Guinea Pig Allergies

[teambenji543]

One thing that I’ve learned about guinea pigs, is that MANY people are allergic to them. Everybody in my family is allergic to my guises pigs except me. I know that some people are allergic to guinea pig hay, while others are allergic to their saliva and danders.

One day, my brother had a friend over, and keep in mind this was when I first got my guinea pig, Lily. My brothers friend wanted to pet her, so I let him hold Lily in his lap. Then he proceeded to rub his face into my guinea pigs fur. Of course we had NO idea that he was allergic to guinea pigs and neither did he, but let me just say that his face ballooned up and my brothers sleepover was cut short.

so yeah, ever since that happened I tell whoever comes over to not rub their face on the guinea pigs and wash their hands immediately after touching them. Most people never touched a guinea pig before so they don’t know of they’re allergic or not. I just don’t want someone to have another allergic reaction.

Is anyone here allergic to guinea pigs? If so, how do you deal with the allergies?

 

[bpatters]

Actually, very few people are allergic to guinea pigs -- they're very non-allergenic animals.

What the people are usually allergic to is the hay, which is very allergenic. And because guinea pigs spend a lot of time with hay, it gets on their fur, and handling the pig can cause an allergic reaction.

Timothy hay is one of the worst offenders. Orchard and meadow hay are much less allergenic.

 

[4boipigs]

My coworker says she gets hives when she handles gpigs (we work at a vet). She thought about it being the hay, but if she's holding the pigs or near them, idk if that would count as hay allergies.

My coworkers and even one of the vets is allergic to some of the pets they see, but they just take allergy meds and they're fine.

 

[teambenji543]

I know that it’s definitely not the hay. We have a rabbit and she eats the same hay as the guinea pigs, and no one in my family is allergic to her. We also handle bales of hay every Friday at a horse barn. Maybe it’s just a genetic thing?

 

[Guinea Pig Papa]

I know that it’s definitely not the hay. We have a rabbit and she eats the same hay as the guinea pigs, and no one in my family is allergic to her. We also handle bales of hay every Friday at a horse barn. Maybe it’s just a genetic thing?

I know very little about bunnies. Does she just eat the hay, or does she roll around and dive into it and play in it like piggies do? If she doesn't, that might be the answer why no one seems allergic to her.

 

[teambenji543]

Yeah, she is a bit cleaner then the piggies, but she DEFINITELY gets covered in hay, as it is in her litter box.