I think I am allergic to Tabitha.

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Tabitha

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Joined
Dec 30, 2006
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Location
Orlando, Florida, USA
Hey

I am really in a pickle now. Ever since Tabitha has been withus, i have been having sinus issues, but i thought nothing of itbecause i do have seasonal allergies. As i told you all ihave to house Tabitha in my garage and let her outside in a pen duringthe day because i can't keep her in the house seeing as my stepdaughteris allergic to rabbits (She reacts terribly to rabbits as we found out2 years back when she went to her cousins house for a sleepover andended up in the emergency the next morning).

Well, i have been very congested and my skin has been very itchy andflarring up in red bloaches. I thought maybe bug bite or foodreaction, but i am narrowing it down to happening after i have behandling Tabitha. Of course, i am the only one in the housethat cares for her so i clean her cage, feed her twice a day, pick herup to take her to her outdoor pen and back again and groomher. If i don't take a shower immediately after handling her,i itch like crazy and break out in red rashes.

What should i do? I love Tabitha but it isn't fair if shedoesn't get any physical attention because she really loves it and sheis so cuddly sweet. Do you think it would be better if i justfoster. I could only let her go to someone who would let herout of the cage everyday and feed her twice a day. Tabithaloves her food times and exercise time.

My husband's friend wants her really bad but i told him no because iknow they wouldn't fix her a mixed salad twice a day and let her haveexercise out in a large area everyday. I think they just loveher and want her because she is so wonderful and social. Thatwouldn't last long if she was unhappy.

I really am at a loss as to what is right to do. I had everyintention of building her a huge outside bunny estate where she couldlive year round and even get her a bunny friend but now i don't know ifthat is the right thing to do.
 
I'm not sure what to tell you :(

There's not too many options when it's an allergy to your bunny.

Re-homing...as hard as it may be....might be the best thing for all concerned.

I'm the only one in my home that can have any direct contact with the buns for any extended amount of time.
My wife suffers through helping me with the cage cleanings because ofmy bad back, but then it takes her the rest of the day to recover fromthe blotches, sneezing, and irritated eyes. Luckily we only have tocage clean every other week.
All 8 of my buns live inside and have their own bunny room.
HEPA filters, ionizers, and constant spot cleaning keep it at a level so it doesn't bother anyone too much.


With her background story and that cutie-pie face, a new home shouldn't be hard to find
fluffy6.jpg



~Jim

 
That's the whole point, letting her go is goingto be torture. She is so good and non-demanding. Isit on the front porch and talk to her during the day and she runs overto me for attention.

She's the perfect bunny.

If there are any members on this board that live in Flordia that wouldconsider taking her in, i would love that more, knowing she would becared for correctly.

I know she is happy with me and she is even putting on some weight.
 
We have a few members in Orlando and several in the state of Florida.

I can move this to the "Rescue Me" forum, if you like?!?

~Jim
 
Hi, I'm allergic to Bunnies and I have four.

Ido have a Hepa air purifier that I use (not all the timethough) usually in the spring and fall. I also takeReactine. I wear rubber gloves when I clean the litter box orfeed the hay to them as I think I'm allergic to the hay also.

Have you tried to wear long sleeve shirts when you are handling her, that would avoid direct contact with your skin.


Also if you are asthmatic I would stay away from the ionizers, they arenot recommended for people with Asthma. I was told this bythe Lung Association of Canada.

Susan:apollo:
 
SOOOSKA wrote:
Also if you are asthmatic I would stay away from theionizers, they are not recommended for people with Asthma. Iwas told this by the Lung Association of Canada.

Susan:apollo:
Click to expand...
I've also heard that.

The ozone air purifiers and the worst because the create ozone that can aggrivate asthma symptoms.
Ionizers are a little bit safer, but still emit a certain amount of ozone, too.

~Jim
 
before you decide it is the bunny, look at whatshe touches during the day that you don't normally (the feed, the hay,the bedding, ect) you could be allergic to any of these things andgetting in contact with it from her skin. i would also make a dr.appointment and simply ask them what are your options for treatment. ..they might have some tips that could really make a difference
 
Susan mentioned the hay and i had never evenconsidered that i might be allergic to it. But as i thinkabout it, it is possible. The smell from it is very strongand makes me sneeze every morning when i clean her cage out.The shaving don't do that to me. I do give Tabitha the cubedhay too, so maybe i just need to stick with the cubes that i can tossinto the cage from the bag without even touching it. I wasputting the loose hay in there and , of course, using my hands andgetting my whole arm in the bag.

Boy, wouldn't that be nice if it is the hay.:D



It really had me upset as i have gotten terribly attached to her.
 
I'm allergic just a bit to the rabbits but moreso to the hay. I take Fexophedrine (formerly known asAllegra) every morning and it really helps. There was anotherpost on here I read not too long ago about someone with allergies tohay. Maybe someone else can remember where that was. Therewas some really good advice, I thought, that I've tried out. Forexample, using thelong pieces of hay and discarding all thedusty stuff at the bottom. That's what really gets me sneezing and myeyes itchy! I've started buying a bale of hay rather than all thelittle Oxbow bags . I keep it in my garage and just fill up a bigRubbermaid container as needed (my buns stay in the house). It REALLYcut down on the small, dusty stuff. The suggestions may havebeen in the post about thebun who is moving across thecountry to California.

I really hope you can keep her! The whole story about how you came tohave her and how her personality is makes it seem like it was destinythat you would have her. She'd have such a wonderful home. A bunnyestate sounds very cool!
 
cmh9023 wrote:
The suggestions may have been in the post aboutthebun who is moving across the country to California.
Click to expand...

That's correct.
It was Trixiesmom in NY.
Unfortunately, they tried several things (including the cubes) and were still overwhelmed with the allergies.:(
Fortunately, Trixie is going to live with Rosie in CA.:)

You could always get tested to find out exactly what it is that you're having a reaction to.;)

~Jim
 
Hehe...isn't it funny to just browse around, and then find you've been mentioned somewhere? :)
 
Well, we still haven't 100% figured out if i amallergic to Tabitha or to the straw/Alfalfa, but i hate to part withTabitha. Seeing as she is an outdoor bunny, that really helpsa lot. Since Tabitha has been in her outdoor bunny estate andi no longer have to clean a cage out everyday, i have noticed that i amnot breaking out in rashes and itching. My throat does get alittle scratchy if i snuggle with her but i am able to go into herkennel and play with her and pet her. With her being outsideand having a yard for her to use as a potty seems to work outwell. She has a dog house full of straw to sleep in but shedoesn't mess in it so i only have to clean the straw out once aweek. If i use a mask when i clean out the straw, i don'tinhale all the dust from it that makes my sinuses all stuffy for 3 days.

She is so much fun to be with. Everyone who comes by ourhouse goes in the kennel to play with her and she greets themall.:bunnydance:
 
It's looking that way!:)



If she continues to do great living outside in ther bunny estate, iwould gladly keep her. She went through her first heavy rainstorm in new estate the other day. I was really worried abouther, but as soon as it quit raining, i ran out there andchecked on her. She was bone dry. I guess she didgo inside her little cottage. She seemed very happy andunconcerned about the storm that just passed. I love going out andsitting in herbunny estatewith her while i have mymorning coffee. She runs around me and then puts her frontpaws on my lap for a me to pet her. I am a little concerned about hermaking it through the really hot Florida weather outside, but by thetime summer comes, i am hoping to have some small palms in her pen foradded shade and cover.

I will need to put a little stool in there for me to sit onthough. Right now i am sitting on a flower pot that doesn'taccommodate my tush very well.:D



She gets extremely excited when someone comes into her pen.She leaps in the air and runs full speed up to them. We puther bunny estate in the front yard so when people come by they can seeher and they always want to go in and play with her. I thinkthat will help a lot at making sure she gets lots of attention.

My husband's employee comes to the house everyday and he just lovesTabitha. As soon as he gets out of his car in the morning, hegoes an says hi to Tabitha first.

Even the neighbor's grandson comes over everyday to play with her.
 
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