New Member/Guinea Pig Owner

Welcome to the forum! Always nice to have another Texan around...

You're far more likely to be allergic to the hay than to the pigs. And there are a few things you can do to help, if that's the case.

Most people who are allergic to hay are allergic to timothy. Orchard grass and blue grass are much less likely to cause allergic reactions than any of the others. You might be able to buy a couple of small bags of those at a pet store, and see if you have less reaction to them.

If so, you can order blue grass from (broken link removed). It's more expensive than local hay, but I haven't found any locally in Texas.

While you're still using the timothy, is there someone else who can handle the hay for you? One way to feed it is to have someone else fill a bunch of brown lunch bags with they hay, and you just pick up the bag and put it in the cage. If they can also get the hay out of the cage before you clean it, you may have fewer problems.

Wear cotton gloves and long sleeved clothes when you handle the pigs, and change after you've handled them.

Try those things and see if they help. If so, living with the pigs is very doable for people with allergies, without having to take a ton of medicine.

Your allergies could be related to the hay. I have allergies to the guinea pigs but they don't cause me to sneeze or have chest pressure. When I hold/touch the pigs they make me itch like crazy! My skin turns red and gets itchy. However I am allergic to some of their hay and do get itchy eyes, sneezing, runny/stuffy nose. What kind of hay are you using? A lot of people have allergies to Timothy. I have allergies to bermuda and brome. Allergist always seem to have such a long wait! But they should be able to give you a good idea of what you are allergic to and how badly you are allergic.

Things you can do in the meantime, you can wear gloves and a mask while cleaning the pig cage and handling hay. Also a small air filter near the cage does wonders. I got a cheap one from walmart, it removes the hay dust and such from the air, it also helps with odors. Also what room are they in?

I'm with the others. I know I'm allergic to hay from back when I used to help put up hay in the barn when I had my first horse. Hopefully using orchard grass will alleviate the symptoms for you. I use timothy but my reaction isn't nearly as bad as yours, just watery, itchy eyes and sometimes a sneezing fit, and hives on my arms if I handle it too much (doesn't usually happen with the piggers...that was more from handling the whole bales).

Good luck with isolating the cause. I hope it's the hay so you can just switch types.

It could be the hay, most people who have "piggy alergies" are either alergic to the wood/paper bedding (which is irrelevent if you're using fleece) or the hay. If you're using timothy hay, there are alternatives which are as healthy for the piggies but cause less alergies, I believe bermuda grass is one of them but I can't remember the others. Good luck!!

BTW Welcome to the forum!! We'd love to see pigtures of your piggies!

I believe that allergies to the actual pigs are nothing like cats or dogs. I could be misremembering but the only allergen is found in their urine. Hence when they touch me I itch, because they walk around in their pee all day . Good luck with your allergies!

I don't believe that guinea pigs have dander the way cats and dogs do, but I could be mistaken.

However, you should take that tightness in the chest and difficulty in breathing VERY seriously. I know you don't want to give up your pigs, but your health is more important. And if that continues, you can have a very serious sudden reaction. If only you and the toddler are at home at the time, that could be a real problem.

I'd get someone else to get all the current hay out, clean out the cage, wash everything, and give the pigs baths. Then I'd get some other kind of hay and try it for a few days. Hopefully, it's the hay and not the pigs, but don't risk your health over it.

I am allergic to anything with fur. If you take an allergy pill every morning and benadryll at night it should help. Good luck.

I'm severely allergic to cats (if I spend more than 15 minutes in a cat household without even sitting on or touching any furniture or carpeted floor, my eyes will get red and watery and I will have a sneezing fit), but not to dogs, and not to piggies. I originally suspected my pigs as well, but when I ran out of timothy hay to feed them, I started getting orchard grass instead, and my indoor allergies have not been nearly as bad. Timothy hay is the most commonly fed type, but it's by far the worst on allergies to people who are sensitive.

Try getting rid of your timothy hay, clean the cage and house of all traces of it, and get some orchard or bluegrass.

Hi from a newbie!