# i dont know whether i can keep my rats anymore :'(



## DumboRatLove (Mar 6, 2012)

i found that i am allergic to my rats, and i come up in a rash when i hold them, i start sneezing and dad is worried about my athsma i really wanted rats, i have tried my best and allergies are getting in the way. i hate to take medicine every time i want to cuddle them, and now i am stuck because i cant keep them. help please, i hate to have to make this sort of decision because they are great pets.


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## Maltey (Nov 29, 2011)

O no 
Have you been to your doctor about it? 
There's lots of different allergy meds and lots of combos of those meds and different people find different combos work for them.
Quite a lot of people have allergies to their rats so don't feel alone!


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## DumboRatLove (Mar 6, 2012)

no, but it might affect my athsma so i cantreally keep them, i dont know who might take them because everyone is so far away. i dont want to but i think i might have to give them up. meds might work but i am already taking several for hayfever and stuff. i think it might be best for the rats too.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Sorry to hear this sad news.

Did you get the girls from a breeder? Usually a good breeder will take them back and rehome them. Or you could put them on the fancy rats forum in the rehoming section. That way you will get more genuine responses from rat lovers wanting to offer them a home.


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## Maltey (Nov 29, 2011)

Yours are breeder rats aren't they.
I think she'd probably rather take them back than you rehome them yourself, that's the policy for a lot of breeders anyway and then at least you can feel comfortable knowing they're in safe hands


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## DumboRatLove (Mar 6, 2012)

ok i will post on the partof the forum in classifieds ? is that right. i dont want to, honestly, i hate to do this. thank you for the advice.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

i would talk to the doctors before you make any choices, im alergic to guinea pigs, have asthma and have 3 piggers, its all down to management

im also allergic to hay (not hay fever but actually alergic as in horrid rashes) and i have rabbits piggers chinchillas and horses, all of which need hay daily 

go talk to your doctor


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Are you not going to get in touch with the breeder you had them off?
As maltey says it's policy to return the rats to them if you can no longer keep them.


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## DumboRatLove (Mar 6, 2012)

o ok, just that we got them from rayleigh which is ages away. what should i do, email her to tell her?


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

Yes because breeders say in there contract that if anything should happen where you can no longer care for your rats to hand them back to the breeder.
She may have people on her waiting list for some youngsters and yours are only young aren't they.


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## Lil Miss (Dec 11, 2010)

so you'r not even going to see if the doctor can help you? you'r just going to give up?


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

doctors can do a test to see what your actually allergic too. i have asthma, mine is affected by exercise and dust mites. my rats dont affect my asthma. antihistamines are used for this exact purpose, for people with certain allergies to help with them. 
i agree with Lil miss above. it just seems like you are giving up. i travelled 280 miles to get my last breeder bred rats, would do it again, but i know that even if i was allergic to my rats i woudlnt just get rid, i would go to the doctors and find a way to deal with it.


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## chrisd (Aug 25, 2011)

I'm pretty sure I'm allergic to my rats as whenever I handle them I get itchy eyes for hours afterwards. Although it is irritating it could never make me consider getting rid of them and if it did I would consider every possible solution.

I don't know how bad your allergies are but please try and sort it. Unless there are other reasons you want rid of them.


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

have you tried hayfever tabs chrisd? just normal cheap ones are the same as the expsensive ones. they might help with the runny eyes. i take em cus i have hayfever all year round, so also helps with my dust mite allergy


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## chrisd (Aug 25, 2011)

No I haven't but I might try. Tbh it doesn't bother me too much as most of the time its only mild. I have only had it really badly a few times where I can't open my eye lol (it only seems to affect one eye)


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## RattyCake (May 18, 2012)

I thought I was allergic to my rats because whenever I went into m room my eyes would ith like crazy and my nose would get sore. However, it seemed to happen more on rainy days and would affect me even if I didn't handle them. I'm now thinking it's a mould spore allergy.


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## blade100 (Aug 24, 2009)

If I ever became allergic to my pets I'd try everything in the book to help me and even then if I couldn't I'd still keep them just get hubby to see to them. But luckily I don't.

If the other person can't sort out her allergies then she should get in touch with the breeder but as people have mentioned ideally go to the docs and try everything they throw at you.


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## chrisd (Aug 25, 2011)

I'm guessing seeing as they are new rats that maybe OP can't deal with them or they are more than they were expecting and this is a good get out clause.

I could be wrong though


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## Wobbles (Jun 2, 2011)

If I hold my rats particularly the 3 young ones who are quite scrabbly, I get little lumpy blotches where their nails were. They itch a little bit, but go after 20-30 minutes. I also used to get itchy runny eyes that would drive me insane after holding virtually any rodent, but I worked out that provided I don't accidentaly touch my face before washing my hands after holding them, I am fine. The same goes for the straw/hay. I also get hayfever so use antihisthamines, but if for some reason, I get itchy eyes after being near the fuzzies I take one then as well, and it stops it within 10-15 minutes. The sneezing/itching used to drive me up the wall at times, they'd get to a point where I had to just keep my eyes closed for 15 minutes at a time to let the burning itchiness stop, but I love my rodents too much to ever think of not having them cos of it. Unless it was hospitalising me, I'd just find someway around it - like take piriton every single day if I had to.


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## fatrat (May 14, 2012)

I had a bad allergic reaction to my rats a few months ago, asthma & runny eyes etc, I went to the dr and they have me tablets, eye drops & nadal spray and it's all cleared up now, no problems at all  it's worth a try?


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## GerbilNik (Apr 1, 2011)

I made the mistake a number of years ago of thinking my son was allergic to two female rats I had rescued. I did find a wonderful home for them, but turned out in the end it WASN'T the rats he was allergic to. As the lady who took them on had an enormous cage and friends for them I didn't take them back as I felt it wasn't in their best interests but I did and still feel some guilt because of it.

If you do have to rehome them, I hope they get a good home.


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## CRL (Jan 3, 2012)

is it the Ansbrook rats? i swear it was you who just got 2 Ansbrook rats as i told you she is a good breeder, i had 2 of hers myself. 

if it is get back in touch with annie. or if they are boys i might be able to take them on if you are anywhere near wiltshire.


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## DwarfHam (Jun 30, 2012)

Isn't there any way to take some pill or something like that?


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