Hello

A few, but a very few, people are allergic to the guinea pigs themselves. You might want to have your husband meet a guinea pig and hold it for a while to see if he reacts before you actually get the pig.

They can do ok on grasses, but that may be harder to accomplish than you think. Depending on where you live, there may not be a year-round supply of grass, or it may be contaminated with pesticides, fertilizer or animal droppings.

You can buy small bundles of orchard grass or bluegrass hay in most pet stores. I'd suggest buying one of each and seeing if he's allergic to either of those. If so, then you might need to look for another kind of pet. But if not, full steam ahead.

Do be warned, however, that if you do get a guinea pig, the absolutely most expensive way to buy hay for it is in those small packages in the pet stores. You can get much better, fresher, and cheaper hay from local farmers or online.

I can't think of any other allergens. It's usually the hay that people complain about.

I'm allergic to timothy and VERY allergic to cats. Put me in a room where a cat has been and my eyes swell up and my throat closes up. As long as I use orchard grass for my gpigs, I have no problems whatsoever. I buy 50 lb boxes of Oxbow orchard grass through my local Pet Supplies Plus.