# Allergic



## koalabe (Nov 28, 2010)

I am proud to say that I am a first time momma of a wonderful baby boy  I had heard that there were some people who were allergic to their hedgehogs but I didn't consider that that would be a problem as I have never had any problems with an allergic reaction. I noticed that after I hold him though that there is a large red, bumpy patch of skin wherever he spent a large amount of time at. It doesn't itch but it is unsettling. I haven't figured out if it is from him or his poop -- he often poops on me-- and since the rash is usually near where he poops and lays at it is hard to tell. Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can use to clear the rash up faster? I have no intentions to get rid of my baby even if I am allergic to him but I hoped that someone else in the same situation might have some tips on how to handle it?


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## SnufflePuff (Apr 16, 2009)

I occasionally get hives on my arms after handling my hedgehogs for extensive periods of time. Doesn't happen every time and it hasn't happened for quite some time so maybe it's something you get used to, I think it depends on the person.

I have benadryl spray I bought back in mosquito season and it's basically an antihistamine in spray form and is a god send. Whenever I get hives or other strange red patches from anything I use it. 

Calamine lotion also works great for itchy skin after handling hedgehogs if you don't want to have to use an antihistamine everytime.


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## koalabe (Nov 28, 2010)

Thanks. This is my first hedgie and I just picked him up Saturday so I didn't expect anything to happen this fast. Since it doesn't really itch it isn't that much of a problem. I am not sure yet what caused it since he slept in that spot for about 30 minutes but then he pooped there so idk yet. Im hoping that in the next few days I will figure it out  Thanks for the help. I have some calamine lotion in my cabinet but I didn't know if I should use it because I wasn't sure that it wouldn't hurt him if I didn't get all of it off when I washed my hands before holding him.


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## PJM (May 7, 2010)

Sometimes, after holding Zoey, my hands will itch a bit - but that's when she's been particularly huffy & spikey. For me, I only notice it for a minute or 2 & it isn't bad at all. Cholla doesn't do it to me at all. Go figure. 

Do the bumps go away pretty quickly? Have you given him a bath yet? If so, what did you use in the bath?


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## koalabe (Nov 28, 2010)

No, I haven't given him a bath because I didn't want to stress him out even more since I just got him this Saturday. I don't want to make him sick. The rash mostly went away after about 30 minutes and a bath. There are still a few red dots on my arm but they aren't really a problem they just look bad. Although I am worried about what would happen if he gets near my face for an extended amount of time :| I'm just curious whether or not it is him or his pee and poop I am having a reaction to. I did notice the other day that after I held him my hand itched for a while and I wandered then... but now I am pretty sure something is going on. I am hoping that if I can give him a bath in a week or so that it might just be something on him. I know that the breeder used wood bedding for him and I am highly allergic to poison ivy...idk if bedding can carry that but since he has been on it for so long maybe there is some oils from the wood that is causing the rash?


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## Kaitlyn531 (Nov 29, 2010)

I know how you feel! Mine's particularly worse though, unfortunately.. At my parents house, I'm allergic to my miniature dachshund and get the same type of bumps that I get from her now also from when I hold Winston. They can get pretty bad.. And VERRRY itchy. I think I may be allergic to the mucus actually.. because I get it from my dachshund's nose and I think I get it from Winston's nose and possibly where he has licked himself. I typically wash my arms and hands off very well right after and then put Sarna on which doesn't smell very good but makes the rash go away very quickly. 

Mine looks pretty nasty


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## Alastrina (Sep 18, 2009)

My reaction to my hedgie's quills looks about like yours do Kaitlyn... My physician put me on Claritin and Zantac (she said it blocks a different type of substance that can cause rashes/skin sensitivities from foods) and these keep my bumps and redness from itching. In my case my hands also swell a bit so I take a dose of Benadryl at night before I handle my little one as it helps me sleep anyway ^_^

I've noticed that after these past few weeks of giving my hedgie daily footbaths which also clean his belly fur that I'm less likely to get as bad a reaction from handling him. So I think for me it's a feces/urine issue and I react when I get quilled and they get pushed into my skin.

After I'm through handling him and his things for the night I also wash my hands and arms with some mild soap and that takes care of anything getting transferred elsewhere (since I'm usually headed to bed after hedgie time).

It's worth adding that I'm allergic to my cats and dog as well, though that's more respiratory than dermal ^_^

~Katie


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## koalabe (Nov 28, 2010)

That's exactly what it looked like! He likes to lay in the crook of my arm and sleep so I get it there. I saw it last night for the first time and I had no idea what it was but I guess its normal if so many other people have the same problem


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

Very often new owners get a rash and usually it quits happening, sometimes it goes on to be a full allergy. 

Give him a nice water only bath. He was most likely in shavings or Carefresh at the breeders and often that is the culprit. To not stress him too much, you can hold him and pour water over him so he isn't right in the water. Make sure he doesn't catch a chill afterward. 

What bedding do you use? If shavings, Carefresh or any type of loose commercial bedding, switch to liners. If you use liners, start double rinsing or use a bit of vinegar in the rinse water to cut any soap residue. 

Baby quills are sharp and we are getting little pokes even if we don't realize it. Often it is what is on the quills that starts the reaction. Of course often what is on the quills is urine and urine can cause the problem. I used to get full blown asthma attacks from my Smokey's urine. 

Babies have very strong urine so once he is an adult, if it is urine causing the problem, it may change.

Keeping baby wipes by you when you have him out often helps, or even a damp washcloth so you can wipe your hands and arms off frequently. I've found a bit of hand lotion on the area after wards will help too. 

If this is a true allergy starting, unfortunately in time, it may become a respiratory allergy as well. I've taken back numerous babies as well as taken in numerous re-homes because of allergies that have started out as a minor rash and in 5 months to a year has become respiratory.


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## Kaitlyn531 (Nov 29, 2010)

Yea, my allergies in general have been getting worse over the past few years, surprisingly. So I'm already on Singulair and Advair for asthma (my asthma has been so bad before that I've had to go to the ER) and Zyrtec for regular allergies, although it doesn't help my skin allergies at all. Oh well.. I've got a nebulizer on hand if I ever have any respiratory allergies, but so far so good! (At least with my hedgehog! Ellie - the dachshund - on the other hand, not so much lol Ellie makes my skin and eyes and nose and lungs go crazy now after being exposed for too long lol) 

Good luck and I hope you figure out something that works for you! As long as it's not itching, I don't see what could be too bad about it. If you're not in any pain and its not getting any other reaction, doesn't seem like its too much of a concern other than a minor irritation.

Oh, and I use Aspen bedding, which I've heard is good for allergies?


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## Nancy (Aug 22, 2008)

For my first breeding female, I got aspen bedding because it is supposed to be healthier for them than kiln dried pine. The aspen just about killed me. I hadn't had an asthma attack in many years and the aspen triggered one every time I touched her. Aspen can be horrible for people with allergies. 

I tested allergic to just about every furry critter but don't have an issue with any but dogs and ferrets. I can't go in some peoples houses that have a dog and if a dog has been in an examination room at the vet before me, my lungs start to tighten almost immediately. We have 4 cats which I'm supposed to be allergic to but they don't bother me in the least. Prior to my daughter moving out this past August, we had 7 cats living here. :lol:


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## I<3Hejji (Aug 29, 2010)

I also started off with Aspen bedding, and the first few days of owning Hejji I was breaking out in hives as well. I was so bummed, thinking I was allergic to him. But as soon as I switched to fleece liners and gave Hejji a bath the hives disappeared and have not come back. Hopefully giving your hedgehog a bath will rinse off any residue from the aspen shavings, and you won't experience any more hives. If you do continue to experience hives, Nancy's tips are great. Good luck!


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