Is there a breed more suitable for people with fur allergies?

[Plymothian_Sophie]

Hi, so a friend of mine has been asking for advice as she wants to get a rabbit, however she is allergic to some fur. (She has cats and they sometimes affect her, although not always)
She asked me if I knew of any rabbits that don't shed/moult as much, so I told her I would find out for her and let her know, I guess most rabbits will moult the same, but just wanted to check

 

[missyscove]

If she's allergic to cats she's not necessarily allergic to rabbits. I'd suggest she spend some time around some first and see how that affects her.

 

[Korr_and_Sophie]

It can really depend on what she is sensitive to. All breeds can have issues for people with allergies. PRetty much all rabbits moult (there are some English angora lines that don't moult very often, but then you have a lot more grooming). Some individual rabbits might shed less or not moult as much as others, but it really varies from rabbit to rabbit and breed is only one factor. Some people say rexes are good for allergies, but they shed and moult just as much as other rabbits and the short hairs can be a bother too.

If she really does want a rabbit, I would suggest that she spends time with different rabbits. This can help see if she does have a reaction to the rabbits and what might be more of an issue. If the actual moulting is more likely to be the issue, then being around the rabbit when it moults would be better.

 

[Plymothian_Sophie]

Thanks guys, she is arranging to go to a few rescues next week so she can interact with different breeds of rabbit so see how her allergies cope with them, I said to her around now will probably be the best test as it's summer so a lot of bunnies will be moulting and I said if she can handle a moult, she'll probably be fine

 

[Sophie's Humble Servant]

What about a hairless rabbit? Someone here on the forum had one.

 

[Bville]

The only problem with visiting rabbits at a rescue is if there are cats there too, she might not be able to tell what she is reacting too. I am deathly allergic to cats (seriously, my throat starts to close up) but only mildly allergic to dogs and rabbits. When I got my rabbit Pepper from the SPCA, I was more allergic to her at first than I am now because she had been around cats and had their dander in her fur.

 

[maidance]

I recommend trying mini Rex's. They still shed and all that, but their fur is a bit different and I'm allergic to some rabbits, but not to Rex's

 

[whiskylollipop]

Hairless rabbits are a genetic anomaly, it would be very very hard to find one I think.

But yeah, rabbit allergies and cat allergies are completely unrelated.

 

[Azerane]

She might not even be allergic to rabbits, cat allergy does not always equal a rabbit allergy. Most people that are allergic to cats are actually allergic to their saliva, not the fur, but because cat's groom themselves like crazy their fur is always covered in the saliva.

Anyway, I agree with her just going to see some rabbits. She'll need to wash up pretty thoroughly between each rabbit, otherwise she's not likely to know whether she's allergic to one, but not another. I agree that she might stand a better chance with a rex rabbit, however we recently had a member on here try who was severely allergic to them. So everyone is different.