out and they swell up and I get a stuffy sneezy nose. But if I never touch my eyes after holding then I NEVER get a reation.. its so weird :? But rats are worth the allergy :cloud9:
