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Small pets

Any way to tell if dc will be allergic to Guinea pigs?

5 replies

Suddengeekgirl · 10/07/2014 08:25

Ds is desperate for a pet. He's 5.
I would love a couple of GPs - I had some as a kid so remember most of the basics.

Ds has pretty bad hayfever which is only just controlled by antihistamine, nasal spray and eye drops. His eyes were awful this year in June.

I don't want to get GP only to find ds is allergic. It just wouldn't be right or fair for anyone - people or animals

Is there a way to find out if he is allergic?

Fwiw dh has bad hayfever too and cats are bad for him too.
All of my family were fine with the guinea pigs and associated straw/ hay - despite mild hayfever and cat allergies. Dh's side have much worse hayfever but only dh is allergic to cats too.

I really want piggies but only if we can all enjoy them ignore the fact that dh hates small furries

OP posts:

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fortifiedwithtea · 10/07/2014 10:11

The only way to tell is to get hands on and cuddle a guinea. Do you have any friends with guinea pigs, a petting zoo nearby. Failing that I'm sure any good rescue would understand your need to hold a piggy before making a commitment.

I had terrible Hayfever to grass pollen as a kid and DD2 has it mildly. DD2 has had to be dosed up with Puriton a lot for her this year but she is fine with hay and pigs. I come up in a mild rash when a piggy touches my skin they like to sit under my chin. Its not an allergy to the guineas as such. Its the allergy to the hay they are in constant contact with. It goes down quickly after I put them back in their hutch.

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Suttonmum1 · 10/07/2014 10:17

A long time ago when I was little we had a guinea pig for some considerable time (months) before I developed an allergy to it - wheezing, eyes watering etc.

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70isaLimitNotaTarget · 10/07/2014 18:39

My DD (12) has no hayfever, is fine with smooth and Abby pigs but allergic to our Rex boy

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hazeyjane · 10/07/2014 18:49

We looked after a friends guineapigs for a couple of weeks and dd2 had no reaction,so we got a pair of pigs last year. Unfortunately she developed a really bad reaction to them - wheezing, swollen eyes, hives, itchy throat, so we had to give them away.

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Suddengeekgirl · 10/07/2014 20:35

Blimey! Sounds like there's no way of knowing!

What's the best plan - as suggested by the super-furry-experts :)

Ds is having a lousy summer with his arm in plaster and this would cheer him up massively! and me