Pets and Allergies

What about a hairless rat? Rats are excelent, friendly pets. A hairless one may be the answer. I have personally owned rats (haired ones) and they were great. I now have 2 hairless Sphynx cats and find people with allergies are able to visit with no problems. My Sphynx's are wonderful but they are expensive ($1500+) and require regular grooming/bathing. It is a big commitment. I would not recommend them to a first time pet owner. A hairless rat would be much less expensive and rats are great first pets. Happy pet hunting.

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You really might consider a different rodent. Before you buy anything, buy a book (or check one out from the library) on the animals you are considering. Have your son read up on it as well as yourself so you both know what you're getting in to. We did a bunch of research before we made our pet purchase a few months ago. Our 7 year old daughter got the book and went to town writing out lists of things she would need to get before she got the pet. It was (and still is) a great learning experience for her. In our research we found out that a hamster is nocturnal and because of that are more prone to biting. They are also not the cuddly creatures they look like they might be.

We decided on a guinea pig. After 3 months I can still say it was the right choice for us. They are fairly cuddly but really just interesting to watch. Our guinea pig doesn't bite and from what we've read, they really aren't biters. Anyway, there's not a constant bad smell coming from the cage (even if we've gone a little longer than we should to clean it.) They are pretty low maintenance and, after the initial start up costs, you basically have food and treats to buy on a regular basis (we go through a bag of food about every 2 months).

My husband has allergies but he's never been tested to know what exactly he's allergic to. In the few months since the adoption of our new family member, he hasn't noticed an increase in the amount of sneezing.

Hope that helps!

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Hi L. , I hope you didn't run out and get your son a hamster yet because they don't make good childerns pets! They like to bit.
enstead If you want a caged pet, look at rats. Yes rats . They make good pets. They like to be held , cuddled and you can carry them on your shoulder or pocket. They are very smart too ,you can teach them stuff. They come in lots of differant colors , some even have curly coats , big dumbo ears and some are even hairless for people who are allergic . These small pets don't live for very long though.
Also think about the type of bedding you're going to use . A lot of people are allergic to the beddings. Good luck and I hope everyone in your family can enjoy your new family addiction!

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Hamsters are cuddly to look at but don't really like to cuddle. Rats are very personable -- I resisted for years, found rats 'creepy' but am now a total convert. They have personalities, are very responsive and intelligent. My daughter used to go to her dad's on weekends, and her rat would watch tv with me, 'talk' to me when I got home...

That said, all small rodents have a pretty short life span. When my daughter's rat developed tumors - not uncommon - we eventually had to euthanize her at age 2 1/2 years. Vet bills ran about $150 (! for a $3 pet.) If anyone had told me years ago that I would cry my eyes out over a dead rat, I would have said they were nuts, but it did happen.

So, rats - upside: an animal you can interact with; downside: learning about the circle of life in just a couple 3 years.

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Hi L.,

My son is allergic to hamsters, but not to cats. You and your daughter may not be allergic to the hamster just because you are allergic to cats and dogs. If you have good insurance or can afford it, I would suggest having everyone tested by an allergist before getting any pets. We didn't find out my son was allergic to hamsters until we had ours for 4 months, and by that time we were all attached to her. We got a good air purifier ($200) and ran it in the room with the hamster and it seemed to help. Good luck!

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Dwarf hamsters are supposed to be easy on people that have allergies but I'd have to agree with others that hamsters do bite at times. It's not because they are bad just how they are. I would also agree that a rat might be a good way to go. I have heard that they are really good for people with allergies.

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Animal dander will stay in carpet. I had a cat 4 year before I had kids and it was still a prob for my son, even tho it was cleaned by a prof carpet cleaner many times before my son was born. I don't know how bad your allergies are, but just keep in mind that the dander will be very tough to get rid of. Do you have a friend who can loan you a pet? I know this sounds weird, but I work at a school an took home a class room pet turtle for the summer to try him out. About 3 weeks in my kids had lost interest and didn't really care anymore. It was perfect! They felt they had won by getting a pet, but I wasn't stuck with a pet I had to take care of for the rest of its life. Win win.

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I bought a hamster and it bit me ... that same day I turned around and returned it. I couldn't get my money back but i was ok with that... just wanted it gone. Believe it or not rats are less likely to bite and have less hair.

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L.,
Reconsider the hamster - they are generally nocturnal and not so fond of being awake during the day. Do your research on this one. If he wants to cuddle, consider a small house rabbit (which are very smart and can be box trained) or a guinea pig or even a white rat. Check the House Rabbit Society website for more info on bunnies. Good luck - J.

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L.,

What about a rabbit-- they are great pets and you can keep them in the garage or outside in a protected hutch. I have allergies to animals and did very well with rabbits. I had my last rabbit for 9 years-. As far as air purifiers, they definitely help.

Take care,

M.

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I can't speak to the alergies part, but I am going to second the advice of Connie and the girls about choice of pet. Rats are a more sociable animal. Just be sure whichever you try, you do not feed the animal from outside of the cage. Bring the animal out of the cage, put the food in the cage or hand feed the animal then place the animal back in. When you do it the other way, often the hamster or rat will bite the hand.

My 10 year old has horrible allergies to cats, he has done quite well with a chinchilla though.. it has been a great pet for him, he has had it for a little over a year now.

While they do shed, an air purifier has helped in his room and he has been very diligent in cleaning the cage every weekend.

It is cuddly and cute, he plays with it for hours at a time. It is not unusual for us to check on him in his room and he has the chinchilla on his bed with him while reading, or on the ground while playing with it constantly.

It has turned out to be a great pet for him.

If you have an outdoor area where your son's pet would be safe, the best alternative might be to just not have an indoor pet at all. That way he could enjoy the pet, but you and your daughter would be more distant from the allergens. The problem is if the pet is cute and cuddly, neither of you are likely to be able to resist getting near it anyway.

Someone mentioned rats. They aren't as cuddly, but do make nice pets for young boys. My son had some when he was about your son's age, and I actually got to the point of playing with them myself.

One downside to any of the smaller, rodent type pets is that they have a shorter lifespan. This means you will need to be prepared for introducing grief to your children. It's actually a good experience for them to have to encounter, but difficult at the time.

I'd look into alternatives, as you will be cleaning the cage and his room, and you can't keep sister out of the room. In the end, with allergies (which can turn into asthma, a battle half of my family fights continuously), your son needs to know that if it is a choice between him getting a hamster and someone in the family needing to breathe clearly, breathing gets the vote and some other type of pet will be a better choice. Then help him find that pet, because we need to raise nurturers...

It's not a great answer, but what about getting your family tested for allergies? My doctor did seperate skin tests for cats, dogs, and rabbits (which now I need to go back and ask if rabbits covered all rodent spit). I came up a 3++ on rabbits, 3 on cats, and 2 on dogs.
yet?
I guess I have been around too many unwashed dogs because my perception is that I am rather allergic to dogs (one of the reasons I don't have them), moderate to cats (and I have owned many) and my pet rats were never an issue. Perhaps it's the size of the animal contributes to how much dander of their favor they put out?

I am just thinking if your son turns out to be allergic to rodents, having them in his bedroom might not be wise. (Then again I had 2 rats in my bedroom w/o a problem that I noticed, but I am so allergic to dust I usually attribute my stuffyness to that.)

Vaccuming is the only think that seems to help my allergies.

Good luck with it!

-Z., owner of MANY pets
(and have to agree I am not into my fish nearly as much as the cats, rats or birds. Frogs are super entertaining.)

How about a Bishon Frisee? It's a relatively small dog and does not have fur, but hair. A dear friend of mine acquired one as recommended by her doctor due to her extreme allergies and the family has had no allergy problems related to this dog. The breed does well with children as well. Otherwise consider a large rodent, like a rat. They tend to enjoy handling, however your son will have to clean it's habitat weekly and they only live about 2 years so be prepared to handle grief issues when they die.

My daughter's preschool has a hairless rat. Not the most attractive of creatures by conventional standards, but he is very well socialized, spends a lot of time being held and carried, and does really well with the kids. Just another thought. Good luck!

we had dwarf hamsters and they bite and it hurts. Husband doesn't allow them anymore. We are looking into a chinchilla. they like to cuddle and need lots of attention. They learn to build trust in you and build a relationship. They are a little on the pricy side, but they don't sound too bad, however we are still reading about them before deciding.One good thing is that they are self cleaning and like to clean themselves twice a week. They bathe in some kind of dust, but they come out with shinning coats. Also because their hair is thick, they don't get fleas or such. something to look into.

Hi,

Pet dander is unavoidable. I suggest the hairless cats, an aquaintance had one and loved it.

I have had a hampster, mice and rats. We had the most fun with the Rats would sit on shoulders when playing or riding bikes, learned tricks, did not bite and stayed in the cage. The hampster would bite which really hurt and the mice could get out of everything and then into everything. Teh rats do not have very long fur so shedding is at a minimum.

One thing to be aware of all small animals need their cage changed regularly, the sawdust or other material can cause problems with breathing if it agrivates your allergies.

There's some furry robotic pets out there that respond to simple commands and are reasonably priced... Target had them last I looked, I think they're by Imaginex. If you really feel you're not ready for a pet, you need to stick to your guns... YOU have to be ready for it, too. I'm speaking from experience, being Mama to a 3 and 5yr old as well as a 13yr and 9mo old boxers.... and trust me, if you're not committed to a pet, the smallest hole in the ground will try your patience! Good luck!