Allergies to the bunnies

shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Love your rabbit
Shop deals on ebay
Rabbits Online Forum

Help Support Rabbits Online Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Bunnylova4eva

Bunnylova4eva

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2011
Messages
2,240
Reaction score
71
Location
, , USA
We've had bunnies for almost 10 years now, but as of maybe 2 months ago, I've been dealing with really bad allergies, when I've never had a symptom before. About a year ago was when I brought Ripley in and he's the first of our buns to be an all indoor bunny.

At first I was thinking it was possibly environmental allergies, but they haven't gotten any better as the fall has gone on.

I'm looking for some ideas to help ease my allergies and make things a little better. I'd never dream of getting rid of Ripley, no matter how bad these allergies get, but I'd love any suggestions for relief.

I do have a HEPA filter and use Benadryl, allergy eye drops, and vacuum regularly (probably still not as much as I should considering though). Still, the sneezing, stuffy/runny nose, and itchy eyes persist.

Ripely's xpen is in the bedroom so maybe that could improve things if I move him into another area of the house?

Another thing is since Ripley became an inside bunny a year ago, I feel really badly for our still outside bunny Taffy. I guess 2 inside bunnies would just make allergies even worse. Taffy's never known anything other than being an outside bun, but I still feel badly she can't be in with us.

Anyway, anyone have any ideas to help the allergies get a bit better?
 
Hello!
I also suffer from animal allergies. Definitely putting Ripley in another room would be your best bet! And trying to eliminate carpets in that room. My allergies are only bad if I spend a lot of time in my "Rabbit Room" which makes it a lot easier to tolerate. Perhaps it might be the hay as well? I know Timothy hay drives my allergies insane compared to other hay. If you can afford it I'd suggest prescribed allergy medication.
Good luck!
 
Have you had allergy testing done? A lot of people think they're allergic to their rabbit and it turns out they're allergic to the hay in which case sometimes switching to a different type of hay can help (e.g., switching from timothy to orchard).
 
Like the person above said you could possibly be allergic to the hay. I am very allergic to Timothy hay some brand worse than others. I would try orchard grass or something like that and see if your allergies improve. I tried that with orchard grass and I could tell a big difference.
 
Are you open to holistic remedies? Since you've never had allergies before and now you suddenly do, to me that indicates an important change in your body...if nothing has changed in your environment. Often as we age we can get bogged down with a build up of "toxins" so to speak and our immune system can become compromised which can then make us prone to illness.

I'm definitely an advocate of naturopathic doctors because they look at the body as a whole to determine WHY you are experiencing certain symptoms rather than just treating the symptoms.

There are many herbs, homeopathics, etc that can help boost your immune system so that you can feel better.

I'm taking holistic nutrition at the moment so I know that diet is also a big part of it too.

Just thought I'd mention that alternative if it's something that interests you:)
 
The thought about the hay interests me, because its not until more recently that we have started buying bags of timothy hay. Up to now I always have just gone to the feed store and gotten "horse hay" in a bale. I think it was around maye June that I started only using timothy. I for a while even mixed the hays but lately have just gotten big bags of oxbow timothy because its so much cheaper in big quantities. I might have to try some different hays and see if things get any better.

No, I haven't had any allergy testing done. I've just done Claritin. Yesterday I bought some Zyrtec since someone had recommended that to me. I was amazed how much it helped! Within an hour I feel feeling like a new person!

I haven't done a whole lot with holistic remedies. Though I am leery of some holistic things, I am definitely open to some types and healthy ways of helping your body. (For examples, healthy eating, different vitamins, supplements etc.)
 
Some people have been tested and know they're allergic to their rabbits, but if you haven't been tested, I would definitely try switching hays and see if that helps. Some of our members with hay allergies in the past would shake out their hay outside while wearing gloves and a mask and found that helped them as well. If your allergies are really bad, trying something like hay cubes can help, but it's better for the rabbits if they can have long strands.

Oxbow's Orchard grass is available in large quantities too (I have a 25 lb box in my garage right now), although I'd suggest starting smaller and seeing if your symptoms improve.
 
missyscove said:
Oxbow's Orchard grass is available in large quantities too (I have a 25 lb box in my garage right now), although I'd suggest starting smaller and seeing if your symptoms improve.
Click to expand...

That's wonderful! I've never seen it in the 25#; I'm going to have to see if that helps the allergies and if so I'll be getting that!
 
Last edited:
How do I go about finding out whether its the hay or the bunny? Last night I vacuumed really thoroughly where his cage is, and I've been up since 4:30 am, sneezing, itchy eyes, very stuffy and runny nose that just won't stop. This is with zyrtec on board. I can't imagine what would happen without the zyrtec.
 
Well you can certainly consult a doctor about doing allergy testing, or you can just try switching the hay or moving the rabbit and seeing if that helps.
You might also want to consider wearing a mask if you're going to be doing a lot of vacuuming, etc.
 
Just tried the mask while doing litters and vacuuming hay. It really helped a lot, though any neighbors who saw in the window probably were a bit concerned about seeing a person with mask and goggles..:ph34r2 But hey, whatever works!
 
I accidentally allergy tested myself on Aria's Timothy hay the other day--scratched myself filling her hay bin, and it swelled up and got all red. I'm kind of tempted to scratch myself with her orchard grass and baled hay just to see if maybe I should stop getting the Timothy.
 
What about Oxbow's Botanical hay? Should that be less irritating to my allergies? I picked up a bag today and I'm thinking I'll mix that in and slowly get the timothy totally out and see if my allergies get any better.
 
i'm so allergic to my buns! I started wearing a mask when i'm vacuuming and grooming them! I also wash my hands as soon as i'm done petting them. I was on claritin, but it didnt work. zyrtex seems to help a little better. best wishes!!
 
To see if its the Buns or the Hay, I would get rid of all Timothy Hay and switch to the Orchard Grass and see if that helps. If not, try moving the buns! Either way I hope you find out what it is... hoping the hay and not the Buns.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top