# Devastated...ALLERGIC to My Hedghog!!! :'(



## Mel_W (Apr 26, 2013)

Hey hedgie lovers,
I noticed that everywhere my hedgie's quills touches me i get extremely itchy hives. I adore my hedgie so, so much and there is no way I am going to part from her. I tried to wear a long sleeve shirt but her quills still made contact with my skin. Any sudgestions on how I can hold her without being exposed to her quills?? I still want her to get use to my scent... HELP please!


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## MochiAndMe (Jul 13, 2013)

Gloves. Now, before anyone tells me that gloves don't allow scent and bonding...take a clean pair of cloth gloves, and sleep with them for a few nights to get your scent on the outside too. Then, your hands are protected, and she still has the scent of you. You'd probably have to repeat this process after using the gloves for a little bit, to keep the scent of you 'new.'


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## abbys (Oct 13, 2012)

I usually get minor itchy welts during day to day handling, and I get pretty bad welts when I get really spiked. It helps to wash the area with soap and cold water, but mostly I just have to try to ignore it. I suck at ignoring itches in general, but somehow I've gotten pretty good at not thinking about hedgie-related itches. Maybe you could keep a topical antihistamine on hand? Although you'd have to make sure to apply it when your girl can't lick it off, but it's worth a shot.


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## Annie&Tibbers (Apr 16, 2013)

Sometimes, the reaction isn't to the hedgehog, but to the weird & random stuff on his or her quills. Frequent bathing dries out hedgehog-skin, but you could try just giving the quills a rinse-scrub with a damp toothbrush each night to see if that helps. (The idea is to clean the quills without getting the skin wet -- I've done it as a spot-cleaning method during foot-baths.)


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

What kind of bedding do you use with her? When a hedgehog pricks you with their quills, whatever is on their quills is driven under your skin. If your hedgehog lives on a substrate bedding, tiny particles of that bedding may be the cause of your reaction. If you aren't using cloth liners, switch. There are many reasons to use cloth liners, and this is one of them.

Another thought is if this is a baby, baby hedgehogs tend to not be nearly as clean as adults. You may have a reaction to the urine and poop that gets on their quills. A wet wash cloth rubbed over the hedgehogs quills may help with that. 

Are you washing your hands/arms after handling your hedgehog? Quite often these reactions go away after you wash. Many new owners will find that they get a small rash, or itchy skin after handling a hedgehog and quite often that reaction goes away after washing yourself. Many do find that after they have handled a hedgehog for a while, these reactions do not continue to happen.

Even after all the years I have cared for hedgehogs, I still find a few cause me to react. Often those are new rescues who have come to me. And typically they are the rescues who were living on pine or carefresh bedding. Once switched to liners, and given a good bath, those reactions go away.


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## Mel_W (Apr 26, 2013)

I always used fleece and I use non scented detergent. I haven't gave her a bath for awhile because she has dry skin, it is not mites because she has already been to two different vet clinics and they did a skin scrap and they were both positive it was dry skin. The vets said to put a few drops of olive oil in her food and on her skin. I am not sure if should give her a bath yet...

I wash my arms and hands before and after and the rash does not go away.


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## sarahspins (Jun 25, 2013)

I would give a bath with some oil in the water (coconut, or olive) to keep it from drying out her skin.

Really the only way to reduce the amount of allergen on her quills is to try wash it off. full baths would probably be most effective, but I can't see why rubbing her down with a damp washcloth before you handle her much wouldn't also help. I had very similar issues when I used to have rats - with hives wherever their nails poked my skin, and regular baths helped some, but ultimately it didn't stop my allergies from getting worse to the point where I can no longer handle/keep most rodents. It took a really long time to get to that point though, about 10 years, so don't worry that you are imminently doomed... I lived with my allergies for a very long time, and I probably should have quit keeping rats much sooner than I did, I just didn't want to.

If you aren't opposed to trying medications, if you don't already take a daily allergy med I'd start with one of those (like Zyrtec, Claritin, or Allegra), and you can also take Zantac (yes, the stomach acid reducer, it's technically an antihistamine) in addition to the allergy meds because that may actually reduce your skin reactions. You will see a dramatic improvement in the first week or two of trying that if it's going to help you. Using cortisone cream on the worst areas may also help, but using any kind of steroid over large areas of the skin is not a good idea for long-term use, it's more for immediate relief if you just can't stand the itching.


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## Kalandra (Aug 25, 2008)

Mel_W said:


> I haven't gave her a bath for awhile because she has dry skin, it is not mites because she has already been to two different vet clinics and they did a skin scrap and they were both positive it was dry skin. The vets said to put a few drops of olive oil in her food and on her skin. I am not sure if should give her a bath yet...


How long have you been using olive oil? Dietary solutions to dry skin can take several weeks before you see any improvement. Sometimes you just have to give them a bath though.

If she is causing you as much of as a reaction as you state, I'd personally give her a quick bath with an oatmeal rinse. See if you react to her better afterward. Then use a warm, damp wash cloth across her quills to help keep her clean (no soap required!). You can do that more regularly, it will help to get her quill tips a bit cleaner, and it won't dry her skin. I do this whenever one of mine anoints. They get a little miffed that I have washed away their hard work, but they stay clean this way.


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## JennifeerHolidaay (Sep 26, 2013)

I'm also allergic to my hedgehog ): You aren't alone


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