Hay defense?

[FelipesMommy]

Unfortunately, I'm allergic to the hay. I have done pretty well controlling it so far by washing my hands thoroughly and keeping it closed up in a plastic container. Today I had a major 20 minute vacuuming battle trying to get all the little particles in the living room and IT SUCKED. My seasonal allergies are acting up anyway and this hay is kicking my butt. I take Zyrtec and I'm going to start doing a nasal rinse again. I give him two very large handfuls a day (free feeding is not an option), which I'm going to start doing when I'm out of the house, AM when I leave to work and PM while I'm sleeping. Any other suggestions? Maybe an air purifier? Cleaning methods?

"Diving" for spare hay on the carpet:

Checking out the (lack of) goods post-neuter, which he did wonderfully with:

 

[missyscove]

Are you allergic to all kinds of hay? I know some of our members have luck using orchard or oat or brome instead of Timothy.

 

[FelipesMommy]

I don't know. I didn't know I had a problem until I got Felipe back in March, it seems to bother me particularly around allergy season (spring and fall here). I am using Timothy currently.

 

[ArcticDutchess]

Hello my family has a ton of allergies so we have to be very careful too!
we have set up an air purifier that is VERY quiet and small right next to cage and that gets rid of a ton of dander, fur, and hay particles.. works miracles!
Best of luck!

 

[kirbyultra]

I HIGHLY recommend HEPA air filters. They are absolutely a lifesaver for hay allergy sufferers.

Allergies kicked my butt pretty darn bad this past spring season. I bought 2 air filters, one in the living room and one in the bedroom. The one in the living room is running 24/7 on low so it consumes little power and is quiet. Zyrtec didn't cut it for me so I got help from a doctor and tried a bunch of medications. I finally settled on Allegra as my antihistamine of choice, but combined it with Singular to really help me breathe through my nose. Nasal rinsing helps a lot too, but I had to do it twice daily on the real bad days. Shower after you do major house cleaning as it will get all the allergens on your clothes, body and hair. Change into clean clothes before going to bed. And of course, wash your hands after handling hay.

I can only hope that next year's allergy seasons are not as severe!

 

[Nela]

Combining antihistamines with Singulair seems to be quite successful in reducing allergies. I know this might suck, but a face mask worn when handling hay will help as well. A lot of people have had success with air purifiers. When my allergies are too severeI normally do steam treatments to clear up my airways before going to bed. I would advise against going to bed right after handling hay. Is the bunny close to your bedroom? I have found allergies and wheezing to be worse when lying down so you should try and stay propped up. You could also wear gloves and something over your clothes (at least the top) or switch out of them afterwards. I wouldalso suggest a hay rack if you don't have one so the rabbit doesn't lay in it as much.

I have terrible allergies when it comes to the rabbits. The rabbits themselves, most types of bedding, and hay. I know what it's like to struggle with allergies. It's worth taking precautions though because, often if you don't, they tend to get progressively worse.

 

[Suz]

I am severely allergic to timothy hay, so I had to get rid of it. I now am using strictly orchard grass, and so far so good. Muppet doesn't touch her hay anyhow, so I don't have to worry about it much anymore.

You could try alfalpha hay, orchard grass, botanical hay, or oat hay and see if any of those work better for you. But maybe slowly switch to timothy pellets then if you don't already use them.

Good luck! I feel your pain, believe me! The sneezing attacks I had must have been record setters!

 

[Nancy McClelland]

seems everyone covered the topic quite well. I wear a dust mask--an industrial one-- and always have to wash my hands and arms. During allergy season we are definitely on HIGH alert. Also, a filter will make a big difference.

 

[FelipesMommy]

Thanks all! An air purifier and a mask are on my list.

 

[MikeScone]

I second the motion on Timothy Hay. Scone wouldn't eat it, and I never had any problems with the orchard grass, brome and oat hay he liked. Natasha came to me with a big bag of timothy and I finally realized that was what was making my hay fever kick up for the past few weeks. Luckily, she loves orchard grass, because that's what she's getting from now on.

 

[Zia]

I'm also severely allergic to timmothy. I feed Gaston mostly orchard grass with occasional other hays for variety.

I'm also on Omnaris, which is a nose spray, daily (If you talk to a DR about this there is a program where you can get it for $11 a month for a year, and it works amazing), and occasionally claratin/other otc allergy meds.

A small air filter and frequent vacuum jobs with bags that cut down on allergens will help too.

 

[akane]

A lot of people have luck with using a good quality orchard or blue grass instead of timothy. You also want to make sure the hay is not dusty hence the comment on quality. Get a vacuum with a good filter so it doesn't kick bits of hay and dust in to the air or sometimes you can buy special bags for vacuums that didn't come with good enough filters instead of having to buy a new vacuum. Many vacuums these days though come with a built in hepa filter. You can get a hepa filter for the room as well. Personally I like my ionic breeze but they are controversial and they can't directly remove as much dust or particles as an air purifier with a physical filter. They are better neutralizers than filters.